Love Came Down at Christmas


 

I was a boy when the original animated version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was released. It is hard to imagine now, but that was back in the day when a show was aired on television once. If you missed it, you missed it. No streaming. No means of recording. A television show like this one was an event. You had to wait until the next Christmas and hope they ran the show again.
Funny, but I still look forward to watching this show every season. It has been a part of my holiday across these 50+ years. I can quote every line and still try my hand at the singing. And I still love the heart of the story, how the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes when he realized that Christmas didn’t come from a store, when he learned that Christmas was about love. Something about that moment changes him.
This is the point in the season when the Grinch can come out in any of us. The feeling we are running out of time. The traffic. The crowds. The burden of perceived expectations that rob us of the joy of the season. The tensions of family gatherings. That empty seat at the table. The holiday can feel anything but holly jolly.
When we find ourselves in that space, it is helpful to remember that the Grinch didn’t stay there forever. This really is a time of miracles. Just as the birth of Jesus changed the lives of those in the story we retell this week, what God was up to then still changes lives today. Sometimes in an instant, sometimes slowly over time, but things change. People change. That is our hope. That’s what love does.
Christina Rossetti wrote these beautiful words about the power of Christmas to change us,
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, love divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
Peace.

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