Christmas According to Grinch: Claiming Your Christmas Gift
John 1:9-13
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Christmas is about gifts—giving and receiving. Did you ever loose a gift tag? The tree is surrounded with piles of neatly wrapped gifts. Each has a tag with the recipient clearly marked and the giver appropriately noted. But somehow something goes awry. When all of the gifts are passed out, one lonely present remains. The problem no tag. Maybe it was the dog. Or ornery cousin Billy did it. Nobody knows. But you just can’t leave a gift unclaimed. I want to make sure you don’t leave any gift unclaimed.
But first I want to make sure none of us forget the difference between THE GIFT and the other gifts. This is where the meaning of Christmas is about. That is what the Grinch had to learn. You know what happened in Whoville—the story upon which the popular Jim Carrey movie is based.
Everyone who lived down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot,
But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville did not!
The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don’t ask why. No one inquired the reason.
It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But, whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes,
He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos,
Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinch frown
at the warm lighted windows below in the town.
For he knew every Who down in Whoville beneath
Was busy now hanging a mistletoe wreath.
And they’re hanging their stockings, he said with a sneer
Tomorrow is Christmas! It’s practically here!
Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,
I must find some way to stop Christmas from coming.
Despite what some may think that wasn’t the beginning of the Christmas story. But Dr. Suess’s tale does remind us that maybe not everyone appreciates Christmas. Some may not get it!! Did you hear it in our text. John 1:5 said, {5} The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Verses ten and eleven add, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. {11} He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Like the Grinch in Dr. Suess’s story, some think that Christmas is all about the gifts and toys. Do you know anyone like that? Any children for whom Christmas simply wouldn’t be Christmas without toys? Any adults for whom the reason for the season is measured in tinsel and dollar signs.
I not against presents and toys, for children or adults. In fact, I grew up the only grandchild on one side of my family for a few years. I still remember the haul I took home from the family gathering at Grandpa and Grandma Thomas’s. But it is more than that, isn’t it? It is important that we make that clear to our families. We would do well to be more like the Whos.
Do you remember that the Grinch thought he could steal Christmas from the Whos by taking all of their presents? But he was in for a surprise!
It was a quarter past dawn; all the Whos still in bed,
All Whos, still a-snooze when he packed up his sled,
Packed it up with their presents, The ribbons! The wrappings!
The tag! And the tinsel! The Trimmings! The trappings!
Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt Crimpit,
He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it!
Pooh-pooh on the Whos! He was grinchishly humming.
They’re finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two.
Then the whose down in Whoville will all cry Boo-Hoo!
That’s a noise, grinned the Grinch, that I simply must hear.
So he paused, and the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow.
But the sound wasn’t sad! Why this sound sounded merry!
It couldn’t be so! But it was merry! Very!
He stared down at Who-ville! The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
was singing! Without any present at all!
He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming, It came,
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet, ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling, How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes or bags!
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store,
Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.
I don’t know whether the Whos really knew the message of Christmas. Dr. Suess doesn’t tell us. But the hint is surely there. Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store, Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.
Lest you think I have gone completely over the edge, let me assure you that I am obviously not here today to read you Dr. Suess stories. I am here to remind you of the Gospel story. My intention is to preach and teach the Bible, clearly and simply, every time I stand before you. But that doesn’t mean we might not take a detour or two to get there sometimes. I think it is amazing how the most common children’s story opens a window on the true light, as the Bible calls the message of Jesus.
We are studying the Gospel of John. John approaches Christ’s birth differently than the other three gospels. Matthew and Luke give lots of detail. Mark just skips the whole thing. John steps behind the history and provides heaven’s story. He emphasizes the why of the manger, not the where. Remember when we read John we must remember that he is writing with a purpose. He’s a salesman, not a stock boy. He doesn’t lay out the message about Jesus so that we can take it or leave it as we like. He wants us to buy. Everything he writes flows from an evangelist’s heart. Toward the end, he explains, (John 20:30-31) "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. {31} But these are written that you (insert your name) may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you (insert your name again) may have life in his name."
Here’s my message in a sentence today: Those who truly understand Christmas, and can sing, presents or no, are those who have claimed and appreciate the One True Gift of Christmas.
I don’t want any of you to miss the real gift of Christmas. If you don’t know new life in Christ, you will miss the real Christmas, no matter how many gifts you receive. I don’t want your children or grandchildren to miss Christmas. I want to help everyone of you to know the true gift of Christmas and know it well enough to be able to give away to your friends and loved ones.
Look again at our text. It explains a lot about the enjoying the real gift of Christmas, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You must understand this to understand the meaning of Christmas. Our text is all about receiving Christ. First, the reception and then the alternative.
I. How Many Received Christ—(vs. 9-11)
The identity of the one who’s birth we celebrate at Christmas is the great burden of John’s opening chapter. Last week’s section laid the ground work. He is the eternal God himself. He is forever equal with God. In these verses, John continues the ID of Jesus.
He was the true light. Light was a favorite theme of John. He uses it in lots of ways—for good versus evil, for truth versus lies, for knowledge verses ignorance. John’s claim is powerful: every bit of truth you know, whether you recognize it or not, comes from Jesus. Every good you experience; every blessing you enjoy; every kindness you give or receive—is all because of him.
John again emphasizes Christ’s role as creator, “{10} He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” Previously he had said, “{3} Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” The baby of Christmas is the creator and owner of the entire universe!
The text introduces something which, at first blush, is very puzzling to a lot of folk. “He came to his own (either a reference to his creation, or more particularly a reference to his own people, the people of Israel, the ones the Law and the Prophets had been preparing for this moment for 2000 years) and his own did not receive him.” Think about that for a moment! His own did not receive him! The Creator, the true light, the owner of all—rejected. Surprising? Not at all, if you understand the Bible’s message.
It’s not really that hard to imagine, is it? Christ came to his own and his own received him not. He came to Missouri, to Vandalia, Hannibal, and Mexico and they received him not. They said it was about his birth, but talked more about shopping for one another. They rejected him in their stores with “seasons greetings” instead of Christmas. A lot of Christmas but no Jesus. They rejected him in offices with ‘Happy Holidays” instead of Christmas. A lot of Christmas but no Jesus. Those who should have known sent cards that said all manner of generic winter messages instead of Christmas. A lot of Christmas, but no Jesus. They rejected him in their exploitation of his birthday. They rejected him with a thousand knicknacks and baubles instead of a baby in a manger. They rejected him in their stripped down carols and wordless tunes. They rejected him in their public schools with Christless plays. And they rejected him in their public speeches, pleasing all by saying nothing. Christmas was everywhere, but not Jesus. (Cf. John Piper, Sercentral, Dec. 17, 1989).
When we really think about it the rejection idea is not that strange at all!
I don’t want to take us off task too far right now. Just let me observe that the whole of the Bible message can be summed up in just a few words. Charles Colson in his book “How Now Shall We Live” calls this the Christian world view. The Bible isn’t really complicated. You can summarize it in four words, Colson says, Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Unless you understand these ideas, however you phrase them, you don’t understand the Bible. First, God made the world—all of it, every single thing—on purpose and with a plan. But, all mankind, every single one of us, no exceptions, have sinned and rejected God. But God didn’t leave it there, through Christ, he acted to save or redeem mankind. He did what we wouldn’t and couldn’t do for ourselves. He did it on the cross That’s the Gospel. But God not only redeems mankind (each of us who accept his offer by faith), he begins to restore them (us), change them and the world they live in through their witness, finally restoring everything at the return of Christ. This is the Christian promise.
Why would his own not receive him with open arms? Why do we and the people we know often try to keep Christ at arms length? I suppose it has always been the same reasons: We are proud. We like to run our own shows. We don’t like things that show how small we really are. We don’t like anyone telling us what to do…even God. Jesus compounds it all. He came in humility; we prefer shows of power royalty in our rulers. He lived a sinless life. That intimidates us. His teachings cut to the heart of our inner motives and thoughts. We don’t like shame and guilt. We prefer self-esteem and positive thinking. And then his love. On one hand, it seemed too good to be true and on the other it challenges our prejudices and comfort zones.
When faced with Jesus, we are a lot like the mountain climber who fell from a cliff. He grabbed a branch on his way down and clung precariously a few feet below the edge. He had no idea what was below. He cried for help. Finally he prayed. God save me. Is anybody up there.” Suddenly a deep strong calm voice spoke from above. “Here, I am; you prayed.” “Save me, Lord.” “OK”, came the reply, “Just let go. You will be all right.” The stranded climber thought for a minute and again began to pray, “Is there anyone else up there.”
The first part of our text explains who Christ is and the reception he got then and the one he too often gets now. But there is more. There is an alternative. Note the rest of our text—verses 12-13.
II. How You Can Receive Christ—The Alternative
{12} Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- {13} children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. “
This is the real Gift of Christmas. You can receive a ton of gifts—pricelss or worthless, it makes no difference—but if you leave this one unclaimed, it is just not Christmas. Most of you know this. For you it’s review. But it so important that we dare not let it go unspoken. Just maybe, there are people around you who don’t know it yet and you are the one the Lord has tapped to tell them this year.
Note the little word “yet.” It is a word of hope. Even when it seems like everyone is rejecting him, “yet!” In the darkest of nights, when it seems like no one really understands, “yet!”
“{12} Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—“ It is obvious that a separation is taking place. Some received him; some didn’t. To those who did, he gave the right (this is the word for authority, like a legal right) to become children of God. There is a sense in which we (and the Bible) refer to all human beings as children of God. That is in the creation sense (cf. Acts 17:24-29). God made us and we are his! But that is not what this passage is about. It is using the phrase in a redemption sense. Remembering the difference is important.
Jesus emphasized this difference in John 8. To some rather stubborn Jewish listeners who thought their religious family tree made everything OK, he said, (John 8:41-47) "You are doing the things your own father does." "We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself." {42} Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. {43} Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. {44} You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. {45} Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! {46} Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? {47} He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
Becoming a child of God confers a change of status on a person. We are most familiar with this sort of process in the act of adoption. A person is born into one family, but is legally and relationally transferred to another. You receive a new name, a new home, a new inheritance, new relationships, new privileges, and new responsibilities. None of it belonged to you before you were adopted, but afterwards it does.
Not everyone is a child of God. But anyone can be. “To all who received him . . . .” That is a powerful statement. Nothing, absolutely nothing is big enough or bad enough to disqualify a person from this potential. I don’t care who you are—you are not a child of God automatically, but you can be potentially. The Gospel is a non-discriminatory offer—race, wealth, education, upbringing, how bad or good your parents were, past mistakes—absolutely nothing can disqualify you from becoming a child of God. Nothing except unbelief!
Our text links two ideas in explaining the condition for becoming a child of God—receiving and believing. Remember “faith” or “believing” is a key concept for John. He uses some form of it over eighty times in his Gospel (4 or 5 times per chapter). Here he equates it with “receiving Christ.” This is an important reminder for us. Too often in world, we speak of faith without content or object. For many faith is totally subjective. We say such things as “it doesn’t make any difference what religion a person has as long as he believes in something.” We act like it is faith in faith, the psychological act of believing, having a positive mental attitude or even believing in your self that is important. Nonsense!
The faith that saves has the right object. It is “receiving him.” It can be described as “believing in his name.” This is more than just a little spiritual motto or slogan. “Believing in his name” means acknowledging him for who he truly is, coming under his authority, believing all that he claimed about himself. This is what John will spend the next twenty chapters of his book explaining. We will examine that in the weeks to come.
The burden of this text is to explain that not everyone is a child of God, but anyone can be. But further this is a divine transaction, not just a human one. It is a God thing.
Note how verse 13 emphasizes this. This rebirth, as Jesus will call it in a couple of chapters, is from God. John notes three factors that clearly don’t make you a child of God. “Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will . . .”
The language is a bit awkward and so some translations vary. The phrase translated “natural descent” here is literally “bloods.” It likely refers to one’s family tree or heritage. No one is physically born into the family of God. You must be reborn, Jesus insisted. As the saying goes, God has no grandchildren. Your parents’ faith is no substitute for yours.
“Nor of human decision” is literally “the will of the flesh.” Flesh here refers to one’s natural instincts or appetites. No one is instinctively a Christian. No one just follows their own natural ways of doing things and ends up a follower of Christ. Receiving Christ requires a change of natural direction, a turn around. So much for naïve parents who think they can leave their children without spiritual direction or teaching and just let them decide on their own when they grow up. Indeed, they must decide for themselves. But somebody is going to influence them and teach them. It may or may not be their parents and it may not be positive influence. No one becomes a child of God by just naturally following the path of least resistance. No one can save themselves no matter how good their intentions.
The third way that a person doesn’t become a child of God is by “the husband’s will” or literally the “will of a man.” Likely, the reference is to the impossibility of a person becoming a child of God simply through the agency of some outside person, no matter who it is. If Billy Graham were to walk in here today and preach the sermon, he couldn’t make anyone believe. No preacher can, no missionary can, no scholar, no king or ruler can. Some have tried it in the past. There have been those who thought they were powerful enough to simply declare the citizens of their kingdom Christians. But it doesn’t happen that way. It is a God thing!
No one can make you a Christian. You must receive Christ yourself. That happens when God touches your life through his Word!
Conclusion: You see Christmas is about gifts, not the gifts that a Grinch can steal. “The world didn’t give it to you and the world can’t take it away.” Christmas is about claiming the most important gift of all—the privilege of becoming a child of God through Christ Jesus. Don’t let that gift go unclaimed for you or those you love this Christmas.
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[The Grinch comparison is loosely based on “Christmas Through the Eyes of the Grinch” by Bob Briggs, SerCentral, 31960.]
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
