Humbug to Hope (Luke 2:8-20)

Many of us are familiar with Charles Dickens’ short story, a Christmas Carol. The story centers on Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy, grumpy old man. Every time someone says “Merry Christmas,” Scrooge replies “humbug.” In other words, “Liar, that’s fake!” To Scrooge, things aren’t merry. Scrooge thought Christmas was a lie and maybe we’ve got a little Scrooge in us. In Luke 2, the shepherds are invited to follow a star and in a lowly manger, they find a young family and a baby, who happens to be the hope of the world. Joy for all the people. Peace on earth.  At the manger, God asks us to lay it all down. All power. All honor. Our reputation. Our arrogance. Our pride. Our skepticism. Our bah humbugs. Our cynicism. Our resignation to the pessimism that things will never change.  Will you lay all of that down so that you can see the glory of God precisely in his lowliness. Will you see in Jesus, God in a manger, that things have changed? That in Jesus, things are changing, and will be changed forever? Do we join the the choirs of the angels who sing “God to God in the highest” and pronounce peace on earth or will we stick to our humbugs?