"The Grinch Who Almost Stole Christmas"

“The Grinch Who Almost Stole Christmas”

One of the most popular stories and movies during the Christmas season is the classic Dr. Seuss tale, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. You probably remember the story. The Grinch hates Christmas and everyone who lives in “Whoville” in the valley below him. But through a kind of Christmas miracle, the old Grinch has a change of heart and discovers the real meaning of Christmas with a little help from some of “Whoville’s” smaller residents.

The Grinch is just a fairytale but the Bible tells us of a real-life Grinch in the Christmas story who unlike the imaginary tale did not have a change of heart. This story begins when the wise men (“magi”) come to worship the new born king of the Jews which caused a disturbance in the force, Herod and “all Jerusalem” were “deeply disturbed” (Matt. 2:3). Jesus still disturbs the comfortable, the indifferent, the prideful, the Pharisees, the ones who think they have it all together. But Jesus comforts those who are tired of living in their comfortable chaos and who know they don’t have it all together!

This Sunday we will wrap up our Christmas sermon series, “Christmas through Matthew’s Eyes.” In Sunday’s message, we will look at the Jesus who not only comforts the afflicted but afflicts the comfortable. You can read the story from Matthew’s account below. We invite you to join us for worship this Sunday. Worship at Carrollwood Baptist Church is at 10:30 a.m. and we are conveniently located one mile east of the Veterans Expressway at 5395 Ehrlich Road. For more information, check us out online at carrollwoodbaptist.org.

See you this Sunday as we gather to glorify our Lord together!

For His Glory, By His Grace

 

Pastor Joe

Matthew 2:3-8, English Standard Version (ESV)

³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶ “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”

 Matthew 2:12-18, English Standard Version (ESV)

¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

 The Flight to Egypt

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

 Herod Kills the Children

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

 ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”