Advent Day 4: Greed and Materialism

In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge’s life is defined by his love of money and his disdain for people. He hoards his wealth, living in cold isolation, refusing generosity, kindness, or compassion. Dickens paints a vivid picture of what greed does to the soul—it isolates, hardens, and blinds. When Scrooge is confronted by Marley’s ghost and the three Spirits, the chains of his materialism are revealed for what they are: shackles of his own making.

The Bible, too, warns us again and again about the emptiness of greed and the futility of building one’s life on possessions. Jesus told a sobering parable of a rich man who stored up treasures for himself but was called a fool because he was not “rich toward God” (Luke 12:16–21). The Apostle Paul warned that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). The wisdom of Proverbs declares, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf” (Proverbs 11:28).

Scrooge believed his gold could insulate him from need, suffering, and even death. Yet in reality, his wealth only magnified his emptiness. Likewise, Israel of old often turned to the false gods of wealth, trade, and political alliances rather than trusting in the living God. And in both cases—Scrooge and Israel—such misplaced trust leads only to ruin.

Advent reminds us that true riches are not found in what we can store away in banks or barns, but in the One who came poor, weak, and vulnerable into the world—born in a manger, laid in a feeding trough, because there was no room in the inn. Jesus Christ, though rich, became poor for our sake, “so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Do you feel the tug of greed or materialism in your life? Is there something you cling to, hoping it will bring security, peace, or identity? Like Scrooge, it is easy to let our hearts grow cold, clutching possessions instead of opening our hands to God and others.

Advent is the season of release—of letting go of what cannot save, and embracing the true gift that has come in Jesus. He is the Treasure worth more than gold, the Pearl of Great Price, the Bread of Life, the Living Water. He alone satisfies.

This week, as you prepare for Christmas, pause and ask yourself: Where is my treasure? What am I clinging to that cannot ultimately save me? And how can I instead practice generosity, gratitude, and trust in the God who provides?

Advent calls us to remember: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19–20). Scrooge discovered this truth late in life—but by God’s grace, he discovered it before it was too late. And so can we.