One of the most beloved Christmas stories outside the Bible is really a story about repentance. What is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, if not that? His story is really one of a man who was made bitter by suffering, and who then repented. The visit from the ghost of Christmas past reminded him of the suffering that had led him to his bitterness. The ghosts of Christmas present and future showed him how his bitterness had hurt others. And Scrooge famously repents. Not to please the ghosts, or even God. But simply because he is reminded of the amazing love of God, the overwhelming beauty of this world, and the priceless gift of life, of our existence. And through his repentance, his heart is flooded with love and joy and peace. And it spills out of him in a way that blesses those around him.
As the story concludes, Scrooge “became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world … And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”
It’s a wonderful illustration of today’s gospel reading, and of what can happen when we let our life, with all its turmoil and fitfulness, lead us closer to God, rather than make us bitter.