Charles Dickens’ novel A Christmas
Carol was released on December 19, 1843, and has never been out of
print. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy, sour, stingy man who
says, “Every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas,’ on his lips, should
be boiled with his own pudding!” Yet, one Christmas Eve, Scrooge is radically
changed into a generous and happy man. With great humor and insight, Dickens’ book
captures the universal longing for inner peace.
As a young man, the apostle Paul opposed
Jesus and His followers with a vengeful spirit. He “made havoc of the church,
entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to
prison” (Acts 8:3). But one day he encountered the risen Christ, and his life
became a different story (9:1-16).
In a letter to Timothy, his son in the
faith, Paul described that life-changing event by saying, even though he was “a
blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man . . . the grace of our Lord was
exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus”
(1 Tim. 1:13-14).
Jesus was born into our world and gave His
life so that we can be forgiven and transformed through faith in Him. This is
the heart of Christmas!
A change in behavior begins with God changing our
heart. (RBC)
