The Grinch

Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:12-17 ESV).

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (promoted theatrically as The Grinch) most recently was a 2000 American comedy film directed by Ron Howard and written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman based on the 1957 story of the same name by Dr. Seuss. It was the first Dr. Seuss book to be adapted into a full-length feature film. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who attempts to put an end to Christmas. Cindy Lou Who is a little girl in grade school who wants to crack the case of why no one talks about the Grinch. She eventually convinces the Grinch to come down from his mountaintop and accept the role of Holiday Cheermeister. During a part of the ceremony, the Grinch feels betrayed and goes on a rampage to destroy the town. After the town picks itself back up, the Grinch knows what he must do to break the town's spirit; he must keep Christmas from coming. He steals everything in everyone's houses, and thinks he has done an insanely good job during his hilarious montage. When he hears the Whos sing in the morning, the Grinch realizes that this holiday means a lot more than just getting presents. In a sudden surge of new emotions, the Grinch's heart grows three sizes. Cindy Lou comes to see him, and he brings the gifts back to the town. Despite his efforts, Whoville's inhabitants still celebrate the holiday, so the Grinch returns everything that he stole and is the guest of honor at the Whos' Christmas dinner. Before Jesus was born, crucified, and resurrected no one could legitimately expect to have a celebration of peace and joy. Sin and death had stolen those things from mankind. I find it so important to think about the real gift of Christmas. It was only through the love of God that we had any hope at all. “Dwelling in the shadow of death and living in darkness” was the lot of men everywhere. Thankfully God did not need to have his heart grow at all. From the beginning he has determined to save his children; and, at that perfect time Jesus was born. He was born expressly to sacrifice himself for us. He came so that we could live without guilt and shame. He became a man in order to restore God’s original perfect plan for us. This is the light that has now dawned!