The Grinch of Christmas

The Grinch Who Nearly Stole Christmas

by Troy McDaniel

Once there was a king
Who lived long ago
His name was King Herod
And He nearly stole Christmas, you know.

The story began
One fateful night
When angels appeared
And gave shepherds a fright.

Peace unto you
Do not be in fear.
We bring you good news
The Savior is here.

And there in a stable
As angels had told
Was little baby Jesus
Just a few hours old.

High in the sky
God appointed a star
It shined very brightly
It shined very Far.

In the east
Some men were watching the sky.
They said, "This is it,
A sign from on high."

A new king has been born.
We must travel and see.
I’m not sure just how many,
But probably three.

So they left on their journey
Traveling by night
The star just before them
Their one guiding light.

To Jerusalem they went
They wanted to know
How to find this new king
They had a party to throw.

"Where’s the new king?" they asked
As they entered the city.
And this is where the story
Doesn’t get very pretty.

Their clothes were quite different
And their accent was funny,
But no one dared laugh
When they pulled out their money.

Well it didn’t take long
Before the Grinch heard the news.
He jumped from his throne
And came out of his shoes.

WHAT?! A NEW KING OF JUDEA?
HOW CAN THIS BE?
WHY, I AM THE KING
NO ONE BUT ME! ME! ME!

He slumped on his throne
And was ready to pout
‘til he got an idea
But there was more to find out.

Bring me the priests,
Bring me the scribes,
I think they can help me
Without any bribes.

“Your highness, the Messiah will be born
This much is true
In Bethlehem, as prophesied
In Micah 5:2.”

The Grinch kind of snickered
As he thought of his trick.
He said, “Bring those wise men,
And you’d better be quick!”

“Welcome my friends,
you’ve come from the East?
You must be quite weary
Won’t you join in my feast?”

Thank you for your kindness,
But our journey’s not through
We’re searching for a new king
Perhaps you saw his star too.

“A new king, did you say?
What a pleasant surprise.
And you saw this in a star?
You must be quite wise.”

“Exactly, when did you see
This star in the sky?”
The wise men just told him,
They never asked why.

“Perhaps I can help you
With a bit of information,
I think that Bethlehem
Might be your prime location.”

“Just do me this one favor
Before our time is through.
If you find the one you're looking for,
Come back and tell me too.”

The Grinch kind of chuckled
As they passed through the gate.
“There’s no need to follow now
we just have to wait.”

The wise men left for Bethlehem
There was no further delay,
And God sent the star before them
To guide them on their way.

Arriving at the house
Where Jesus was staying
They found Him with Mary
He was on the floor playing.

The wise men were humbled
As they got on their knees.
“Your son is quite special;
Will you please accept these?”

Then out of their sacks
That were lined with fur
Came gifts of gold,
Frankincense and Myrrh.

That night in a dream
God gave them a warning.
Don’t return to King Herod
When you leave in the morning.

When the old Grinch found out
That he had been had
He was red as a beet
He was madder than mad.

“They think they’re real funny
not stopping back by,
I’ll just go to plan B
Which means more kids will die.”

Then he stood from his throne
And let out his ploy,
“Go to Bethlehem now!
And kill every boy!”

“Your highness, you know
we’ll do as we’re told
Are you sure every boy?
Can you tell us how old?”

”Wait, that’s right.”
I don’t need to blunder
Just kill all the boys
That are two years and under."

But the Grinch didn’t know
That God knew his scheme.
He sent angels to Joseph
To warn him in a dream.

“Mary, get up
We must leave right away
The soldiers are coming
And our child they will slay.”

She grabbed up her baby
And held him real tight.
They packed a few things
And left in the night.

Hoof beats and hollering
They beat on each door.
Bloodshed and screaming
It sounded like war.

The soldiers returned
The deed was now done.
The Grinch was relieved
He thought he had won.

But Jesus escaped
‘Cause God had a plan.
The baby grew up
And soon was a man.

He gave up his life
To save us from sin
And nothing could stop him
Not Grinch or his men.

So when you trust Jesus
As Savior and Lord,
You become like the wise men
You give and don’t hoard.

Just one more thought
Before we are through,
You know Satan is trying
To steal Christmas too.

But when you have Jesus,
He’ll never depart
And you’ll always have Christmas
Alive in your heart.

The End