Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which tells us of Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit, is a wonderful story. Scrooge is the tight-fisted, hard-nosed, “never give anyone a break,” work-aholic, whose chief goal in life is to make as much money as he can with little or no regard for anyone else. Bob Cratchit is a humble, Christian man, who works for Scrooge and in spite of the way Scrooge treats him, he’s loyal and feels sorry him. If you’re familiar with the story, you remember that three ghosts visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve. The ghost of Christmas past takes Scrooge back to his past, where he sees his life as a young boy, and then as a young man in apprenticeship who turns his back on love in favor of his work. He comes away somewhat teary-eyed and sentimental.
The ghost of Christmas present takes Scrooge to Bob Cratchit’s house. He learns of Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim and his condition. He also visits his nephew’s house, where he sees his family making fun of him because of his sour attitude.
And finally, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Christmas yet to come, which takes him into the future. He visits the Cratchit household, where he learns of Tiny Tim’s death. He’s also shown a dead body underneath a sheet. He’s not told who it is, but he’s allowed to eavesdrop on various conversations concerning this dead person. The remarks are not very flattering, and at one point, some of the dead man’s possessions are ransacked. Scrooge has a gnawing feeling who the person is. He’s anxious to know, but the ghost tells him nothing. He instead points him to a graveyard, where Scrooge discovers his own tombstone. He then awakens from his night of travel. He’s a new man who, having learned from the past, seen the present with greater intensity, and gained a glimpse of the future, will now embark upon a path with a newfound vision and purpose.
As we consider the Israelite’s situation in our scripture this morning and also ponder the future that accompanies a new year, I’d like to suggest that we take three similar journeys as Scrooge did. First of all, know, appreciate, and learn from your past. The Israelite history began with Abraham obediently following God’s command to move to a new land. Past childbearing years, God then blesses Abraham and Sarah with a son Isaac. God would then ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but when Abraham is prepared to obey, God intervenes and spares Isaac. Isaac has two sons Esau and Jacob. Jacob, the conniver, steals Esau’s birthright, but ends up being the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob’s youngest son, Joseph is despised by his brothers and sold into slavery. Joseph perseveres and because of his God-given ability to interpret dreams, saves Egypt from a famine and becomes Pharaoh’s trusted advisor. Joseph is reunited with his family when his brothers come to Egypt for food. There, in Egypt, the sons of Jacob, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, live out their days together.
Some time around 1300BC, a new pharaoh comes to power. He is unaware of Joseph’s legacy and scared of the Israelites, because they’ve multiplied and grown exceedingly strong. He uses taskmasters to oppress them and force the Israelites into slavery, but out of the pains of bondage was born a baby boy named Moses, who is led by God to deliver the Israelites from slavery to the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Every once in a while, you’ve got to back up from segmented Bible study and look at the whole time line. This is the time line, the history, the events that the ghost of Christmas past would show the Israelite people. Their history is littered with God’s unyielding faithfulness and dedication. They have such a rich and glorious past, because of God.
Do you know the history of Chestnut Grove is somewhat similar? Not that we were enslaved, but that we broke free from oppression as part of the “liberal” Separatist Baptist movement. You may ask, “What made them so liberal?” The separatist movement was considered liberal because it disavowed infant baptism, proclaiming believer baptism instead, and they emphasized the autonomy of the local church. Well, on January 9, 1773, 48 of these dissenters met somewhere around Lewis’ meeting house and established the Albemarle Baptist Church, the forerunner of Chestnut Grove Baptist Church and the Albemarle Baptist Association.
In 1801, the church moved to a vacant Episcopal church west of Earlysville near 764 and became known as Buck Mountain Baptist Church. When the Episcopalians asked for the building back, we moved to the center of Earlysville and helped construct and began using the Earlysville Union Church. After the Civil War, these Baptists began looking for a new site for their future, and settled on one that sat “in the fork of the road near Longwood.” They held many fundraisers before they could afford the $25 per acre they would pay, but in May, 1880, the new land and building was dedicated. In 1956, the decision was made to expand, by putting new rooms underneath in a basement. Some money was on hand due to the sale of timber from the church property, and the church decided to borrow the rest.
When Scrooge looked back on his past, he was sad, because he realized what he missed out on and what life could have become. When the Israelites looked back on their past, it was with mixed emotions. Happiness and joy existed because God had chosen them to be His people, but sadness was also present because there had been pain and slavery. When we look back on our past, undoubtedly there was pain and sacrifice involved in forming a church outside of the typical Baptist beliefs, changing sites, and raising and borrowing money to secure the future.
We, much like the Israelites and Scrooge, must take note of our past. It is rich, it is enlightening, but most of all, it is empowering to see the mighty steps of faith that congregation took, and how God blessed them through those acts of faith. That is our Ghost of Christmas Past.
But what of today? The Israelites stand on the brink of the Promised Land. God has brought them there and said, "Here it’s yours," but when the spies go to investigate, they come back scared. “They’re too big. We could never conquer them. There’s no way we can make that land ours.” It’s as if the Israelites have developed amnesia. How were they freed from slavery? How were they fed in the wilderness? How were they led to Sinai? With whom did they have a covenant? Did they all of a sudden forget that God was leading them and providing for them? Part of their complaint was right in that they couldn’t overcome the Amalekites, but God could. God said he was going to give them the land. God’s faithfulness throughout their past should allowed them to take hold of today, so they could embrace their future.
The same is true for us. The history of this church is one of strength, determination, and faithfulness. I believe that we are much like the Israelites- poised and ready, sending lookouts to investigate, maybe even a bit nervous; but today, the day that represents the present, is the only day to learn from and honor the past, while casting a vision for the future. If you don’t grab hold of today’s plan, tomorrow will pass you by. Much like Scrooge, the Israelites inability to fully appreciate their past prohibited them from the joy of today, and the wonderment of tomorrow. That’s why God sent them back into the wilderness, and with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, that generation of Israelites would never see the Promised Land.
Our challenge is to be Caleb and Joshua. They knew of their history, they knew of God’s history, and they knew if they were faithful, God would bless their future, and “What of the future?” Would you like to get a glimpse like Scrooge did, having the opportunity to plot a clearer course, or would you prefer an exact destination like the Promised Land? We’ve got neither, but like Caleb and Joshua, we can trust God, and like Scrooge we can be excited about the future. It will involve risk and mean placing our faith firmly within God’s care, but where else would you rather be?
Our foremother and fathers did it over 120 years ago when they sought out this piece of land that sits in the fork in the road near Longwood. They had a vision for the future. Our challenge is to maintain a vision too, to avoid wandering aimlessly like the Israelites did.
Our vision, our calling is to be a centerpiece of hope, a beacon of light, a place of ministry, and part of fulfilling this vision is outlined in this year’s budget. Our finance committee has brought together a budget in excess of $183,000. Our largest budget ever. I hope I get to say that every year. Is it going to be easy to reach? No. Can we reach it? Yes, but it will require dedication and faithfulness. It will require that we give more than we did last year, and not leave it up to newcomers. It will require that we carry a faith and belief like Caleb’s. It will require a financial commitment from each one of you. Our budget will be formally presented for approval during this Wednesday’s business meeting. I hope you’ll come as Caleb did – full of hope and excitement, for it represents our future.
And, in order to fully embrace the future, be it your personal future or the future of this church, you have to have vision. Are you familiar with Alice in Wonderland? An interesting exchange takes place between Alice and the cat. I’d like to read it to you:
Alice asks, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.
“I don’t care much where,” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat.
“So long as I get somewhere,” Alice added.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that, if you only walk long enough.”
As Christians, are we to simply walk long enough or are we to walk with God to our future? During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy closed a speech with the story of Colonel Davenport, the speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. It seems that one day in 1789, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Opposing adjournment, Davenport rose and said, “The Day of Judgment is approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty.”
The future is not to be feared, as it was by the Israelites and by Scrooge, rather we are to remain faithful, but also like Scrooge, I hope we can learn from the past, see the present with greater intensity, and gain a glimpse of the future, allowing us to embark upon a path with a newfound vision and purpose.
As we prepare to partake in the Lord’s Supper, it too is a place of past, present, and future. It encompasses the richness of God’s past faithfulness, the bounty of his current care, and his commitment to our future, everlasting life with him.
