Weekly e-News December 11
Hey, everyone!
Hope you’re having an awesome, carol-singing, hall-decking, joy-to-the-world week of Christmasy-ness!! And with folks stressed and frazzled all around, it’s an awesome opportunity to show the love of Jesus and do something really Grinchy for someone, somewhere near you!
Well, is almost time for us to…
What?
Oh, sorry.
“Doing something Grinchy” means doing something kind and helpful, for peace on earth, goodwill toward men.
“But I thought the Grinch was the meanest, coldest, most hateful, most spiteful creature ever!”
Yeah. But only at the beginning. Not in the end!
In the end he wasn’t that way! He was different! He’d changed! His heart grew three sizes in one day! He brought Christmas back to Whoville, after risking his life on the top of Mt Crumpit! "And he, the Grinch, carved the roastbeast!"
I wish folks would remember him for what he became, not what he had been!
That song still says, “You’re a mean one, Mr Grinch!”
It should say, “You WERE a mean one”!
Even worse, it goes on to say stuff like,…
“You’re a nasty wasty skunk
Your heart is full of unwashed socks,
Your soul is full of gunk
Mr. Grinch…"
"You’re a rotter Mr. Grinch
You’re the king of sinful sots
Your heart’s a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots
Mr. Grinch…"
"The 3 words that best describe you, are as follows, and I quote
Stink, Stank, Stunk”
Maybe he WAS those things (“the king of sinful sots”…wow!), but not by the last page!
If you met him today, he’d be the sweetest creature you could ever know! To do something “Grinchy” is to do something loving with a heart full of Christmas! Because that’s who the Grinch is now!
(Except that he doesn’t actually exist.)
It’s not about what you WERE! It’s about what God is making you now! The past is gone! It’s past! (That’s why they call it that!) You’re not who you were! You’re new! Our God doesn’t see the mess of before! He looks at us and sees…
saints! (Eph 1.1) …
Sons and daughters! (Rom. 8.14) …
Holy ones! Whole ones! His choice! Beloved! (Col 3.12) …
Beauties! (Song of Songs 1.15)
The new you…a Christmas miracle! It really DOES happen!
And not just in stories!
And all because of a story!
The Christmas story! That story is different from the "How Grinch Stole Christmas" story. The Christmas story is a true story! It’s a “story” in the way they talk about a “news story” in the newspaper or on the “6:00 news”…the story of something that really happened!
In one of his letters, the apostle Paul talks about "speaking with the tongue of…angels" Apparently, angels have an amazing language all their own! Let's just call it "cherubimese"…or "seraphimian" But when one burst thru the clouds on the first Christmas, with a message he wanted the folks to hear, he spoke in one of the languages humans speak and know! In the Greek language, he said (or sang!)…
“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy!"
The words “I bring good tidings” translate one word from that language. It's "euangelizomai"…
"Euangelion" means "good news"…and “I euangelizomai you!” means, “I tell you good news! NEWS!! News about something that has really happened!”
It’s true!
A savior has come! He really has!
We’re not who we were!
And a heart really CAN grow three sizes in one day!!
Makes you just wanna sing with all those Whos down in Whoville, the tall and the small…
“Fah who for-aze
Dah who dor-aze
Welcome Christmas
Christmas Day!
Welcome, welcome
Fah who rah-moose
Welcome,welcome
Dah who dah-moose
Welcome Christmas, fah who rah-moose
Welcome Christmas, dah who dah-moose
Christmas Day will always be
Just so long as we have He!
Welcome Christmas
Dah who dah-moose
Welcome Christmas
While we stand
Heart to heart
And hand in hand
Fah who for-aze
Dan who dor-aze
Welcome welcome
Christmas, Christmas Day!