Will the Grinch Bail-Out Whoville?

Every Who 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! 

Ok, so I'm thinking a lot about the Grinch these days. That's right, Dr. Seuss' hero/anti-hero who has such an antipathy for Christmas that he decides that by stealing the presents from right under the Who's noses, he can stop Christmas from coming.  He figures that without thier presents to make them happy, the Whos will be miserable -- so miserable, in fact, that the Whos would not make the most hated Grinch sound of all:  the Whos would be unable to sing.

So, the Grinch does it.  He steals all the presents, all the special foods, all the Christmas trees. The Whos houses are Christmas-bare.  He takes all the Christmas stuff to the top of Mt. Crumpit, ready to toss them over the cliff -- when he hears it -- the Whos are singing.  

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 Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes! 

Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! 

Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, 

Was singing! Without any presents at all! 

He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! 

Somehow or other, it came just the same! 

Here we are in the midst of the worst recession since World War II.  It is beginning to look like all the wonderful things available to us may not be available to us afterall.  Perhaps some of us will have fewer presents under the tree.  Maybe all our stuff is on the downside of Mt. Crumpit and it looks like it might not come back.  Maybe....So what do we do?  Perhaps ask a question. Here's one -- perhaps we could ask, as did the Whos, "What's left?"

When everything falls away something remains.  The Whos found Joy.  Others find Love.  Still others Hope.  This coming Christmas is a time for each of us, and for all of us in community to discover what remains when everything falls away.  What we find is that which is eternal, and can't be taken away, no way, no how.  

"It came with out 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!" 

And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say, 

That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day! 

What remains is the open heart -- the limitless heart of God with us in love and compassion.  

Christmas is coming.  Blessings, David