A Christmas Carol

Just a quick Christmas-themed thought for you today!

In Charles Dickens' famous A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is a greedy merchant oppressing his workers, squeezing profit out of everything, and isolating himself from social relationships. Through the famous progression of visits from three ghosts, he comes to see the error of his ways. As he returns to his regular life, he commits to moving forward in a more just and generous way.

He even goes to make his relationship right with his worker, Bob Cratchit, and his family.

But if that were all that happened, would it be a satisfying end? If he just did better for the future? No!

Scrooge’s injustice built up wealth and hurt others for years. Though he can be forgiven and do better in the future, the reconciling of relationships falls flat if there is not reparation for past harm. Scrooge must also make things right! We do see in the story that he turns and gives away from his unjustly acquired wealth to the Cratchits and others in the community including those who have been harmed by him. While this is an imperfect reparation, it does participate in the work of recognizing and repairing the harm of his injustices and making space for right relationships.

Zacchaeus

Scripture has a similar story, as Jesus encounters and invites himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a traitor to his class and people who collected taxes for the Roman occupiers and got rich doing it. Jesus communicates acceptance of him by eating in his home, but right relationship doesn’t end there. Zacchaeus also makes reparation for the harm he has done by promising to give back all that he has cheated from others, with interest multiple times over. That action makes space for him to be restored to community, not expression of forgiveness alone.

Today

So, when we have done wrong, or systems are hurting people, seeking forgiveness and restored relationship is good. Part of Jesus’ message is that this forgiveness and restored relationship is possible, with God and with one another. Seeking to do better in the future and not continue the harm is good too. But those are not the full story! We must recognize harm done, whether individual or systemic, and seek to repair that harm and the ways it is echoing down into the present. That work of reparation (which is often imperfect and requires creativity about what might truly enact repair) allows our relationships to be fully restored to wholeness, preventing the harms of the past from continuing to poison the future. What might you still need to take steps to repair? What community-level reparation might you be a part of this year?