A Christmas Carol
Tis the season to light the candles, pop on your Christmas onesie, open a tub of chocolate and snuggle up to watch a festive film! But what is your favourite Christmas movie?
Are you one for the classics, such as ‘White Christmas’ or ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, or do you go for the comedies, like ‘The Nativity’ or ‘Elf’? Are you a romantic and prefer ‘Love Actually’ or ‘The Holiday’ or is it a ‘sugar-coated’ feel-good like ‘The Polar Express’ or ‘Home Alone’?
Or what about the controversial ‘Die Hard’... the big question being, is it a Christmas movie or not?
There are so many great Christmas films, but there is one that has been adapted numerous times. That is ‘A Christmas Carol’, the much-loved Charles Dickens novel which has embedded itself in our culture!
My favourite interpretation is ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang singing catchy tunes, telling silly jokes, and the fabulous Michael Caine as Scrooge.
‘A Christmas Carol’ is set in Victorian London at Christmas, and tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.
There is no mention of the birth of Jesus! So, what is it about this ‘classic’ that has made it endure and to be remade over the years?
At its heart, the story is about transformation. Scrooge’s supernatural encounters changed him for the better. We are caught up in the joy of his redemption on Christmas morning!
And that is the message of the Christmas story too. Hundreds of years before Dickens wrote his book, the birth of Jesus took place in Bethlehem, Israel to Mary & Joseph.
The Bible tells us at that ‘The Son of God’ ushered in an opportunity for all to change. Jesus still offers a fresh start and a new way to live, in a restored relationship with Father God.
Christmas is a story of hope and transformation. Let me conclude with some famous words from another great work of literature, the Bible...
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.”
If you have questions about God, faith or the church then why not sign up for the Alpha Course we are running in the new year on Zoom? Alpha is an opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith in a friendly, open and informal environment, all from the comfort of your own home!
Find out more about our Christmas events here
Find out more about Alpha here
God bless
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader