In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 3This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 11I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me. He will baptize you will the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Repentance is a central theme for Advent, but one that we often overlook. We’d rather focus on the more appealing themes of peace and hope. Still, we can see the importance of repentance even in some of our favorite secular Christmas stories.
Charles Dickens, in A Christmas Carol, describes his protagonist, Ebeneezer Scrooge, as a covetous, grasping old sinner. Scrooge thinks only of money and hardens his heart against his fellow human beings. With the visits of three ghosts on Christmas Eve, Scrooge rediscovers love, charity, and compassion. He turns away from covetousness and vows to keep Christmas in his heart every day.
The Grinch, in Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, is so irritated by the noisy Christmas celebrations of his neighbors, the Whos, that he steals all their gifts and decorations and even their Christmas feast. Contrary to his expectations, this theft does not keep Christmas from coming. As the Grinch hears their Christmas song rising from their village, he repents of his selfishness and returns the goodies. The Whos show compassion to him, and he joins their celebration.
Hallmark Christmas movies tend to center on a basic narrative framework. The protagonists are high-powered but unsatisfied city dwellers who go home to small towns for the holidays. At first, they show dishonesty, pride, and a lack of compassion. Influenced by the good hearts of rural America, they repent and become honest, authentic, and joyful.
We enjoy these stories in many forms every year, but we often miss their central theme of repentance just as we overlook that central theme in our observation of Advent. This year, let’s make room for repentance and its role in making room in our hearts for Christ.
Contributed by Rebecca Haden