Growing up I remember many cold December evenings when the Jackson family would pile into the van and sing Christmas songs while driving around aimlessly looking for Christmas displays. One of those songs that became very familiar to me was Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Do you remember how it goes? You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list, Checking it twice; Gonna find out who's naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake!
I know that among Christian households there are various opinions on whether we should or should not teach our kids the legend of Santa Claus. I appreciate and respect the decision of many who choose not to speak of Santa because of their noble desire to preserve the true meaning of Christmas, which is Christ’s birth. With that said, I am writing this article mainly to those who choose to make Santa a part of their Christmas tradition.
Without doubt, Santa is not God, but then again, neither is a human father, an earthly king or a lion named Aslan, yet all of these can be used to help illustrate to our children the greatness of God in ways they can understand. I want to challenge you this Christmas to redeem the fictional legend of Santa Claus. The typical two-pronged theology of Santa says,
1. Santa is looking over you all the time ~ He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake.
2. Santa gives gifts according to your goodness ~ Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list, Checking it twice; Gonna find out who's naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town.
Sadly, this theology of Santa is also the world’s theology of God. Children often connect the mythical Santa to a real God by thinking, “God is watching, and He will reward me if my niceness outweighs my naughtiness.” I want to challenge you this year to redeem this fictional character of Santa so that he may mirror and teach your kids the character and love of the one true and living God. To do this, you cannot tell your children that “Santa gives gifts according to their goodness” but rather that “Santa gives gifts despite their naughtiness.”
If you think through this traditional Santa theology, it is actually very contradictory. We are told that Santa gives “gifts” to those that earn them by being nice, yet a “gift,” by definition, cannot be earned. You see, an earned “gift” is not a gift at all, but rather it is a reward. But because you are too naughty, God cannot give you a reward, because you have not earned it. Because of our sin God has to give you a gift, The Christmas Gift, and it comes in the form of a baby, His very own Son, Jesus Christ.
Rom 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due…Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Enjoy your gift from God and have a very Merry Christmas
1 comment:
Oh well, so much for bribing the kids to behave until Santa comes.... oh, yeah that would be part of your point!
Really, I loved the blog and points well made.
By the way, we tell our kids the same thing mom used to tell us when we would ask if Santa was real... we would tell them that "Santa is someone that loves them very much and wants them to feel special with the one gift he/she leaves for them". Not a lie, so it makes us feel better.
Of course, Christ is the ultimate gift to all of us, including Santa and we do focus Christ throughout the season especially.
Thanks for the good thought provoking... and I'm glad you remember the trips in the van...I remember the trips in the old station wagon too. Guess I must be old.
Post a Comment