In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge has the unique opportunity to revisit his past, see the present through other eyes, and view the future. These experiences allowed him to rethink his present status and be renewed into a warm, loving and kind human being. While in real life we cannot preview what our future holds, we can live in trust and hope that God is in control of what is to come. As we recall both the good and the bad of our past, we can hopefully use those experiences to shape who we are in the here and now. The hymn writer Milburn Price penned these words that eloquently describe the past, present, and future:
God of past, who by Your Spirit, led Your people through each age, may we learn from their example, by their faith our doubts assuage. May their steadfast resoluteness as they followed in Your way be for us an inspiration as we serve the present day.
God of present undertakings, give us wisdom as we build for our service in Your kingdom, that Your purpose be fulfilled. May our vision be far-reaching, and our work by You decreed, that in building for the present, we discern tomorrow’s need.
God of hope, to Whom our service is entrusted for the day when Your kingdom is established and all people know Your way, by the leading of Your Spirit guide us now, new faith instill, that we face the future boldly for the doing of Your will.
Earlier in life, I remember contemplating how Christmas seemed to be a redundant ritual, as if Christ kept being born in cycles. Later I realized that Christ was born into the world as God’s gift of Peace and Hope. For the past two thousand years, He has been born each year as the promise to leave our past behind, nurture us in the present, and shape us to be the best person we can be in the future.God’s Like Ebenezer Scrooge, may we be the future of warmth, kindness, and love. May we put aside selfish aspirations and be the Hope to “the least of these.” May this Advent Season be a time for renewal, new birth, and a loving spirit. And may “God bless us, Every One.”
Robert Fasol, Organist / Choirmaster
