The Whos Would Know What to Do, by Jenny Spidell
I don’t know how he did it, but somehow Dr. Seuss predicted what the 2020 Christmas season would be like. Do you know what story of his I’m thinking of? We, dear friends, are the Whos from Cowtown, and our Grinch is cloaked in tiny little viral molecules. When Dr. Seuss wrote How the Grinch Stole Christmas, he whimsically painted a portrait for us of what truly matters today, and the Whos from Who-ville already taught us what to do.
“I must stop Christmas from coming!” says the Grinch in the book. You know how the story goes… The Grinch dresses as Santa Claus with his sweet puppy Max posing as a reindeer, and they sneak down to Who-ville to steal Christmas from the Whos. The Grinch doesn’t leave a single ornament or crumb, but what he didn’t account for was that he could not steal the meaning of Christmas from within the hearts of the Whos.
The Grinch of 2020 has tried its hardest to steal Christmas. Our Grinch made it more difficult to gather with loved ones today, made our wallets a little thinner in preparation for today, and prohibited many from worshiping in person with their church community during this season of Advent - and yet - Christmas is here. The Grinch has failed once again to stop the joy that Christmas day brings. The Whos down in Who-ville knew that the meaning of Christmas is not in the lights, parties, gifts, food, or decorations; when they woke up on Christmas morning and those things were gone they still couldn’t help but sing songs of joy!
Christmas came this year despite the Grinch’s best efforts to stop it because even a pandemic can’t overshadow God’s divine entrance into our broken, human world. The Whos would know exactly what to do today - they would sing - and we should follow suit. With or without a big meal or presents, regardless of the amount of decorations you put up, whether you gathered with family or chose to stay distanced, I pray that today will be filled with praise and thanksgiving to God. The Christchild is born, bringing hope, peace, love, and joy with him, and shining his light into the darkness of 2020. Nothing and no one, not even the Grinch of 2020, can remove the Light of the World from within you. Merry Christmas, dear one - sing on!