A Christmas Carol Moment (Lisa)

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the extraordinary gifts the Christ Child has

given me. I can feel as though my efforts to follow in his footsteps are

woefully underwhelming but last night I watched Charles Dickens’ A

Christmas Carol for the umpteenth time and understood something new...a

holy moment.

The story begins with some background on all the failings and injuries Ebenezer inflicts and endures in his lifetime. He is fully human but incredibly this very flawed man is blessed with the wildly extraordinary experience of being visited by three Christmas spirits. Amazingly, Ebenezer time travels, people walk through his ghostly body, he flies like a winged angel through open windows. He has visions seeing into the future and all of this extraordinaire changes him. This incredible attention of the spirits was lavished on Ebenezer in an effort to help him transform but his response did not equal in magnificence. His actions did not mirror the wildly incredible. What he did with his transformation was anything but extraordinary. It was ordinary. Ebenezer just decided to be kind. He acknowledged the hard work of his maid and gave her a decent wage offering her the respect and dignity she deserved. He finally accepted his nephew’s marriage and the relationship choices he had made. Ebenezer decided his job was not to convince everyone to see things his way but to simply love them, to help them be the best person they could be. Instead of turning the faucet off on love, he turned it on full blast and told Bob Crachit he wanted to help him raise that family of his. Ebenezer Scrooge made it really quite simple. So did Jesus, utterly, plainly, simple and

beautiful. In preparing for the birth of Jesus, we may remember those we have forgotten, neglected or even wronged over the past year. Sometimes we get caught up looking for that wildly incredible gesture that can make amends. We want to fly through walls and do anything to make it all better, but what? And a small gesture, a card or phone call doesn’t feel like enough. So, we sit and wait for the right moment, the right extraordinary idea to come to us. Are you waiting for that grand gesture idea to strike you, leaving you frozen, doing nothing? Does baked cookies and a visit seem too small for someone in need of your love? A phone call? A letter? The actions Ebenezer made were so small and ordinary but they meant everything to the world and those who lived in it, including Ebenezer himself.

If you feel stuck, try and take the smallest love step forward with Jesus. He will take your hand and make the rest unfold. If wildly extraordinary ideas are not coming to you, leave it to the visiting angel spirits and try a small act of kindness. It worked for Ebenezer. It worked for Jesus. It will work for you too.

Let’s begin 2021 with simple, plain, blessedly ordinary love for our family and neighbors, our fellow parishioners, the wider community and our world.

Let’s turn on the faucet of love full blast.

God bless us, everyone!

Lisa McGann