Christmas Greeting Card Sermon I: Season's Greetings! Series

CHRISTMAS GREETING CARD SERMON I: SEASON’S GREETINGS

Norman Rockwell was one of America’s all-time favorite painters of scenes typical of the warmth associated with the story-book kind of life we all longed for as we grew up. His paintings depict stories that give me a bit of respite from the real world of greed and grumbling.

One of his favorite Christmas Classics is simply entitled Grandpa.

At first glance, the scene itself appears to be rather straightforward; it pictures a very rotund snowman with a frown on its face and a pipe stuck in the side of a mouth that is shaped like an upside down “smiley face” – sort of like mine.

The snowman has a straw beard on its chin and a straw hat on its head, with a straw broom in one of its hands. The snowman’s eyes have a look of suspicion as if it is unsure of surviving if the real grandpa were to see it; written across the chest of the snowman is the word “Grandpa.”

In his touch of genius, Rockwell shows a little boy all bundled up and peeking out from behind the snowman, apparently because all of a sudden, he must have seen the real grandpa headed that way; so, the little “fella” had neither the time nor place to run and hide. He took refuge behind the snowman that had been built in the child’s image of grandpa.

Then you see a side view of the real grandpa, bearded and rotund, with a picnic basket slung over one arm and a walking cane umbrella hooked over the other arm. He has a colorful scarf around his neck and a wool cap on his head. His small-lens glasses are perched very low on his nose.

The most delightful part of the entire scene is Rockwell’s depiction of the real grandpa, his mouth wide open with the grin of laughter, obviously “tickled to death” by the sight of his counterpart the snowman with those eyes cast to one side as if he were wondering whether grandpa will find it to be his liking.

Grandpa not only liked it but found it to be delightful. At the top of the painting on the card are the words “Season’s Greetings” - and on the inside of the card is this brief message: “Those who keep the spirit of Christmas in their hearts remain forever young . . . Merry Christmas.”

This Rockwell Christmas classic appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post magazine on December 20, 1919.

In that year, my mother was 23 and my father was 39 years of age. Their first of eleven children, my sister Mildred, had died earlier that year. For my parents, Christmas in 1919 was anything but merry.

In the years that followed, however, my father determined that the Cunningham household would from that time forward be a place of warmth and merriment even if all he could afford to give his children for Christmas was a stocking filled with fruits, nuts and candies.

Some of you remember those years, especially the Great Depression, when you felt lucky to receive a candy cane and one gift; and you were grateful for what you received. Yet, if your home was like mine, the most remembered Christmases of our childhood and, in later years parenthood, were those years when we were together as a family – gifts or no gifts!

It was not alarming to me when I read the other day that gift buying was on the decline this year due to high prices and low incomes that are stretched to the limit.

Neither did I get upset when one of my sons and his wife decided that this year would be a year devoted to family gatherings rather than a year of buying and exchanging gifts. “Suits me” I said gleefully, although I do not in any way consider myself to be a “scrooge”.

There is no gift greater than the gift of presence of loved ones!

I will honor my son’s wishes; but I shall participate in the JOY of GIVING this Christmas Season - so that tots may have toys and lovable grandchildren will experience the joy of receiving my expression of love.

I have decided that LOVE can be expressed in the giving of small gifts – some of which cannot be purchased – a hug, for example; a “thank you” as another example; “I love you” spoken with a smile.

Nor shall I miss the chance yet again, this year at Christmas time, to spread the good news of the birth of our Savior – through words of song and sermon, in expressions of caring for the homeless, responding to the needs of the hungry. Christmas gives us an opportunity to be blessed by the truth of the scriptural reminder: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”