Lessons From The Movie "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”

Lessons from the movie “The Grinch who stole Christmas”

Luke 2:1-20

Rabbi Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

Luke 2:1 Now in those days a decree went out from aCaesar Augustus, that a census be taken of ball 1the inhabited earth. 2 1This was the first census taken while 2Quirinius was governor of aSyria. 3 And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because ahe was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was 1betrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the 1time came for her to give birth. 7 And she agave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a 1manger, because there was no 2room for them in the inn. 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. 9 And aan angel of the Lord suddenly bstood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And so the angel said to them, “aDo not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a aSavior, who is 1bChrist cthe Lord. 12 “And athis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a 1manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly 1army of angels praising God and saying, 14 “aGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people 1bwith whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the 1manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary atreasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back, aglorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

I like the original movie about the Grinch and the Whos. For young people, the original movie was an animated feature from back in the 1960s. The story is very simple. The Grinch hated the Who’s celebration of Christmas day. He came to their town on Christmas Eve and stole the Christmas trees, decorations and all the presents. Christmas morning came and, to the surprise of the Grinch, the Whos came out of their homes and gathered in the town center to sing about the joy of Christmas. The Grinch was so taken his heart grew three times its size and he came into the town and returned everything he stole. The Whos openly welcomed the Grinch to their Christmas feast and even let him slice the Roast Beast.

Christmas came to Who-ville even though the decorations, trees, and presents were all gone. The things that made the town look like Christmas were unnecessary for the town to celebrate Christmas. Each year, it is important for me to watch this movie. The animated original made the message about the true meaning of Christmas very clear.

The decorations, trees and presents are not what make Christmas a special time of the year. OK, I will admit that those things don’t hurt. However, Christmas will come whether the decorations, trees, and presents are not there. Can you imagine a Christmas celebration without these things? I am guessing so many people would say yes, but in reality, it is probably not true. The problem is the time of year. In the northern hemisphere, the nights get long, and the days are short. In December, it is nice to have the lights and decorations. The churches I have served over the years always have decorated the building and sanctuary.

Would Christmas time be the same in church if we did not decorate? Would we still have that same love to remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? We certainly should celebrate Jesus Christ every day, not just one day a year. It is grand to have a large celebration for the birth of Jesus Christ. It reminds us that God came incarnate to be among his people. Jesus came in flesh to learn about the ways of the world. That might sound strange because since we believe he is the second person of the Trinity, then he should know how we live and feel.