1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,980 Hi everybody, I'm Rob from Trinity Streetsville. Here at Trinity we're just a group of ordinary 2 00:00:08,980 --> 00:00:14,460 people learning to follow Jesus in our own day. Hey, Christmas seems like a funny time 3 00:00:14,460 --> 00:00:20,060 to be talking about a funeral, right? Christmas is about a birth, not a death. And yet, as 4 00:00:20,060 --> 00:00:25,720 Ebenezer Scrooge learned, Christmas is the perfect time for a funeral. All of us will 5 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:32,400 experience a natural death, but we also have the opportunity to die to ourselves. What 6 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:37,360 does that mean and how do we do it? Well, stick around and let's find out. 7 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:48,400 Our first reading is from Romans chapter 6 verses 3 to 11. Don't you know that all of 8 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:55,640 us who were baptized in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore 9 00:00:55,640 --> 00:01:02,320 buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from 10 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:10,400 the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have 11 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:16,960 been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him 12 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:25,320 in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that 13 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:33,300 the body ruled by sin might be done away with. That we should no longer be slaves to sin 14 00:01:33,300 --> 00:01:41,960 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now, if we died with Christ, we 15 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:49,040 believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from 16 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:57,400 the dead, he cannot die again. Death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he 17 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:04,760 died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count 18 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:10,520 yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 19 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:18,760 Our second reading is from the Gospel of Matthew chapter two, verses 10 to 11, 10 to 12. When 20 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:26,280 they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with 21 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:33,160 his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and 22 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:41,040 presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream 23 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:47,040 not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. The word of 24 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,200 the Lord. 25 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:55,600 In my first few years as a parish priest, I would say in the first four or five years, 26 00:02:55,600 --> 00:03:05,480 I must have done about 70 funerals. I don't know what was going on at this church. There 27 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:12,120 was a lot of the people that we did funerals for were members of the church, but many more 28 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:19,480 were just kind of like friends of brothers, friends. And so there was some of that too. 29 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:27,360 But when you do that many funerals, it's almost a guarantee that every month of the year from 30 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:34,440 January through to December, you're going to have a funeral going on. Now I have to 31 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,560 say that actually, since I've come to Trinity, I'm very glad to report that we haven't, I 32 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:43,840 haven't done nearly as many funerals here at Trinity as I did at this other place. But 33 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:50,800 I still have learned a very important lesson. And the lesson is that at some point, you're 34 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:56,360 going to end up doing a funeral during the Christmas season. You're going to end up doing 35 00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:01,640 a Christmas funeral. And as some of you, I should say, some of you know this better than 36 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:08,120 me. You've experienced this firsthand and you know what it's like to go to a funeral 37 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:17,640 around Christmas. And it's, it's wrong. It doesn't feel right. Because Christmas in our 38 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:24,560 minds is all about a birth and not a death. And Christmas is a time for festivities, not 39 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:30,560 for saying farewell to people. And so, you know, a funeral sometimes feels like that 40 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:35,760 unwanted guest at a Christmas party that you're having. And you're like, why are you here? 41 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:41,240 Get out of here. You know, no one, no one invited you. So on the one hand, we would 42 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,680 say that, you know, a funeral doesn't feel like it really belongs at Christmas or does 43 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:51,280 it or does it? I should just acknowledge off the top, most of you probably didn't come 44 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:55,860 to church this morning on the Sunday before Christmas expecting to hear a sermon that 45 00:04:55,860 --> 00:05:01,760 has so much to do with death and funerals. But actually there is a greater connection 46 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:08,640 between Christmas and death than we might think. Take for example, one of my favorite 47 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,880 Christmas carols. This is a what child is this? What child is this who laid to rest 48 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:18,240 on Mary's lap is sleeping, whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are 49 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:22,560 keeping. It's lovely. Merry Christmas. But then you get to another verse later on, the 50 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:31,280 last verse, and it says nails spear shall pierce him through the cross be born for me, 51 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:42,460 for you hail hail the word made flesh, the babe, the son of Mary nails spears cross. 52 00:05:42,460 --> 00:05:48,400 Merry Christmas or try this one off for size. We all love good old we three Kings. You know, 53 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,040 one of the Kings says, you know, born a King on Bethlehem's plain gold I bring to crown 54 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:59,300 him again King forever ceasing never over us all terrain. Merry Christmas. And then 55 00:05:59,300 --> 00:06:08,480 another King sings. Mer is mine. It's better perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom 56 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:20,640 sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in a stone cold tomb. Merry Christmas. You 57 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:28,400 know, mer turns out is a spice used to embalm dead bodies like at funerals, even even Hark 58 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:34,520 the Herald Angels sing says, you know, Jesus was born that man no more may die. The theme 59 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:41,560 of death is found all throughout Christmas. There's no avoiding it. Christmas isn't just 60 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,800 about a birth. It's also there's also this thing going on with death, especially the 61 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:51,520 death of Jesus. And actually, if you go to Germany, city of Hamburg, there's a church 62 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:56,560 there called St. Peter's. And there's this beautiful kind of behind the altar. There's 63 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:02,180 a big kind of display of all these panels and artwork. And one of the panels has a picture 64 00:07:02,180 --> 00:07:06,880 of the Annunciation, a very Christmasy scene where where Mary is told by the angel that 65 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,560 she is going to give birth to the Christ child. And in that picture, it's wonderful. There's 66 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:15,640 even a beam of light coming out of heaven, going right down onto Mary's womb. And Jesus, 67 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:21,400 a little baby Jesus is riding the beam of light into Mary's womb. Right. It's very Christmasy. 68 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:27,640 Right. But then you zoom in on the photo and what you notice is that little baby Jesus 69 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:36,680 is already carrying a cross as he comes into Mary's womb. He's preparing to die from the 70 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:47,280 moment of his birth. Right. Death and Christmas, funerals and Christmas. Well, there is a famous 71 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:53,160 story about a man who came face to face with death at Christmas time. And that story is 72 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:58,240 a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. And that man is Ebenezer Scrooge. And today we're 73 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:04,240 going to be wrapping up this four week Advent teaching series that we've been using. Dickens, 74 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:09,240 a Christmas Carol to help us hear the Christmas story in a bit of a new way. And Scrooge has 75 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:14,400 met three ghosts so far. First, he met the ghosts of Jacob Marley, his old business partner 76 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,080 who warned him, Scrooge better change your ways. Otherwise you're going to face some 77 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:23,280 serious judgment. And then he met the ghosts of Christmas past who took him on a trip down 78 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:27,500 memory lane and show him some of his memories, both the painful ones, but also the pleasurable 79 00:08:27,500 --> 00:08:31,960 ones that shaped him into the person he was. And then last week we talked about the ghosts 80 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:36,840 of Christmas present who opened up Scrooge's eyes to see both the blessings and the needs 81 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:42,960 that were right under his nose the whole time. And now today it is the ghosts of Christmas 82 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:50,120 future or what Dickens calls the ghosts of Christmas yet to come, who is going to confront 83 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:57,640 Scrooge with the reality of, get this death. Now, while death may seem kind of weird to 84 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:03,800 us, you have to understand for Charles Dickens, it was not. In 19th century Victorian England, 85 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:09,240 the average life expectancy for somebody was like 40 years old and child mortality was 86 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:16,120 extraordinarily high. Funerals were very visible in public events. They were happening all 87 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:22,920 the time and people mourned and wailed and wept very, very openly for all to see. Even 88 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:28,520 Charles Dickens himself, when he was young, he saw a number of his own siblings die as 89 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:35,000 children. He wore a ring on his finger, a ring that used to belong to his sister-in-law 90 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:41,520 who also died as a way of remembering her. So you see death shaped his life probably 91 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:46,520 more than it shapes ours. And it definitely shaped his writing and especially a Christmas 92 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:51,200 Carol. For example, do you know what the very first line of a Christmas Carol is? If you 93 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:58,480 read the book, the very first line, it's this, Marley was dead. That's the first line. Merry 94 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:05,040 Christmas. He was as dead as a doornail. Right? And then you read a little further in this 95 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:10,940 theme of death discontinues, right? We hear how Scrooge was deeply, deeply wounded by 96 00:10:10,940 --> 00:10:18,000 the death of his sister, Fan. And then you read a little further and Scrooge's nephew 97 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:24,000 says this weird line where he says something like, we are all just fellow passengers to 98 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:31,840 the grave. And then of course the climax of the whole story takes place when Scrooge sees 99 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:39,780 his own death. He sees his own funeral. He sees his own gravestone, right? Merry, Merry 100 00:10:39,780 --> 00:10:46,560 Christmas to us all. But there is a very deep truth here that we cannot miss. Dickens is 101 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:51,080 teaching us something. It's something that the Bible teaches us as well. And that is 102 00:10:51,080 --> 00:11:02,160 that each of us has an opportunity to die, but not just once, twice. A Christmas Carol 103 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:11,560 is the story of Scrooge's two deaths, his two funerals. And the same is true for each 104 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:22,280 of us. We all have the chance to die, not just once, but twice. You see the first death 105 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:30,080 is the physical death that we all face. The second is a spiritual death. It's a death 106 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:38,600 to the old self. And Scrooge doesn't just experience his earthly death, but he also 107 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:45,920 experiences the death of the person that he used to be. He experiences himself dying even 108 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:53,180 while he's still alive. So you see this Christmas story is ultimately about two ways to die. 109 00:11:53,180 --> 00:12:01,360 It's about two different types of funerals. Now this may sound confusing, so let me clarify. 110 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:09,520 You see Ebenezer Scrooge and you and me, we will all die a natural death, an earthly demise. 111 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,560 This is the deal that God made with us when he created us. He said, you guys are dust 112 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:19,680 and to dust you're going to return. Actually at every funeral we say those words. At every 113 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:25,520 funeral the priest stands up and says earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. You 114 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:31,240 know the book of James says that people are, no the book of James says you are a mist. 115 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:36,560 Your life is here and then it's gone. And then the book of Hebrews says people are destined 116 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:41,360 to die. So that's the natural death. That's the death that we all will die one day. But 117 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:48,680 the Bible also speaks of a different kind of funeral, a different kind of death. You 118 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:55,040 see while we're still living, God invites each of us to die to ourselves, to die to 119 00:12:55,040 --> 00:13:02,080 our old ways, to die to our old identities, to put to death the person that we used to 120 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:11,580 be and instead become someone entirely different in Jesus Christ. Paul experienced this second 121 00:13:11,580 --> 00:13:19,280 death and he wrote about it. He said, I've been crucified with Christ and I no longer 122 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:27,680 have. He's dead, but Christ lives in me. Two kinds of deaths, two kinds of funerals. So 123 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:32,840 today I want to do one of the most Christmasy things ever. I want us to go to a funeral. 124 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:38,560 I want us to attend not one funeral, but two funerals. Let's attend both of Scrooge's 125 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:44,080 funerals. The first one, the natural one, the physical one, but let's also attend his 126 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:49,720 second one, the spiritual one, the death to self, the death that leads to life. And as 127 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:55,840 you can, you're going to see these two funerals are very, very different. So let's begin with 128 00:13:55,840 --> 00:14:01,400 Scrooge's first funeral, right? The ghost of Christmas yet to come comes along and shows 129 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:05,220 Scrooge what it's going to finally be like when he breathes his last breath and when 130 00:14:05,220 --> 00:14:11,440 he kicks the bucket, right? What is that going to be like for Scrooge, his physical death? 131 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:16,480 Well, the first thing that we notice is that Scrooge's physical death is overshadowed by 132 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:26,200 this looming sense of fear. Scrooge finds death very, very scary. As soon as the ghost 133 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,920 shows up, he is terrified by what the future holds. Look at this. 134 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:39,720 I am in the presence of the spirit of Christmas yet to come. And you're going to show me shadows 135 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:46,040 of things that have not yet happened but will happen. Spirit of the future, I fear you more 136 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:52,120 than any other specter I've seen. But even in my fear, I must tell you, I am too lulled. 137 00:14:52,120 --> 00:15:01,760 I cannot change. It's not that I am impenitent. It is just that I... Wouldn't it be better 138 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:18,720 if I just went home to bed? No. Lead me then. 139 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:26,360 Now why does Scrooge fear this spirit more than all the rest? You know, he's not alone 140 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:33,720 because many people fear death. It's called fanatophobia. A lot of people are scared of 141 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:40,240 dying. And it could be that it's more that they just fear the unknown. It could be that 142 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:45,840 they fear that they've left some things unfinished in their life. It could be that death scares 143 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:51,160 them because they fear being forgotten. Or it could be that death scares us not so much 144 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:57,520 death, but just the dying process is what makes us afraid. I don't know whatever it 145 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:03,280 is. I think Scrooge's fear of death is something that many, many people feel. So that's the 146 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:09,000 first thing we noticed about Scrooge's first funeral, his earthly physical death. It's 147 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:15,720 overshadowed by this fear. But secondly, it's also overshadowed by a legacy of greed. Do 148 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:21,940 you guys know what a legacy is? A legacy is what we leave behind when we're gone. A legacy 149 00:16:21,940 --> 00:16:29,160 is the impact that our lives made on others and on the world. And Scrooge's legacy, guess 150 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:36,040 what? It was a legacy of greed and self interest, right? In fact, here's a couple of businessmen 151 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,200 who are discussing Scrooge's death and his legacy. 152 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,800 Very well then. Who's the worst for the loss of a few things last night? 153 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:48,800 Right back. I got the wrong clip there. Okay. This is, I don't know if I got the right clip 154 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:55,160 there or not, but this is a lady that and she is talking about witnessing Scrooge's 155 00:16:55,160 --> 00:17:00,240 death. Hold on. Let me see if I can fast forward. No, that's not right either. What's going 156 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:06,160 on? There it is. That's the one I want. No, that's not the one I want. Ron, are you doing 157 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:12,800 that or am I doing that? Okay, hold on. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on here? Hold on. 158 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,080 We're just going to watch this one. Who's the worst for the loss of a few things like 159 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:21,840 these? Not a dead man, I suppose. No, he didn't. If he wanted to keep him after he was dead, 160 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:26,240 why wasn't he amiable in his lifetime? If he had been, he'd have had somebody with him 161 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:30,600 when he was struck with death instead of lying, gasping out his last there alone, be himself. 162 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:36,480 There never was a tour word spoke. There was a judgment on him. Okay. So there you see 163 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:41,240 these people are, see what they're all holding. They're all holding like little bags of stuff 164 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:48,840 they've stolen from Scrooge's bedroom. Like after he died, right? Scrooge's legacy was 165 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:54,840 one of greed. And so when he died, everyone just felt like, well, let's just steal back 166 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:59,560 from him. He spent his whole life taking and taking and taking. So now we're going to, 167 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:04,720 we're going to take back. It's our turn to take some stuff back from him. Okay. So that 168 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:08,480 is, that is the second thing that we learned. His legacy was first, it was overshadowed. 169 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:13,200 It was overshadowed by fear. Secondly, there was this sense of greed that surrounded it. 170 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:18,600 And third thing is that it was frankly, a lonely, lonely death. You heard that lady 171 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:26,140 just say Scrooge breathed his last breath completely alone. There was nobody at his 172 00:18:26,140 --> 00:18:30,680 death bed. And now listen to these businessmen. This time I got it right. These businessmen 173 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:34,920 are going to talk about how nobody really wants to be with this guy, even in death. 174 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:40,920 No, I don't know much about it either way. I only know he's dead. When did he die? Last 175 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,960 night, I believe. What was the matter with him? I thought he'd never die. So did he, 176 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:50,880 I dare say. What's he done with all his money? Left it at his company. Where else? He didn't 177 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,680 leave it to me. That's all I know. Well, the funeral won't cost much that certain. On 178 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:59,960 my soul, I can't think of anyone who will go to it. I don't mind going if there's a 179 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:08,000 lunch provided, but I must be fed or else I stay at home. So they'll only go to Scrooge's 180 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:13,320 funeral if there's a lunch provided. I can't think of anybody who would actually go to 181 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,800 his funeral. They say, you know, when you read an obituary in the paper, one of the 182 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:24,680 most common things you read is that so and so passed away surrounded by their loved ones 183 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:31,000 being with others at the time of our death provides us with comfort and consolation, 184 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:36,780 both for the person who's dying, but also for the person who has, you know, the people 185 00:19:36,780 --> 00:19:41,760 who are left behind being with people is a really important part of the dying process. 186 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:48,920 But Scrooge, as we learn, had no one, no one visiting him when he was sick, no one present 187 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:54,840 when he died, nobody going to his funeral and nobody visiting his gravestone except 188 00:19:54,840 --> 00:20:23,320 himself. That could be the greatest scream in the history of cinema. Right. Scrooge's 189 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:27,780 first funeral, this is the first funeral, his physical death, his natural death is summed 190 00:20:27,780 --> 00:20:35,000 up in that horrible scream. Right. It's marked with looming fear, a legacy of greed and loneliness. 191 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:40,120 It is not the death that any of us would want to choose for ourselves. And yet that's the 192 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:46,080 point of this story. In some ways, that's the point. In a way, Scrooge did choose this 193 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:52,420 in Romans six 23, we are told that for the wages of sin is death, meaning that in some 194 00:20:52,420 --> 00:20:57,760 way Scrooge earned this death. That's what wages are. Wages are what you get paid for 195 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:02,880 the stuff that you do. And so for his life of sin and his life of greed and his life 196 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:11,000 of selfishness and isolation, Scrooge earned this death, this fearful, meaningless and lonely 197 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,000 death. You reap what you sow. The Bible tells us that Scrooge's first funeral is this a 198 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:22,340 vivid picture of the consequences of what happens when you live a life apart from God. 199 00:21:22,340 --> 00:21:26,560 Now if the sermon ended there, you would all go home deeply, deeply depressed and, and 200 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:32,120 we'd have a horrible Christmas, bah humbug, right? But, but there is good news and that 201 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:36,840 is Scrooge's story doesn't end with his first funeral, right? The ghost of Christmas yet 202 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:44,760 to come shows him the possibility of a second funeral, one that he can choose. And here's 203 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:53,080 the amazing thing. When we choose this second death, we are made new in Jesus and it changes 204 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:59,200 everything. Now I think I've pinpointed the moment in the movie when Scrooge's second 205 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:04,880 funeral actually takes place. This is the moment when he dies to his old self. And I 206 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:08,200 want you to look at his posture and listen to his words here. 207 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:15,200 Spirit, bid me and help me, help me to sponge away the writing on the stone if I repent. 208 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:20,200 And I do repent, I do repent. I'll make good wrongs after my fellow men and I'll change. 209 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:27,200 I'm not the man I was. I'm not the man I was. Believe me, believe me, I'm not the man I was. 210 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:40,200 I'm not the man I was. I'm not the man I was. 211 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:45,360 Now, did you hear the words he spoke there? They were very, very important words. The 212 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:53,000 first thing he said was pity me. In other words, he admits his brokenness. He admits 213 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:58,440 that he needs mercy and that he cannot save himself. Pity me, he says. The second thing 214 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:03,640 he says is help me. He admits he doesn't have the power within himself to save himself. 215 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:09,720 He needs strength from outside. He needs an outside helper to supply him with the strength 216 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:15,880 he lacks. Third, he says, I repent and to repent is to confess your sins and then to 217 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:24,480 turn away from those sins. And finally, he says, I'm not the man I was. You see, he is 218 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:31,280 becoming something new. In this moment, he is becoming something new. In first Corinthians, 219 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:36,320 second Corinthians, Paul says, if anyone is in Christ, they are new creation. The old 220 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:44,280 is gone and the new is here. That moment, that was Scrooge's second funeral. He's died. 221 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:51,440 We saw him die. He now he's been reborn. Now, some skeptics will say, yeah, Rob, but listen, 222 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:54,480 anybody could say those things. It doesn't necessarily mean that they've changed. And 223 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:59,280 I would actually agree. How do we know if someone really has died and if Christ really 224 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:03,480 has taken up residence within them and if they're really alive in a brand new way? Good 225 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:08,560 question. And there are telltale signs that this happens. The first thing you can always 226 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:14,120 tell that this has happened in someone's life is that there is some sudden joy in their 227 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:20,020 life that wasn't there before. The looming fear in Scrooge's life is now gone and it's 228 00:24:20,020 --> 00:24:28,520 been replaced by joy. Look at this. I don't know what to do. I'm as light as a feather. 229 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:39,000 I'm as happy as an angel. I'm as merry as a schoolboy. I'm as giddy as a drunken man. 230 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:47,200 I'm merry Christmas Ebenezer. Lord hum dog. You see, he says he's as light as a feather. 231 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:52,160 Why is he as light as a feather? Because the burdens of his sin, the burden of his guilt 232 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:56,440 and shame, all that stuff that weighed him down, it has now been forgiven and dealt with. 233 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:03,240 And now he can be light. He can be full of joy. Jesus said that there will be more rejoicing 234 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:08,920 in heaven, more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people 235 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:14,240 who do not need to repent. You see repentance and joy always go together. Now I want to 236 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:19,720 say that when we repent and when we go through this, this death and rebirth, it doesn't necessarily 237 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,740 mean that all our problems are solved and we'll wake up the next morning and we're dancing 238 00:25:22,740 --> 00:25:28,480 around and we no longer have any kind of issues to resolve. No, our challenges don't simply 239 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:37,480 disappear. But what does appear is deep, unshakable joy, which is a sure sign that God is at work 240 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:42,920 in someone's life, bringing renewal and changing their heart, even in the midst of life's messiness. 241 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:47,280 So that is the first sign that we know this is a legit transformation is that there's 242 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:52,760 sudden joy. The second sign that means that this is really happening at Scrooge is his 243 00:25:52,760 --> 00:26:00,920 stunning generosity, right? Scrooge immediately upon his conversion, he starts giving away 244 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:05,160 money. He gives his housekeeper a gold coin. He gives her a raise as well. He yells at 245 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:09,640 a boy out the window and offers him a tip for some little task he asked him to do. And 246 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:15,680 then he goes and he buys the biggest Turkey in town and he sends it to his employee, Bob 247 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:16,680 Cratchit. 248 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,120 Mr. Robert Cratchit to Porter Street, Camden town. 249 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,760 That's you, Robert. These phrases no one else I know of. 250 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:26,760 I think I know who sent it. 251 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:27,760 Who? 252 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:28,760 Who? 253 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:29,760 Mr. Scrooge. 254 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:33,760 Oh, dear, oh dear, whatever made you think it might be him? 255 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:36,760 I don't know. I just think it. 256 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:41,760 What would make Mr. Scrooge take such leave of his senses suddenly? 257 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:42,760 Christmas. 258 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:54,600 I've never seen anybody handle a turkey quite so tenderly. But generosity is the hallmark 259 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:59,280 of conversion, right? I mean, you know, think of the story of Zacchaeus. Remember the story 260 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:04,120 of Zacchaeus when Zacchaeus encountered Jesus and was changed. What was the first thing 261 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:10,760 he did? He gave away his possessions. He paid back all those who had wronged him or he wronged. 262 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:11,760 Why? 263 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:17,440 Because when you've received God's lavish and generous love in his undeserved mercy 264 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:23,200 into your life, how can you not be eager to extend that same generosity and that same 265 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:29,760 mercy to those around you? Right. So Scrooge's conversion was real. His rebirth was real. 266 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:35,200 There was a sudden joy. There was this stunning generosity. And thirdly, there was strengthened 267 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:40,960 relationships. A sure sign that the old person has died and the new life of Christ has arrived 268 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:47,200 is that relationships get healed in your life and reconciliation starts to take place. For 269 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:52,480 Scrooge, not only did he become like a second father to Tiny Tim, but he actually goes and 270 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:57,880 he reconnects and he reconciles with his nephew's family. 271 00:27:57,880 --> 00:27:58,880 Uncle Ebenezer. 272 00:27:58,880 --> 00:27:59,880 Fred. 273 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:04,280 Is it too late to accept your invitation to dinner? 274 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:20,560 Too late? I'm delighted. Delighted. My dear, look who it is. 275 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:26,080 Can you forgive a pig-headed old fool for having no eyes to see with, no ears to hear 276 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:43,280 with all these years? Yes, dear uncle, you've made Fred so happy. 277 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:50,800 You see, Paul said that when we are reconciled with God, then we have this new ministry of 278 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:57,440 being reconciled with each other and reconciling ourselves with those around us in the world. 279 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:02,680 Right. And again, not all relationships get healed overnight just because the new life 280 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:10,720 is born within you. But, but, but strengthened relationships are a sure sign that the love 281 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:16,800 of Christ is growing in you. So there you have it. Stunning joy. No sudden joy, stunning 282 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:21,400 generosity, strengthened relationship. The old Scrooge is dead. He's buried. It's no 283 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:26,160 longer he who lives, but it is Christ who lives in him. And it's not just Scrooge that 284 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:30,680 this can happen for, but for you and me too. Now I warned you about this a few weeks ago 285 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:34,120 and I said, there's a chance that we, we look at the Christmas carol and we look at Scrooge 286 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:38,920 and we laugh and we say, Oh, nobody's actually like that. He's, he's just a caricature. Ha, 287 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:44,880 ha, ha, ha, ha. No, we all can fall into the same trap that Scrooge fell into. The trap 288 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:50,680 of consumerism and materialism, especially around Christmas, spending more time on screens 289 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:56,000 than with people. We too can isolate ourselves. We too can overlook the needs of the world, 290 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:00,240 just like Scrooge did. And we too can hold onto the hurts of the past and we can live 291 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:05,360 a life separated from God, just like him. Therefore, just like Scrooge needed to die, 292 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:13,040 we need to die. And just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, 293 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:19,960 we too, you and me, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him 294 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:26,800 in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like 295 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:36,720 his. This is not a fictional story about Scrooge. This is your story. You too can choose to 296 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:44,800 die. You too can choose to be reborn. And why not now? I asked the question, why not 297 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:50,360 now? We've already seen that Christmas is actually a pretty good time for a funeral. 298 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:56,680 The baby Jesus comes to us with a cross already in his hands, ready to die for us. Are you 299 00:30:56,680 --> 00:31:04,280 ready to die to the old you? Are you ready to let the life of Christ live in you instead? 300 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:12,040 I want to invite you. I want to invite you this Christmas to attend your own funeral. 301 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:16,120 For some of you, this idea is like pretty brand new. You've never heard this concept 302 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:20,360 of dying to yourself. Others of you have been coming to church for years and years and yeah, 303 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:23,360 you've heard you've heard about it, but you've never actually done it. You've never actually 304 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:30,080 prayed a prayer like Scrooge prayed. Pity me, help me. I repent. I'm not the person 305 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:36,720 that I was. If you're willing to pray that prayer and make that decision, then just like 306 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:42,240 Scrooge, you know what? You're not going to fear death anymore, right? Because Jesus already 307 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:47,200 died for you and you know that he rose from the dead and he's defeated death itself. So 308 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:51,760 you too, if you pray this prayer, if you make this decision, you too can say like Paul said, 309 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:56,340 Hey death, you know, where's your victory now? Where's your sting now death? Death will 310 00:31:56,340 --> 00:32:04,000 not scare you. You no longer fear the end of life because you've already died. So now 311 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:09,680 the second death holds no power over you because your life is now hidden in Christ and you 312 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:15,320 can share in his resurrection, right? Secondly, if you pray that prayer, then like Scrooge, 313 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:20,760 your own life will be filled with a flowing generosity. Cause Jesus said, Hey, freely, 314 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:25,840 freely you've received now freely give God pours all his love into your life and you 315 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:30,160 can pour it out into the lives of others. And if you're willing to make this decision 316 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:36,480 to die this death, then like Scrooge, you too will be reconnected with community. You 317 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:42,480 will find yourself born into a new family. Scrooge went from isolation to fellowship. 318 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:47,880 And when we are reborn in Christ, we're reborn into this family, this church where we each 319 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:54,040 have received the spirit of Jesus, where we are adopted as God's children, where we can 320 00:32:54,040 --> 00:33:02,080 call God father. So, so anyways, let's end this way. Let me ask you, are you ready to 321 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:07,160 attend your own funeral this Christmas? Are you ready to let go of your old self, the 322 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:15,820 parts of you that are enslaved by sin and selfishness and rise to the new life of Christ? 323 00:33:15,820 --> 00:33:22,880 Whoever tries to hold onto their life, Jesus says, we'll lose it. But whoever loses their 324 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:29,960 life for his sake, we'll find it. So what I want to do is I want to pray Scrooge's prayer 325 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:37,080 for us right now. And I want to invite you to pray it along with me. This is our opportunity 326 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:55,680 to die to ourselves and be reborn this Christmas. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, I come to you today 327 00:33:55,680 --> 00:34:07,000 and I recognize my need and I confess my brokenness. Pity me. Lord, I cannot save myself. I need 328 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:18,120 your mercy and your grace to make me whole. God, I turn to you now. I turn to you and 329 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:28,960 cry out, help me. I cannot walk this path alone. I surrender control. I ask you to rescue 330 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:37,640 me. Give me the strength and the power that only you can provide. And Lord, I confess 331 00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:46,840 my sins and I lay them at your feet. I repent. As Scrooge did, I repent of the ways I've 332 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:57,480 lived apart from you. I turn away from my old life. Forgive me, cleanse me, renew me. 333 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:12,400 And now by faith, I declare, I am not the person I was. I am not the person I was. 334 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:21,320 I believe your promise that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. I believe 335 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:30,920 today the old has gone and the new has come. Jesus, I give you my life. Now shape me, guide 336 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:39,800 me, fill me with your spirit that I may live in joy and generosity and love in the new 337 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:50,520 life you have given me. In your name, I pray. Amen. 338 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:55,520 Thank you for listening to Trinity Sermons. This episode was recorded on December 22nd, 339 00:35:55,520 --> 00:36:24,520 2024 at Trinity Church, Creightonville in Mississauga, Ontario.