—by Lois Chazen

The second annual reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens during the Sunday morning service on December 24 provided a wonderful prelude to all the festivities that were to follow over the next 24 hours. Galen Guengerich set the stage by first, explaining how the Dickens story fit into the social setting of late 19th-century England, and then, by acting as the narrator of the tale through the five acts of the adaptation that were separated by congregational carol singing.

Several people in our congregation participated in reading and partly acting out the familiar story of the ghostly experiences of Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas night as he was led through his past, present and possible future towards recognition of his own shortcomings and happy redemption on Christmas Day.

The readers/actors included Holly Atkinson as the Christmas Ghosts, Nat Benchley as Ebenezer Scooge, Miles Chapin as Bob Cratchit, Tess Chapin as Tiny Tim and L.J. Ganser and Kathy Rossetter playing various roles. Zoë Guengerich supplied the sound effects.

Although Dickens wrote his tale more than a century ago in a different country for a different society, his words about forgiving, helping the needy and redemption deserve to be heeded today.