Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Jesus & Santa

The holiday season is here again.  I think almost everyone enjoys the holiday season, if for nothing else than the time off with family and friends.  I think most of us would envision this:  the whole family sitting together around a Christmas tree in comfortable pajamas, presents being opened, stockings hung over the fire that warms the room with its light.  It is a cozy scene, but what is it really about?

When I was younger and both sets of grandparents lived close, my family's tradition was to spend Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family at his parents' house, Christmas morning at home, and then Christmas Day with my mom's side of the family.  On Christmas morning, my brother and I would wake up really early to see what was stashed under the tree.  I had been told, from as early as I can remember, that Santa Claus was going to bring me presents as long as I was good.  I was also warned that, "He can see you when you're sleeping."  This is creepy.  After hearing this, I imagine that a number of children were no longer worried about the Boogey Man.  They were more concerned about his rotund partner, Santa Claws, watching them and waiting in the shadows.


Children being kept up at night watching their closet door is not what I want to take issue with, however.  For years I believed that Santa Claus visited every house of every child all over the world to bring them presents.  I believed it was true like I believed I would one day grow up.  Children eventually find out that Santa is not real.  For some, this can shatter their view of reality and effect their thought process and trust:  This person and event that my parents told me was true was not true.  It was all a lie that I believed for years.  My whole family knew it was fake, and yet they watched me believe this.  I feel like a fool.  I won't be taken in so easily next time.

If they realize that Santa was a lie, I wonder how they will reconsider what their parents have told them about God.  Will they begin to question the fact that Jesus came to die for their sins?  Will they begin to question the Gospel message or their standing before God?  Will they begin to question God Himself?  "Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble" (1 Corinthians 8:13).  Paul speaks about food here, but the message is still clear.  If what we do might cause another believer to stumble, we should give it up.

J.I. Packer tells us, "We do not start our Christian lives by working out our faith for ourselves; it is mediated to us by Christian tradition, in the form of sermons, books and established patterns of church life and fellowship.  We read our Bibles in the light of what we have learned from these sources; we approach Scripture with minds already formed by the mass of accepted opinions and viewpoints with which we have come into contact, in both the Church and the world...  It is easy to be unaware that it has happened; it is hard even to begin to realize how profoundly tradition in this sense has molded us.  But we are forbidden to become enslaved to human tradition, either secular or Christian, whether it be "catholic" tradition, or "critical" tradition, or "ecumenical" tradition.  We may never assume the complete rightness of our own established ways of thought and practice and excuse ourselves the duty of testing and reforming them by Scriptures."  (J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God [Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1958], pp. 69-70).

There are many believers who enjoy the myth of Santa Claus.  It is fun to watch our children enjoy the anticipation of the gifts under the tree.  However, I think it would be irresponsible of us to ignore the possible negative effects down the road.

Even if the kids are not negatively effected by the reality of their favorite elf being fictitious, why are we taking any focus of Jesus to give it to a mythical icon anyway?  I remember how I viewed Santa Claus when I was a child.  He was almost an idol.  I tried to be good every day leading up to Christmas according to what I thought Santa considered good because, "He knows when you're awake," too, in order that I would get rewarded in return.  Does this not sound like idol worship?

Ultimately, what you decide to do about Santa is between you and God.  I am telling you how I see it.  Personally, if God ever decided to give me a wife and children, I will tell them of the Christ.  Jesus will be the focus of the entire season.  They will get presents because the Magi brought presents to Jesus when they came.  For those of you who have seen the Bethlehem Star Presentation (http://www.bethlehemstar.net/), you know that they arrived in Bethlehem on 25 December of 2 B.C., and that is the reason we give gifts on Christmas.  Don't let anyone tell you the Christmas was moved to coincide with the pagan holiday celebrating the Winter Solstice.  It wasn't.  If it was, why is it not on 21 December?  That is a bit off topic, though.

I will not tell my kids that Santa is watching them to decide whether to reward them with presents or punish them with coal because it is not true, and I do not want to lie to my kids.  It also takes away from the focus of Jesus on the day we have set aside to celebrate His entry into this world to redeem mankind to Himself.  Glory be to God.  He must become more...  Santa most become less.  I think that, if we asked St. Nick, he would agree.