The Gospel According to Scrooge: A "Dickens" of a Tale

By John Arthur Worre

Charles Dickens wrote a great story, a story that resonated with his readers over a century ago and has continued to do so over the years.

The story's power to touch people's hearts is undeniable and this version is offered for two reasons.

First, the original version is, for today's readers, difficult to read and understand. Its verbiage and style were entirely appropriate for the day, but now are cumbersome at best. This version is written to be more reader-friendly while holding to the soul and integrity of the original. Our story also has been abridged to some degree to make the story line a bit simpler.

Second, we take the liberty of reading between the lines of what Dickens wrote and making, we believe, the logical assumption that Scrooge's final transformation is a true spiritual rebirth. Many who have studied his life and work are convinced of his own Christianity as his work not only includes a beautifully written story about Jesus, but his other writings always told a story of redemption.

Read it to your children and your grandchildren during this Christmas time and then put it on the shelf to be taken down and re-read Christmas after Christmas. This story doesn't get old. It is, indeed, a perennial favorite.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 10, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452077925

John Arthur Worre

John Worre has been involved in the writing, producing and performing of a number of well-known works.  His efforts include a musical called "The Golgotha Conspiracy" and one called "The Wind is Alive."  A number of worship songs written by him have been published and are sung in churches around the world.  John began a series of Christmas books written for his grandchildren a number of years ago and that prompted the writing of this book.  He has published other books as well. He and his wife, Patti, who is also his partner in their company; JP Music, live in Golden Valley, Minnesota.  They have five children and sixteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild at this writing.

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© 2010 John Arthur Worre. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 11/2/2010

ISBN: 978-1-4520-7792-5 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4520-7793-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4520-7794-9 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010913956

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter one

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

I have many great friends and family members to thank for the inspiration and motivation to get this story written. Where my strong interest is in getting people who read this to be provoked into putting on the stage musical of the same name, I also wish and pray that the book, itself, will be a blessing.

The creative team that first developed the idea was headed by my brother, Dennis Worre, and was complemented by the talents of James Schumacher, Bob Buchanan, and Tom Elie. Many others – too many to list – have added modifications and ideas that have shaped the story to where it now stands.

Karen Thompson and Janine Bear are two gifted editors whose diligence made a wealth of my errors evident. Others advised me of how crazy it was to attempt a revision of such a classic. My sanity has always been in question, so their concern is certainly fair.

Our grandchildren, Aksel, Alexandra, Annika, Bowen, Breyden, Brianna, Brynn, Chandler, Eric James, Gabriel, Gunnar, Jaxon, Jenna, Joshua, Megan, Peter, Sydney, Tatum, and Taylor, and great-grandchild, Ethan, are, most of all, the reason for this book. I began, several years ago, to write a story for Christmas just for them. That was a labor of love and this one follows the tradition now established. We pray for each of you with the assurance that the Lord, Jesus, will protect and direct your lives. Never forget that you need God’s blessing on everything you do.

The illustrations, which helped the book come alive, were done by a new, good friend, Roger Dahl.

Finally, to my wife and best friend, Patti. Your help and unqualified support is and has been amazing. I know what grace is because of you. No one else on earth is as important to me.

Thank you, and I thank God for you.

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Introduction

In the 1800s, Charles Dickens wrote a short story that was instantly popular and has become a true classic. That story was The Christmas Carol. Then, in 1981 that story was rewritten as a stage play and original music was added to make it a Broadway-musical style production. That play is called The Gospel According to Scrooge. Over the last 30 years, millions of people have seen it in churches, schools, community theatres, and on television. It has become a classic in its own right and has been used of God to bring about real change in hundreds of thousands of lives. This book makes no pretentions of supplanting Dickens’ genius, but is offered as an accompaniment to the play, which simply added the spiritual element needed to make it a ministry tool for the expansion of God’s kingdom. In the play, certain liberties were taken to facilitate the story and deal with the time constraints that a live stage play makes necessary. In this book, we have tried hard to keep the overall theme and message intact. It is our goal to encourage parents and grandparents to read to their children and grandchildren at bedtimes and other times as well. That practice seems to be fading into the past. In spite of today’s video games and Hollywood’s computer-generated special effects, we continue to see a child’s imagination as the best way to experience a good story. Our involvement with this wonderful tale has enriched our lives. Our prayer is that it will do the same for you.

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Chapter one

To begin with, Ebenezer Scrooge was a mean-spirited old fellow. As a result, he had few friends and even those who could be so described had no interest in spending time with him outside of matters of business. As a young man, Scrooge had been a taller-than-average, fairly decent-looking individual. The passing of time, along with his attitude and character, had worked serious change in his appearance. Though he still moved about with an intense nervous energy, he was stooped and arthritic and was no longer what anyone would call handsome. He had become, on the exterior, the very image of what he carried in his heart. He viewed life through suspicious, jaundiced eyes that peered out from beneath bushy, tangled brows. Suiting his habit of looking down it, his nose had grown long and nearly met his chin when he set his jaw in defiance of any obstruction to his purposes. His mouth was drawn down at its corners in almost constant disapproval of the world around him. His features were pinched and lined like the skin of a dried apple. Having never married, he had no children, which suited him well. Children irritated him by their very presence. They, in turn, instinctively avoided any proximity to the unpleasant, old man. All in all, Scrooge was undesirable company.

Scrooge owned and ran a counting house and made his living by making small loans to people who tended to skirt the edges of poverty and who occasionally made actual forays into that barren and cheerless territory.

His life consisted of little else than his work. His partner, a man of similar temperament named Jacob Marley, was dead and had been in that condition for seven years. As a business associate, Marley had served Scrooge well. He was not much missed, however, since Scrooge was no longer obligated to share any profits. His money was his and his alone and that was exactly the way he wanted it.

Our story begins on a cold day in December in the city of London. The sky was its usual gray and a hint of snow was in the air. The streets were filled with people greeting one another as they went from shop to shop. Smiles and happy shouts were all around and children ran and played among the bustle. It was the day before Christmas.

Scrooge was at home getting ready for the day. For him, the approaching holiday was nothing more than a nuisance. Mrs. Cobbler, his housekeeper, was doing her best to look busy and, at the same time, attempting to avoid notice.

Mrs. Cobbler was an industrious woman of middle age and was slightly overweight. She was plump enough to show no wrinkles and her bright blue eyes missed nothing. Her hair was red, with gray beginning to show through. Her