Atom‘Beware the Grinch”
Matthew 2:1-12 ‘When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him…”
It’s probably a story that most of us know – whether we’ve sent he animated version or the newer Jim Carey version or still prefer the original written story and wonderful drawings of Dr. Seuss. We know the story of the “Whos” in “Whoville” and of their eagerness to celebrate Christmas. They celebrate with all the trimmings…with trees and lights, decorations and presents, and a delicious “feast of roast beast.” And they gather every Christmas morning in the town square of Whoville to hold hands and sing the songs of Christmas.
We know of the Grinch who lives high on the hill above Whoville. He is a grouchy, grumpy old Grinch who hates Christmas with all its decorations and presents, with all its parties and noise, and who especially hates the sound of Whos singing. In other words, his heart is “two sizes too small.” And we know that he determines to steal away the Whos’ Christmas and their Christmas joy. He dresses up like Santa, ties reindeer horns to his old dog Max, and steals down into Whoville while all are asleep and takes away Christmas.
He takes all the decorations and presents, all the lights and the trees. He even takes the “roast beast.” He takes it way high on the top of a hill to dump it off into a great crevice…you know the story. But just before he does, he pauses to listen…to hear the weeping and the wailing of Whos awakened to find that they have no Christmas.
And here is my favorite part. Here is why I like this story so much. The Grinch doesn’t hear what he thinks he will hear. He doesn’t hear weeping and wailing. Instead…he hears singing. The Whos have once again gathered in the square, as is their custom—even without their trees and trimmings and presents and parties – to hold hands and to sing the songs of Christmas. The Grinch may have stolen their things, but he has not stolen their Christmas.
I particularly like that story in light of today’s reading from the gospel of Matthew. We know the story of the Magi coming with gifts for the newborn king. We know how they follow the star from lands far away in the east. We know that the signs in the heavens have directed them to Israel and so they come to Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem and ask to see this newborn king. Of course word reaches present king Herod – always lurking around the edges of the story. I couple of weeks ago, I suggested that John the Baptist might be a part of our Christmas decorating because he always shows up pointing to Jesus as God’s Son. But perhaps Herod should also be there, because he is, much as we would like to ignore him and wish him away. If there was ever a Grinch in God’s Christmas story, it was Herod. Herod was more than a grouch, however. He was downright mean and evil. And he was afraid. He had so abused the people if Israel during his reign as king, using their money and their bodies to build cities and fortresses and summer castles, that Herod knew he was hated by all. He was understandably paranoid. And…determined that no one should think about taking his throne. To that end, he executed leading members of the Sanhedrin – Israel’s ruling body, members of his own family: his wife Mariamne and her mother, his sons, three of whom he imagined might have designs on the throne, and many others. He even imprisoned leading members of Jewish society and held them ransom, giving the instruction that should he die, they should be immediately executed. You see, Herod wanted to be sure that there would be tears cried at his passing. He knew they wouldn’t be for him, so he made “special” provision. Knowing all this, you can better understand when Matthew says that upon hearing from the wise men that a king had been born, Herod was frightened and all Jerusalem with him. You can also understand how Herod might go to the lengths he did to eliminate the threat he perceived in the birth of Jesus. When the wise men do not return to tell him the whereabouts of the baby – and for good reason – Herod tells his soldiers to go into Bethlehem to kill all the male babies under two years of age…just to be sure!
Now you might not have remembered this part of the Christmas story. We don’t often read it. We kind of skip over it because it is so awful. If you only came to worship for the Christmas Eve service, you might never hear it. If you take a break after Christmas to visit relatives, you might never hear it. Most years it isn’t a part of our regular readings. We don’t include Herod and the babies in our Christmas manger scenes. The shepherds, yes. Even the wisemen. But not Herod. And with good reason. We don’t like the story. I don’t like the story. It turns my stomach. It raises too many questions. But it is there. And we need it to be there, because as much as we hate to admit it, Herod and all that he represents keeps showing up in the Christmas story – our Christmas story. Herod the Grinch who would steal Christmas – our Christmas
We don’t like to talk about this too much because Christmas is supposed to be about light and happiness and family. It is that, but if the truth be told, for many people Christmas is also about darkness and fear and brokenness. Counselors and doctors know that after Christmas there will be many depressed people who will come for help…and some who won’t. There will be people who will do desperate, violent things, because Christmas was supposed to help and this year it didn’t. Maybe especially this year…with the downturn of the economy and all – lost savings and lost jobs and lost business. I have a hunch that people were looking forward, hoping that Christmas might take it all away. But it didn’t and it won’t.
I hope it’s okay to talk about this today…only a few days removed from Christmas…because it is real. For many of us Herod still lives. For many of us the Grinch still steals into our lives to take away our Christmas joy.
For some, the Grinch comes as loneliness. Christmas isn’t quite the same when you spend it alone, when your husband or wife is gone. It’s not the same for my Dad this year. Sure, we kids come in for awhile, invite him to our homes for dinner, but the rest of the time the house is far too quiet. Loneliness would steal our joy.
For others, the Grinch is the grief of being in an unfamiliar place and feeling out of control. Most of the folks feeling this way won’t be with us today. They are the ones who because of failing health and the inability to care for themselves have been moved to a care facility. Family has had to make a difficult decision to make sure that they are properly cared for. It’s an awful experience for the one so placed and the ones doing the placing – to not have Christmas in your home. It can steal your joy.
For still others, the Grinch this year is a marriage that has come apart at the seams. Christmas is supposed to be about getting together with family, but his year its sorting out when we’ll be with Mom and when we’ll be with Dad, and not celebrating with the inlaws anymore…because even though you’ve been with them for 15 years of Christmases, well…it just doesn’t work anymore. The Grinch lives.
And then there is the real Grinch in most of our lives…the grim reality of death. I have no idea what that must be like for those who have lost loved ones suddenly or tragically…a car crash…a suicide…a blood clot in the night…or while serving our country in a far away land. I can’t imagine the pain and emptiness. I do have a better sense of those who lose loved ones in more traditional ways. I have sat with them. Whether it’s the first Christmas after or the second or the third or the twenty-third without that most important person, our lives are still emptier.
And this year the Grinch in Christmas might well be the specter of your own death or the death of someone you love and the realization that this may in fact be the last Christmas that you will celebrate together.
Whatever the Grinch and Herod might represent for you, they are a part of our Christmas story…and God’s Christmas story. Which in a strange kind of way is good news. Because it reminds us that God’s story is a real story. It reminds us that from the very beginning God has been at work in these grim places in our lives, that there have always been enemies to the good that God would work for us and that though evil may win the day, God still has the future in hand!
Jesus will return from Egypt one day and grow up among us humans. He will learn and laugh and cry as we must, and one day he will die. Even though he escaped death in this story, he did not escape it ultimately. Jesus did die. Yet because of that death and the resurrection which follows, there is hope – hope for the future. Hope for the murdered babies and all who die senselessly – even those who die at the hands of terrorists. Hope for the aged who must one day leave this life for a new one. Hope for those of us who remain behind because this One who comes, this Jesus, comes to stay with us. Matthew reminds us that he is Immanuel. He is “God with us.” And because he is, the Grinch can’t really steal our Christmas, try as he might. We dare even in our times of fear and loss and uncertainty about the future to sing the songs of Christmas!
We gather in this place today – as did the Whos in their village square—to join hands and sing once again the songs of Christmas. Well, perhaps not quite. We may be a little too Scandinavian or German to actually join hands, but we will at least join hearts and sing. And as we do, we remember again and each time we gather, that Christmas is about more than decorations and lights and trees and presents. It is about God’s gift, God’s most precious gift. God gift that you can’t outgrow or use up…God’s gift that you need not take back and exchange for a better one…God’s gift that endures. And so it is that after all the pine needles have been picked from the carpet, after all the leftover roast beast has been consumed, this one gift will remain: The gift of Christmas – God’s love born in a manger, raised from the dead in Jesus Christ. It is the gift of joy…which cannot be taken away.
You see, happiness, which we usually associate with Christmas, is about what we have and who we know and how things are going – and I hope things are going well. But joy…joy is the quiet confidence that comes from knowing that God has come to you and to me and that God is still here – with us. That joy, friends – that Christmas joy, is something no Grinch can steal away. Let’s pray…Amen.
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