Bill’s Bestowals:
“Beauty Loves the Beast”
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
(Isaiah 9:6)
I love timeless tales, and I assume I’m not alone! A favorite is “Beauty and the Beast.” (Just so happens to be showing at Murry’s Dinner Theater in Little Rock through December. Susan and I were able to see it last weekend, and I commend it to you. They have an incredible cast for a small theater!
You’ll recall the story line: An “old woman” goes to the castle on a bitterly cold night, and offers a single rose in return for shelter. The butler must have had the night off, because it is the prince of the castle who answers the door. (That is the norm, right?) This old woman is unimportant to the prince, so he turns her away.
Who could have guessed that she would actually be a beautiful enchantress in disguise, testing his ability to have compassion and show kindness? Not the prince! Seeing that “he had no love in his heart, she turned him into a hideous beast,” and informed him that he was doomed to remain a beast until 1) he learned to love, and 2) someone could actually love him in return. (Since the sorceress put herself in the role of moral judge, I personally find it interesting that the prince’s punishment included that second point. Think about it. Hmmm.) God forbid that the last petal of the enchanted rose would fall before this happened! If so, the prince would remain a beast for all time.
You know the story: as the flower was down to its last remaining petal, Belle, the “beauty,” ends up in the castle by accident and is retained under duress. The earlier story has shown that she is a person who does have love in her heart. Belle recognizes how wretched and bitter Beast is, and expresses love through compassion and kindness. Beauty teaches Beast to love, then falls in love with him … “Happily ever after” and all that!
I’ve seen the Disney version many times, and always smile through the scenes in which Beauty tames Beast. First she is scared of his rage, then she is curious about what makes him tick, then she realizes, “There may be something there that wasn’t there before,” and then they are willing to die for each other.
When I saw it last week, I had a new thought about it: “The prince had years before Beauty came. Why was it that only when she entered that he even tried to love?!! Think about it! Had it been me – if the enchantress had cast the spell on me and told me I had just a few years or I would remain a beast forever – I would have had an immediate soul-search that would have ended in a change in my way of thinking. Beast wasn’t willing, though. Much like Ebenezer Scrooge or the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, he wasn’t willing to look inside himself to see why change was needed.
Sometimes it takes the right “person” to come along before we our eyes can be opened.
· For Scrooge, it was Marley and the three spirits.
· For the Grinch, it was the “illogical” joy of the people of Whoville.
· For Beast, it was Belle.
· For you and me? I hope your answer is “Jesus.”
“When you were dead in your sins and … sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code …” (Colossians 2:13-14a)
I think each of these stories is a metaphor for the human heart. Left to our own devices, we are Scrooge, who was selfish, loveless, bitter and greedy. Or we are the Grinch, who was selfish, loveless, judgmental and conniving. Or we are the Beast, who was selfish, loveless, angry and cruel. Or …
But 2000 years ago, “Beauty” came along in the midst of our selfish, loveless, sinful lives. Not beauty in the Disney sense, for we hear of this One: “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him …” (Isaiah 53:2b, 3b, 4a). And there were other differences, also! For instance, “Beauty” came to us willingly – not under duress – and “Beauty” already loved us enough to die for us when He arrived! Imagine that: “Beauty loves the Beast!”
At Christmas, Love came down!
He is our “light in the darkness” (Isaiah 9:2, John 8:12).
He is the “Friend of Beasts” (of “sinners” – Matthew 11:19).
He is the true gift of Christmas (Isaiah 9:6, Matt. 1:21, 23, Luke 2:11)!
Let’s not wait for the last petal to fall. Let’s learn to love like Him now!
Love and Christmas Blessings, Pastor Bill
P.S. – For those who know and love “Beauty and the Beast,” consider why Belle fell for a hideous Beast rather than “handsome” Gaston for a moment.
My assessment: Gaston wanted to change Belle, but not himself. Beast was finally willing to change himself, and not Belle! “Tale as old as time, true as it can be! Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly …”
Just imagine how GOD changed out of his love for you! The Baby we celebrate at Christmas would one day go to the cross for you! Make it count!
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December, 2023 Calendar:
Sunday: Fellowship Hour at 9:30 a.m.
Sunday School at 9:45 a.m.
Worship at 11 a.m.
Wednesday: LIFT at 5 p.m.
Wednesday: GriefShare at 1 p.m. (in church parlor).
December 1: Hanging of the Greens – 10 a.m.
December 5: Christian Education Committee Meeting – 10:30 a.m.
December 5: Mission Committee Meeting – 5 p.m.
December 6: Fellowship Committee Meeting – 3 p.m.
December 9: Presbyterian Women’s Meeting – 10 a.m. at Chopping Block
December 12: Building & Grounds Committee Meeting – 10 a.m.
December 12: Membership & Evangelism Committee Meeting – 6 p.m.
December 16: Christmas Caroling – 1 p.m.-? (Whenever we decide to stop!)
December 17: Fellowship Potluck Meal – follows Worship
December 18: S. F. A. Committee Meeting – 1 p.m.
December 20: Session Meeting – 5:30 p.m.
December 23: Ouachita Strings Christmas Concert – 6 p.m.
December 24: Christmas Eve Itinerary – 5 p.m. for fellowship time with wassal,
5:30 for music by the “Ouachita Strings” and Worship at 6.
December 30: Community Pancake Breakfast – 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
December 31: Helping Hands Sunday – 9 a.m.
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES:
6 – Charis Seitz 22 – Patience Bohn
6 – Emery Broyles 23 – Hailee Pullen
6 – Charles Cox 25 – Garrett Lundberg
11 – Wes Stiefer II 26 – Delta Reed
15 – Niles Smith 28 – David Spurgin
16 – Willam Gorsuch 30 – Alice Rains
17 – Jimmy Murphy 30 – Alice and George Rains Anniversary
SERVING THIS MONTH:
Ushers: Leon Myers & William Edwards
Communion Preparer: Susan Seitz
Communion Servers: Leon Myers, Garrett Lundberg, Karen Mosier,
Bill & Annette Hays
SPECIAL COLLECTION SUNDAYS:
December 3: Personal Care Collection
December 24: Goodland Academy
