A Christmas Carol

Ephesians 5:15-16 “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

“Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.” This is one of the first lines from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I heard it again for probably the hundreth time on Saturday night when our family attended a live radio production of this classic at our town’s historic opera house.  As we listened to the story with friends of ours portraying the ghostly voices and colorful characters, I was again transported back in time to consider the life of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Listen to the production at Resoundradio.com on 12/24 @10PM and 12/25 @11AM and 6PM

Two greedy and miserly partners, Scrooge and Marley, operated an accounting house in London. In time Marley died and left Scrooge to run the business. Scrooge would not spend his money on himself and certainly not for anyone else. When the Christmas season approached, Scrooge demonstrated his disdain for all of the holiday festivities and charities with his trademark, “Bah, Humbug!”

In the course of the story, Scrooge is given the chance of a lifetime. He is visited by his dead, chain-clad partner, Marley, who warns him of the fate that awaits him if he continues in his self-serving ways. Three spirits – the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future – visit Scrooge that night and give him the opportunity to see his miserable life from their respective vantage points. Scrooge repents of the error of his ways and redeems the time left by spreading good will and cheer to everyone he meets.

Though this story is fiction, the lesson is a good one. Ephesians 5:15-17 puts the message this way, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.“We only have one chance to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. We must seek God and His ways now while we have the chance that Scrooge had because one day our opportunity will be gone. And we will end up like Marley, full of regret and “dead as a doornail.” 

Love,

Mama