Francis Xavier Cross won’t go down in history as a great film character. Bill Murray didn’t win an Oscar for his version of Ebenezer Scrooge in the movie Scrooged.
But the 1988 version is still one of the more popular and watched movies of the Christmas season. And despite some of its obvious crass and crude humor, the film does contain a great biblical message that even Jesus would hope resonates with contemporary audiences: “Be kind to one another” (Ephesians 4:32, MEV).
Granted we could use a dose of it worldwide, but the art of showing kindness in America—and just plain being nice—has become a foreign concept, even at Christmastime. It’s not difficult to find callousness and insensitivity. It’s all around.
At least Cross saw a little reprieve for society on the day before Christmas in the final scene of Scrooged:
“It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer. We smile a little easier. We cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the year, we are the people we always hoped we would be. It’s a miracle. It happens every Christmas Eve. And if you waste that miracle, you’re going to burn for it. I know what I’m talking about.”
“For a couple of hours out of the year, we are the people we always hoped we would be,” he says. How sad it is that—a couple of hours out of the year? It certainly does not have to be that way, and we all know what the answer is.
As secular as the movie is, Cross may not be specifically referring to Him, but Jesus is the miracle to which he is alluding. Jesus can make that miracle happen for you, and He can change your heart and your focus from yourself and your own problems.
There is still time—before Christmas and after—to show your Christlikeness to the world. Open a door for someone. Bless someone you don’t know at a restaurant by paying for their meal, or pay for someone’s groceries. Spend time with the elderly at an assisted living facility. Remember Hebrews 13:1-2:
“Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unknowingly” (MEV).
Or how about Colossians 3:12, “So embrace, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, a spirit of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering” (MEV).
As Cross says, “There are people that are having trouble making their miracle happen. It’s not just the poor and the hungry; it’s everybody that has to have this miracle. If you believe in this spirit thing, the miracle will happen … and then you’ll want it to happen again tomorrow. … You’ve just got to want that feeling. If you like it and you want it, you’ll get greedy for it and you’ll want it every day of your life. It can happen to you.”
God bless us, every one.
A very merry and blessed Christmas to everyone, and thank you so much for reading my newsletter. I am blessed for it.
And as I always like to say, “There is that.”{eoa}
