“See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me.” (Malachi 3:1a)
Was the Grinch wrong?
Now that the Advent Bible study I’m leading on Mondays at 7pm has begun, I’m having a lot more fun than I expected. Matt Rawle’s book, The Heart That Grew Three Sizes, is helping me to respect the Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ beloved story far more than I anticipated. As grouchy and self-focused as he is, the question I have been chewing on, since our first Zoom session, comes from Rev. Rawle’s unique reading of a tale that I assumed I already understood inside-out: Was the Grinch wrong?
Clearly, the Grinch was wrong when he raided the town of Whoville while everyone but Cindy Lou Who was sleeping. It’s not okay to dress-up as Santa, the model of selfless gift-giving, and then steal gifts that aren’t yours. It’s not okay to harness your dog in front of a sled, flog him with a whip, and run him over when gravity accelerates your midnight ride down the slopes of Mount Crumpet. The narrator must be right. There is something deeply wrong with the Grinch. His heart must be two sizes too small.
On the other hand, there is something right about the Grinch and his indictment of Christmas in Whoville. From his perch high over the village, the Grinch sees three problems that feel awfully familiar. The celebration below is way too focused on toys, noise, and gluttony. When Whovillians celebrate the birthday of Jesus, their cherished traditions are all about gorging their own appetites. They are out of touch with the “reason for the season.” Even gift-giving, which is supposed to mirror the gift-giving of the Magi, and especially the gift of salvation all wrapped up in Bethlehem’s baby, has lost its intended meaning and its constructive purpose –- reflecting God’s good news, what Christians call the Gospel.
Was the Grinch wrong? Well, yes. “Thou shalt not steal.” But also, no. Without intending to redeem Whoville’s over-the-top celebration of Christmas, the Grinch becomes an accidental prophet, a messenger from God who sees what God sees in our self-focused festivities and calls us to turn around.
That’s why Advent is a purple season –- like the purple season of Lent. Advent is meant to be a time for taking stock, looking at our lives from God’s point of view, and turning in God’s direction before our celebration of Christmas begins. The Bible’s word for turning around is metanoia –- usually rendered in English as repentance. But repentance rarely happens unless a messenger from God “prepares the way.”
Cleverly and perceptively, Rev. Rawle points out that the Grinch on Mount Crumpet and John the Baptist in the wilderness are cut from the same prophetic cloth. The Grinch and John live alone. They have separated themselves from communities gone astray. John, the son of a priest, lives in the desert instead of serving like his father in a big city Temple that is tainted and corrupt. The Grinch, like John, also lives alone, refusing to celebrate a holiday that is tainted and corrupt. Like them or not, we need prophets like John and the Grinch to lead us to a quiet place and prepare the way of the Lord.
Who are the prophets that you listen to? What do the messengers whom you respect see, indict, and ask you to do? How will you heed their calls to turn around and celebrate Christmas as a holy day and not just another holiday? Spend some time in prayer pondering these prophetic Advent questions.
-Pastor Joel Guillemette
Sudbury UMC Lenten Devotions 