Fight the Viral Grinch

 That old Grinch had taken every decoration.  He'd pilfered every present.  He'd stolen all the food.  He'd stopped Christmas from coming.

"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming! 

They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do! 

Their mouths will hang open a minute or two

Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!

That's a noise," grinned the Grinch,

"That I simply MUST hear!"

So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.

And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.

It started in low.  Then is started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad!

Why, this sound sounded merry!

It couldn't be so!

But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at Who-ville!

The Grinch popped his eyes!

Then he shook!

What he saw was a shocking surprise!

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,

Was singing! Without any presents at all!

He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!

IT CAME!

Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

It came without packages, boxes or bags!

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzller was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

COVID-19 threatens to be a real grinch this Christmas.  Many of us spent Thanksgiving alone or with fewer people.  Unfortunately, it looks that Christmas could be much the same.

What can we do to keep COVID-19 from stealing our joy?  Of course, we could ignore wise counsel.  We could go ahead and do what we always do.  I'm sure some of you will.

Or we could find out that "Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

I hope we don't have to celebrate Christmas exactly like we celebrated Thanksgiving (though we still managed to have a wonderful Thanksgiving).  I hope we can do all of our traditional gatherings, but I fear that won't be the case.

Every movie, from Home Alone to It's a Wonderful Life to every one on Hallmark, tells us the true meaning of Christmas is loving togetherness.  But I know that is not the meaning, but a wonderful side effect most of us get each year.  The true meaning of Christmas is the birth of our Savior.  It is the story of God Himself giving up the bliss of Heaven for the poverty of a lowly family on earth.  It is about a Son born away from the very community that should have welcomed Him in.  It is about Emmanuel. 

I don't know what this Christmas will be like exactly, but I do know Christmas tells us that God is with us by His own sovereign choice.

To be able to experience the best Christmas has for us, we need Advent.  This year, more than ever, my family needs Advent to prepare a place in our hearts to experience the full joy of Christmas.  We may not be able to go in-person to Advent services so we are going to focus on Advent at home.  We are going to do daily Advent readings as a family.  I encourage you to do that.  You could use a book like we are or listen online or read a chapter of Luke a day... whatever you do, I say, just do it.

Don't let COVID-19 steal your Christmas.  Commit to fight the viral grinch with the ancient tool of Advent today.