“One year ago. See your memory.”
The Ghost of Christmas Past, in the form of a Facebook memory, was haunting me.
Taunting me.
Wanting me to notice how much has changed.
Staring at me was a picture of last year’s Christmas choir program. I felt a twinge of sadness as I glanced at our group, the men in tuxes and green vests and the women wearing black dresses and our famous green pashminas. Like Ebenezer Scrooge looking back at Old Fezziwig’s Christmas party, I relived the happy scene. Then regret smothered the joy.
So many of the things we once enjoyed are (as my New Orleans friends might say) “ain’t dere no more.”
For example, we canceled Christmas programs this year. We also passed on parties. Santa is hiding behind plexiglass. Christmas Eve service is online. And if we want to gather, well, we can wave to our friends in little boxes on Zoom meetings.
Covid-19 stole many of our cherished Christmas traditions. It robbed us of things we need for our emotional well-being: hugging, singing, and face-to-face conversations.
And if the Ghost of Christmas Past isn’t aggravating enough, the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Future have also come calling.
Like the ghost in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Covid-19 exposed present-day poverty, illness, and grief. We see a world filled with Bob Cratchits dealing with personal struggles, and, like Scrooge, we’re shocked by the extent of the hurt in human hearts.
In addition, Covid-19 has ushered in the Ghost of Christmas Future, reminding us absolutely no one is guaranteed life on earth tomorrow. No one gets a free pass, and no one is exempt.
But here’s the upside: Covid-19 has made us appreciate what we have. It’s caused us to reevaluate our priorities, and perhaps to think a little more about eternity. Like Ebenezer Scrooge, we can learn from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.
2020 has been anything but fun. But, like Scrooge’s encounter with the spirits, it’s given us the gift of awareness. Awareness of the blessings we have, awareness of the needs of others, and awareness that our lives have an expiration date.
I love happy endings, and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol ended with changed hearts and altered fates. Tiny Tim didn’t die, and Scrooge learned how to keep Christmas well.
What are we learning from the past? This season is a good time to reflect on what we can alter in light of what 2020 taught us. Like Scrooge, we can use the gift of awareness to help us change for the better. Here are some changes I want to make:
- Love more deeply.
- Give more generously.
- Live with eternity in mind.
As 2020 comes to a close, let’s take some time to think of ways we can apply the lessons we’ve learned from the past. (Romans 12: 9-13 gives us some specific actions we can take to change things for the better.) We can make new memories that just might be better than anything we experienced in the past.
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Romans 12: 9-13 (ESV)
