The first three parts of the Christmas sermon series, “He Came to Us: Four Gospels – Four Perspectives,” preached by Redeemer’s lead elder, Jim Applegate, are subtitled, “Matthew: In our brokenness,” “Mark: To all of us,” and “Luke: Knowing we are skeptics“.
This fourth and final part is subtitled, “John: For all eternity” and evaluates A Christmas Carol, complete with images from the version in which Jim Carrey plays Scrooge. Does this classic Christmas movie, and Charles Dickens novella, miss the point behind why Jesus “came to us”? This sermon was not recorded, but here is a summary of the keynote images and notes:
Worldliness vs. Religion vs. Gospel
Jim begins by saying that when we put faith in something, we usually do it in terms of worldliness or religion. Worldliness puts faith in money, power, ambition and material possessions. Religion puts faith in giving, being kind, and getting off the naughty list. Nothing illustrates this better at this time of year than the story, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Picture grumpy, cold Scrooge, the business man with so much money and so little empathy for those without. He has put his faith in worldliness. He is visited by his business partner, Jacob Marley, who has been tormented in his afterlife because of his actions on earth. Then Scrooge is visited by three ghosts in succession: Scrooge’s Christmas past that made him who he is, the present Christmas for all who are suffering from his behavior, and the Christmas that will be in the future if Scrooge doesn’t change. In the end, he wants a second chance, and he gets one: to make himself a better person and get off the naughty list. That’s religion. Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Is it really good news?
Scrooge is given a chance to save himself—to become his own savior. Both the worldliness Scrooge came from, and the religion of his second chance, are based upon Scrooge. Is that the gospel (“good news”)? Are we accepted because of our behavior? How good is good enough? Where’s Jesus in this movie—isn’t Christmas about Jesus?
The gospel according to John:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
A Christmas Carol is fun, but it falls far short of the good news of the gospel. The bummer is…most of us have bought into the religion of it. But, Jesus doesn’t give us a chance to be a better person—he is that better person in our place; he gives us his reputation of righteousness. Jesus doesn’t give us a chance to tip the karma scale—he erases the debt. Jesus doesn’t give us a chance to save ourselves—he becomes our savior. This is the good news that we celebrate at Christmas!
The good news is not the world (built on stuff), not religion (based on behavior)—the good news is the gospel (grace, demonstrated in Jesus’ coming to all of us in our brokenness, knowing we are skeptics, and dying in our place).
What about the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future? Do you relate to these statements? “I feel bad about my past.” “I wonder if what I’m doing right now is okay.” “I am insecure about life after death.”
The Christmas story according to the gospel of John: He came to us for all eternity.
Jesus is Lord over our past and present.
John1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
He forgives our sins, gives us his perfect reputation and does the work of healing.
Jesus is Lord over our future.
John1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
He is eternal—with God from the beginning (“before” time).
He is all-powerful—everything is made through him.
If our hope is based on him, our hope is built on someone who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
What is your hope in today? Money based on things? Religion based on your behavior? Those things will always fail you and never fully satisfy.
The grace Jesus demonstrated—that is love that never fails and the only thing that truly satisfies. That’s the gospel you won’t get from A Christmas Carol.
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When considered in the light of Carson Weitnauer’s 6 Easy Ways to Add Apologetics to Your Sermon, Jim’s sermon does a good job of contrasting the worldviews of world/religion/gospel, and asking great questions. It is so encouraging to be a member of a church family that speaks to both heart and mind. This is a gift I’d like to thank God for giving us this Christmas, which was made possible by the gift of his son. If you are a pastor or elder, I pray you consider giving this gift to your church, if you are not already. If you are a member of a church whose pastor/elder employs any of Carson’s 6 Ways, would you please comment to this article and tell us all about it?
Merry Christmas!
Interesting and thoughtful review. I think the validity of the message embodied in the Dickens’ classic depends upon the angle from which it is viewed, same as any work of literature. While God doesn’t seem to be the main focal point of the story, man’s relationship to humanity is, and that is most definitely revealed in Scripture as a critical element in the life of a believer. The atheist may very well have a different way of interpreting the story, but then again, there are some atheists who enjoy reading the Bible, so what can we say about the way some of Jesus’ parables can be taken out of context and be reinterpreted to fit within a humanistic worldview? Politicians do it all the time. Well, in my opinion, having read the book afresh with my kids, I think the main entire story can be summed up in Jesus’ parable of the rich fool who said, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” The difference is that Scrooge wouldn’t even allow himself to relax and be merry. He was above all, the most miserable of misers. Life had become the total equivalent of the size of his bank account. Jesus asks, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”