Advent Reflection: Christmas Past, Present, and Future

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. - Luke 2:10-11

This year during Advent, we will look together at Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future. Many of you will remember the beloved tale by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, in which the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is a miserly and bitter man. He has pushed everyone out of his life and becomes a profoundly broken person. Through the story, three ghosts visit him - from Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come, - and his heart is transformed.

For this Advent, we will explore Dickens’s story and the timeless Biblical themes he wove throughout it: our human brokenness, the power of God’s redemption, and the hope and joy we find in the birth of our Lord.

Christmas Past

Christmas past points us to the very first Christmas when Jesus was born. The world then was marked by poverty, isolation, and judgment. Those same realities shaped Dickens’s own time, and they remain painfully visible in ours, where a vast divide in wealth means that those living on the margins continue to suffer deeply.

With the Ghost of Christmas Past, we remember that Mary rejoiced at the coming of the Messiah because she believed with all her heart that Jesus would transform the world, especially for the neglected and forgotten.  Dickens sought to make the same point. You may recall Scrooge's cold response when he is asked to support the poor, suggesting that if they were to die, they should do so “and decrease the surplus population.” His spirit is frozen by a worldview that rejects compassion.

Christmas Present

Then we look at Christmas Present. Scrooge sees the humble home of Bob Cratchit, his wife, and of course Tiny Tim. Though they live with very little, they discover joy in what they have: love, family, and gratitude. Their poverty does not diminish their hope.

Christmas present invites us to recognize the gifts God has placed in our lives today - family, church, community, and the presence of Christ among us. It also calls us to be mindful of those in need right now, to bring hope through feeding the hungry, clothing the cold, and living as Jesus lived in honor of his birth.

Christmas Future

Finally, the spirit of Christmas future is the specter Scrooge fears most. He sees that, because of his greed and hardness of heart, his life has become spiritually bankrupt. When he discovers that the un-mourned man whose death others are discussing is himself, he finally sees the truth: he must change.

So we ask:

What do we want Christmas future to look like in New York City?

Five years from now? Ten years? By the year 2033?

What do we desire for every child who wakes up on Christmas morning?

A loving home? A safe place to live? Enough food? Joy? Belonging?

If we want that future, we must begin building it now.

The Joy of Christmas Morning

On Christmas Day, when Ebenezer awakes, he shocks the whole world. He has, indeed, fundamentally changed his character through repentance and redemption. The message is that we too can be changed from the inside out.

Whatever anger lives in our hearts, whatever hatred, brokenness, or cynicism keeps us from being people filled with the joy of Jesus, the hope of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit - whatever has wounded or hardened us - the joy of Christmas morning proclaims that Jesus is born into our lives. It is the joy of redemption through his life and the hope we can all experience as we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” Amen.

Prayer of Confession: 

Lord, You came into the world to bring good news of great joy for all people. But we have held onto the joy of Your grace, and we have failed to extend Your compassionate relief to the hungry, the alone, and the afraid. By Your powerful spirit, change our hearts to bring Christmas joy to the world. Amen.