C. H. Pappas - The Grinch Stole More Than Christmas

The Grinch Stole More Than Christmas

C. H. Pappas

Copyright 2020 by C. H. Pappas

ISBN Paperback: 978-1-949570-93-9

ISBN Ebook: 978-1-949570-94-6

LCCN: 2020925181

Dedicated to the faithful Saints of

Collins Road Baptist Church,

the faithful few

Contents

I express my most sincere gratitude to Brother Travis and Sister Amelia Crane for their labors in editing this book.

Some of my fondest memories as a child go back when, on Friday evening, we would go out as a family for a treat. This was not very often, but oh, what a joy it was when we went! Our favorite treat was an ice cream cone. The cost of a cone at that time was no more than a nickel. As for the flavors, they were chocolate and vanilla; strawberry came on the scene later. But even then, we would have a difficult time choosing the flavor we wanted. I can still remember those days of my childhood which are vividly stamped upon my mind.

Ice cream aside, I must confess that my fondest memory was when I was a third grader at Alexandra Hogg Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas. Before we were dismissed for the Christmas holidays, all the students would assemble in the hall. Then, the teacher with her pitch pipe would find the right note and lead us in singing Christmas carols.

I had never sung these carols before in my life. They were totally new to me. My parents came from Greece and were Anglican Orthodox, so we did not sing these great hymns in our church. We did not have a radio at home, or I would have heard them played. I was so captivated by them that I could not quite sing them. To this day more than three quarters of a century later, I still get excited when I hear them sung.

I also recall during the Christmas season how everyone warmly exchanged Christmas greetings. There seemed to be no strangers, as with smiling faces we cordially greeted one another with Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The joy of the season seemed to permeate the entire atmosphere. Strained relationships were healed, and families that were scattered reunited at moms house. Above all, the majority of Americans went up to the house of Lord and worshiped.

However, not everyone was in favor of celebrating Christmas. The Jews, as I recall, opposed the Christmas season, denying that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. But their opposition did not keep the nation from celebrating that momentous event of God being manifested in Flesh. The nation carried on, rejoicing that God now dwelt with man. We knew nothing of sensitivity training or fear of offending anyone. The nation recognized her Christian roots and understood that the Bible was the foundation upon which all her institutions rested.

In time, the atheists raised up their ugly heads and sought to do away with all the observance of Christian memorial days. However, if they removed them altogether, then the merchants would suffer immensely. After all, their profits were made during these festive seasons of the year. So the atheists subtly began to alter the reason for the season.

Strange changes began to come to our culturechanges for the worse. First, there was a subtle change in greetings from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays or Season Greetings or even just Happy New Year. After all, New Years immediately follows. Very little thought seemed to be given to this change since the same warm greetings with which we greeted one another continued. But these other new phrases continued to creep into the language of the season.

Then they went even further to supplant the glorious advent of our Lord with the promotion of Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, and chipmunks. Once, I remember being in a mall where a man on a stage was giving a puppet show with cute, little chipmunks. He showed them dancing, joking, and singing secular Christmas songs. They captured everyones attention, most of all the children who were totally mesmerized by them. In their excitement, the children in the gathering crowd could not take their eyes off of those puppets.

Then one of the chipmunks addressed a child asking, What song do you want us to sing? The child cried out, Joy to the World! The chipmunk replied, I do not know that one. Choose another. Silent Night! the child joyously shouted. Again the chipmunk replied, I do not know that one either. Do you know O, Come All Ye Faithful? No, said the chipmunk puppet, I do not know that one either, and with that, the chipmunk turned to another child to choose a song. The father of the first child immediately perceived what was happening and said to his family, Lets go! As the years passed, Jingle Bells, A Holly Jolly Christmas, and Im Dreaming of a White Christmas replaced the great Christmas carols. Subtly, Christmas was becoming secularized.

It was not long thereafter that the schools began to refer to the Christmas holidays as Winter Break. The nation as a whole, even to its grass roots, became secular. The light of the Christian witness, which was so predominant in our nation, dimmed. In time, the saints were unable to resist these assaults. Yet in the darkness, a light continued to shine. It was not altogether extinguished. Through the gloom of this horrible darkness, the heavenly music of Christmas still floated. The church bells rang and hymns were sung, and Joy to the World and O, Come All Ye Faithful still had their place. The faithful few had not capitulated to the worlds demands.

But I fear that the Light may soon be extinguished. The threat this time does not come so much from without but from within the Church itself. A Pharisaical spirit has risen in todays Church to do away with all Christian memorial observances with the exception of the Lords Day. (Even this, no doubt, will also be challenged in time as the world has presently cast it off.) These Pharisees look upon themselves as champions of the faith, but in reality, they are enemies of Christ. They were never a part of the holy community though they feign to be spiritual. They are to be excluded with the rest the world from the true family of God.

When we examine the sacred Scriptures, we discover that the truth concerning our Lord Jesus Christ was always challenged. The Jews opposed Him. Pilate and the Gentiles condemned Him. However, in all of their hostile attacks, the Light of the Gospel continued to shine. The darkness was not able to extinguish the light. The saints were a light as they continued to rejoice in the Lord. The warfare coming from without never impeded the army of God in her advancement against darkness.

We discover from Scripture that the greatest impediment of the Church always came from within. It came from seeds sown by a Pharisaical spirit which would quench the light. The Pharisees not only opposed our Lord, but they also opposed the Church and sought to extinguish her light. The most horrendous battles fought were not those with Rome and her heathen emperors but rather with those within the Churchs own ranks.

If anyone questions what is said, then examine the seven epistles addressed to the seven churches in the Revelation. One will discover that the most devastating attacks came from within. Jude warned the saints about those who crept in unawares and were spots in their feast of charity. I fear that we have not taken this warning to heart.