He came in the dark
And slithered like a snake
Stole all the presents
Even the star he did take
The candy canes were stolen
From kids sleeping in bed
He stink, stank, and stunk,
Took all and fled on his sled
But when he stopped to hear
The cries of boo hoo
The Spirit of Christmas
Came through and through
The joy of Whoville changed the Grinch
A smile replaced his frown
Christmas can never be silenced
When the Joy of Jesus is all around.
Starting last year, with all the lockdowns, it felt like the Grinch was trying to steal Christmas. The Pandemic could wear us down: put on a mask, social distance, stay home. But the “Pandemic Grinch” isn’t going to win: Christmas doesn’t come through wrapped presents – only His Holy presence.
It’s sad, but too many people don’t live in the spirit of Whoville.
The Grinch from Whoville,
Finally Found faith in Hisville
For in Whoville that was Hisville
He was converted to goodwill.
Instead of peace on earth goodwill toward men, we live in a pretty “Grinchy world” of commercialism where Christmas has been reduced to a time of buying and receiving presents. Tis the season of “I want”. Of too much food. Of overspending. Of Grinchitis!
Too many people behave like the unconverted Grinch, think like the unconverted Grinch, believe like the unconverted Grinch, and hurt inside like the unconverted Grinch.
The Grinches in our lives today don’t live in far-away lands or mountaintops or caves. They live across the street, across the state, and sometimes in our own families.
It would be easy to spot every Grinch if they had green bodies. So how do we spot the Grinches around us and suppress the Grinch within us? There are signs we can look for when the Grinch is winning:
Let’s read Matthew 2:1-3: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this he was disturbed.”
You know you are a Grinch if you get disturbed because someone might rise to be more popular, more powerful, and more influential than you. Herod loved power, popularity, and influence.
He also wanted autonomy. Autonomy is the desire to govern our own lives. We don’t want to be under the power and influence of anyone else. We like autonomy – power – control. There are a lot of studies out there today that look at the power game. People want power over others, even if there’s nothing to gain in the process.
It is just Power for the sake of Power. Power gives people the ability to live life on their own terms. You see, power gives people a fake sense of happiness. And after chasing power their whole life, they end up powerless.
On the other hand, being a Christian is a very humble act. We submit to Christ – and give up our own power – and place our faith in His power.
Herod couldn’t do that. The thought of someone being more powerful than him, consumed him. It made him a first-rate Grinch. Don’t give the Grinch an inch.
The story continues in verses 7-8: “Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.”
Research says that on the average, people lie 4 times a day, which comes out to 1,460 lies a year. How sad that people find lying to come so easily. Herod could easily lie. He had no good intentions – he didn’t want to worship baby Jesus – he wanted to kill him – destroy him – even if he had to kill innocent lives in the process.
Too many people today are what I call a “Pinocchio Grinch” – they lie, then lie about their lying, until they don’t know the difference between truth and a life. Their consistent lying erodes their character in every other way. Liars pretend to be good but their true motives are self-centered and evil.
They also hide behind their lies. In our society – who gets lied to the most? Parents 86% of the time. Friends 75%. Siblings 73% and Spouses 69%.
So why do so many People lie in life? There are many reasons, but usually it’s because they want to save face; they want to shift the blame onto someone else; they want to protect a loved one or friend from being punished; they want to avoid embarrassment, they want to get their own way, or they want to Lord it over others.
The real problem with lying is that it gets easier with each lie. And when you’re dubbed a liar – people will always question when your actually telling the truth. We just need to make the conscious choice that we will not lie. Don’t give the Grinch an inch.
Moving on the verses 9-10, “After they (the wisemen) had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” You know you are a Grinch if you don’t have joy in your life. Joy isn’t an option for Christians; it’s an essential. A strength. “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Joy is commanded over and over again in both the Old and New Testament. Hundreds of verses speak on the Joy we should have in Jesus. Why is the Bible so insistent that we have Joy? It is a reflection of God Himself. The Joy of the heart stems from the Joy of our Creator. Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace are the candles of Advent because they are the marks of Christianity. So don’t let the Grinch steal an inch of your Joy.
Moving to the first part of Verse 11: “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. You know you are a Grinch if you do not want to worship King Jesus. Worship is the theme of all of scripture, the focus of redemptive history, and the joy and hope of eternity. It is the expression of our service to God.
In life, we will all worship something. We will worship sports, actors, money, materialism, musicians, power, self, Satan, or God. But we will worship. Listen to what Jesus said Himself in John 4:24: “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth.”
Jesus was describing true worship here. It is not place in places, outward sacrifices, rituals, and cleanings. It’s found in spirit and in truth. Spiritual worship means you are focused on Him. Truth means it’s all about Him and His Word. We come to God in truth – we are real – we let down our guide – we are honest with Him.
God gave us worship, so we might overcome the Grinch within us.
When we worship that precious, little baby Jesus, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, we prove how much we love Him. Our second candle of advent is all about love – we cannot love God and be a Grinch when it comes to worshipping Him. Remember to Worship the King this Christmas, and not the things that money can buy. Don’t give the Grinch an Inch.
The rest of verse 11 reads: “Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” You also know you are a Grinch if you do not want to give of your financial resources to Him. When we give of our money, our gifts, our treasure to the Lord, we are only giving Him what is already His. Plus, giving is a way to show that we trust God with our lives and we want to further His Kingdom here on earth by helping others and supporting the work of His church.
Tithing isn’t to benefit God – he doesn’t need our money to accomplish His goals, but tithing benefits us – when we make sacrifices for Him we are reminded that God will meet our needs – not the world – not our own efforts – not the government. God. Plus, it develops our character. Love of money is the root of all evil. I Timothy 6:10. Money is the root of all evil – only the LOVE of money.
A loving heart towards God – results in a loving heart towards others. Tithing doesn’t earn God’s favor – He can’t love more and He won’t love us less whether we tithe or not. But tithing is a spiritual act more than a financial one. It’s not about the money – it’s about the heart. A Grinch won’t give an inch not even a pinch.
Moving on to Verses 12-13: “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
Being a Grinch means you search for your own throne, and you’re willing to destroy anything in your path to reach your prideful destination. In the course of self-centeredness – you miss the real meaning of Christmas. Herod was plunged in the midst of the greatest story ever told, and he missed it all. He missed the angels singing, the star shining, the shepherds and wisemen rejoicing, but most of all, he missed the King’s coming! Instead, he clung to misery, pride, and bitterness. Because he didn’t want to look weak, he became weak.
Herod told the wise men to Go, and when YOU have found him, come and tell me. He missed out because he didn’t Go. We can’t send someone else to find Jesus. We must Go ourselves.
Why didn’t Herod go? Why didn’t he put in the time to find the baby King? He didn’t really want to find Him. He didn’t want to face Him. To meet him. The baby King could have changed his life and he knew it. Herod was a Grinch. And Grinches can only change if their heart grows bigger and stronger. Not smaller and weaker.
A Grinch hears laughter, but cries inside. A Grinch knows the truth, but lives a lie. A Grinch searches for a spiritual truth, but refuses to worship the One who is The Truth.
Herod never became a converted Grinch, too bad. He never saw Whoville as Hisville.
The Grinch of sin cannot win
Don’t give the Grinch a room within
