Christmas: Is Santa for Real?
Matthew 2:11; 6:1-4
One of the best aspects about Christmas, frankly, is going into stores or watching a parade and…as it gets near the end - there he is! It’s an odd looking fellow dressed in a red suit! His name, of course, is “Santa Claus” and, frankly, we love getting our picture taken with him and hoping that, somehow, some way, he will - on Christmas Eve - bring us all kinds of goodies and toys and such as that!
In fact, it is impossible to talk about Christmas and not have to include this matter of Santa Claus. So, let’s talk about him! I want us to talk about this very real part of the Christmas celebrations - for a number of reasons:
1. Because Santa is very central to ALL of the Christmas decorations!
He’s in the stores; he’s in the parades; he is - to be quite frank - the CENTER of how the world celebrates Christmas!
2. Because there is so much mis-information about Santa Claus!
So much so that, at least one Christmas carol ascribes to him properties which are God-like.
It goes like this: “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…” All of that precluded with this, that: “You better watch out; you better not cry; you better not pout - I’m telling you why…”
And why? Because “Santa Claus is coming to town!” There is much MIS-information surrounding this jovial fellow. It is not only misinformation; it is an outright LIE and it is an attack on the God of the Bible who ALONE knows that sort of thing!
3. Because this is something that we HAVE to deal with with our children!
We can try, but I would suggest that we cannot get away from having to deal with “Santa” as we talk to our children about Christmas.
At this season of the year, they cannot go to a friend without hearing about him; they cannot go into a store without hearing about him! They cannot see a Christmas card without seeing him! For us to act like he doesn’t exist is, in the broadest sense, to try and escape reality! There’s a fourth reason…
4. Because Satan has used the idea of “Santa” to replace and even deny the reality of Jesus!
If there is someone else who can “know when we’re sleeping, or good or bad,” then he must be equal in power and knowledge to Jesus Christ! And that, of course, is a blatant lie!
Some atheists groups have gone so far as to equate Santa with Jesus to declare that BOTH of them are just mythical figures that have no place in a real world! And that, dear friend, is a lie of the first order! There’s a fifth reason; it is this…
5. Our children deserve to know the TRUTH about Santa!
He was a very real person who, in fact, loved Jesus Christ and secretly gave gifts to others in the name of serving the Lord! That is VERY important!
Our children do not need to be “opted out” of the idea of Santa Claus; he was a real person - and he loved the Lord Jesus! I know of families who just absolutely refuse to have any dealings whatsoever with any idea of “Santa Claus.” That, of course, is their prerogative! But it certainly is difficult to do, AND…it actually puts the child in a difficult position. Here’s what I mean:
That child is going to hear about, and see, Santa Claus all over the place - there is no avoiding it! Even if the parents refuse to even recognize it, that child is going to see Santa Clause somewhere - in the mall, in the parade, in the shopping centers, on posters, on lawns - to completely disregard him is actually quite impossible! So, the better thing to do, I believe, is to hit the matter head on!
Beyond that, it’s always been interesting to me that the very parents who - TODAY - want to disregard the idea of Santa Claus altogether, are parents who, when they were children, had quite a wonderful time thinking about and anticipating the “jolly old man in the red suit!” Now, somehow, they want to deny that fun to their own children! All, I might add, for very good reasons, but I would suggest that totally eliminating any talk or reference to Santa Claus is a lost cause; you cannot logically do it!
They know about him; other kids are talking about him, and - to try and eliminate that is not only impossible, it puts your children at a decided disadvantage as they are having to explain why they DON’T talk about Santa and are, frankly, too young to try and give that kind of a defense!
Another reason we need to talk about Santa is this:
6. The name SANTA needs but the transposition of a single letter (the letter “N”) and SANTA can very easily spell the name SATAN!
And, in many cases, Satan has indeed used the idea of Santa to create doubts in the hearts and minds of people. He’s used the qualities of Santa - made much larger than they are - to have people think more of HIM than they do the REAL reason for Christmas!
Santa, of course, is NOT the TRUE meaning or reason for Christmas! Christmas is always and ONLY about God Himself coming to this earth to take upon Himself the form of a man, to live among us, to teach us of God and, ultimately to die and rise again on the third day so that we, by believing in Him, could be saved!
THAT is Christmas! It is not Santa; it is not reindeer; it is not presents; it is not food; it is not shopping malls and greedy people fighting each other; it is not snow and pretty Christmas songs; no! It is totally and completely about Jesus Christ!
Only in our modern day, secularistic, godless America have we come to the point where we can celebrate Christmas without ANY MENTION of the Christ child and the fact that God Himself has come into this fallen world to redeem men, women, boys and girls!
And one more reason…
7. Because the TRUE story of Saint Nicholas is better than the made-up one!
The fact is that the REAL story about a minister, a bishop named “Nicholas” is better than the made-up “stuff” we see and hear about “Santa Claus.” The truth about a bishop named Nicholas is a story of a very real man who so loved a very real God that he went about helping people secretly as a part of his service and love for Jesus Christ!
Nicholas was a godly man whose reputation for giving to people caused him to be an example of what love and giving are all about.
He was not a jolly fat man who climbed down chimneys and he did not have flying reindeer. Nicholas was a boy who grew up hearing stories of Jesus who, by the way, is the REAL and ETERNAL “Gift-giver!”
Nicholas and his parents lived in Turkey in the 3rd century and were Christians. Nicholas’ parents had prayed and asked God for a child, much like Abraham and Sarah had done. From the time Nicholas was born, which many believe to be around 280 AD, Nicholas’ parents considered him to be a gift to them from God.
Because of that, they were very careful to teach him about Jesus Christ and the importance of loving others. When they told him how Jesus healed the sick, cared for the needy, and performed miracles, Nicholas found himself wishing that Jesus were still here on the earth. He later came to realize that Jesus IS still here on the earth - in the form of the Holy Spirit - and that He has commissioned us to help others and give to others.
When Nicholas was a teen-ager, his parents - who were quite wealthy - died, and they left their inheritance to Nicholas. As a teenager, Nicholas himself felt called to pastor a church. Ordained as a teenager, he entered the priesthood at age 19. His uncle, the bishop who ordained him, felt very strongly that Nicholas would offer guidance and help to many people, and that he would eventually become a bishop himself.
It is said that because Nicholas was very faithful to his own church, that, one day, the local Bishop died. The congregation knew that finding a replacement would not be easy. One night, the story goes, the head of the church council was told in a dream to stand by the front door of the church the next morning and ask each person entering their name. The first person responding with the name “Nicholas” was the man God appointed to be the bishop. (By the way, this is NOT the recommended procedure for church Pastor-Search Teams!)
You can imagine Nicholas’ surprise as he was approached by the Church official. After much prayer, Nicholas accepted the position and became Bishop of Myra (that’s in Turkey) around 300 AD.
As Bishop, Nicholas was a strong defender of God’s Word. When the Arian heresy (which denied the deity of Jesus Christ) began to make inroads, Nicholas vigorously opposed it. Because of his bold stance, he was imprisoned by the evil Roman emperor Diocletian. He was not released until several years later when Constantine became Emperor. Some have also said that Nicholas was a key participant in the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.
Early in his ministry, Nicholas learned the importance of a faith that leads to “works.” It was that sort of faith that motivated all of his actions. He personally felt responsible for doing what he could to help meet the needs of those in his parish and he dedicated his great wealth to doing exactly that.
He knew well Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:3 where Jesus said: “When you give to those who need it, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.”
He knew Acts 20:35 where Luke records that Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive!”
He also certainly knew of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:20 where He said that we are to “lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven…”
Nicholas had a real desire, in serving Jesus, to help others. At times, he would disguise himself and visit in the homes of the most needy. Then, at night, he would meet their needs by taking them food, clothing, and money. The people never knew who it was who brought the presents - for, as far as they knew, God had heard their prayers and answered them (which He had!)
EXAMPLE
A very well-known example of his generosity is found as he helped a man who had three daughters. As the story goes, the father lost all of his possessions. Therefore, when his three daughters were preparing to get married, he could not give them a dowry. (A dowry is a gift given to the couple to help them begin their married life together; it was extremely important.)
One of the daughters was so sad about her sisters not having a dowry that she was going to sell herself into slavery so that she could give the money to them. When Nicholas heard about it, he secretly went to the nobleman’s home and threw in a bag of gold. At a later date, he tossed in a second bag for the second daughter.
When it came time for the third daughter to be married, the father was determined to find out who his secret helper was. So, he tied a string around the house attached to several bells. When the person approached, his foot would touch the string and ring the bells (we call them “jingle bells”).
Sure enough, Nicholas came one night and the man caught him. Quite embarrassed, Nicholas made the man promise not to tell the secret!
But the promise didn’t last long. Word spread quickly throughout Myra that Bishop Nicholas was the one responsible for the hundreds of good deeds done over the years.
Using Matthew 6:1-4 as his text, Nicholas began teaching others the blessings of secret giving. As a result, others began secretly giving to others as Nicholas had been doing. When Nicholas died, this secret gift-giving continued. The givers never desired recognition or credit for their actions. When the recipients would ask where the gifts came from, their neighbors would happily reply: “Saint Nicholas must have brought them!”
Italian sailors, who frequently docked their ships in Myra, took the story of Saint Nicholas back to Italy. Before long, the practice of secret giving had spread throughout the Western world. Whenever and wherever the story of Nicholas was told, a spark was ignited in the hearts of people and many began secretly giving gifts to their own neighbors and friends!
When the practice was taken to Germany, “Saint Nicholas” was translated into the German “Saint Niclaus.” From Germany it spread to Holland where in the Dutch language it became “Sinter Klaus.” The Hollanders brought the tradition to the New World as they settled in Amsterdam (now New York City). In a short time, the name “Saint Nick” had become popular. And the Dutch name “Sinter Klaus” became “Santa Claus.” [In Holland, in fact, the figure of “Saint Nicholas” still appears as a medieval Bishop.]
So, “yes, Virginia, there really is a ‘Santa Claus.’”
DEATH
When Nicholas died on December 6, 343 AD, he is said to have quoted Psalm 11 with his last breath, where he said: “In the Lord I put my trust!” And that was the story of his entire life! His whole life was one given to serving the Lord Jesus Christ! So, when you think of Santa, the best depiction of all is the one that has him kneeling at the manger bed of Jesus!
MODERN DEPICTIONS
Washington Irving, in his work titled “Knickerbockers history of New York” (written in 1809) portrayed Saint Nicholas as a jolly, chubby little fellow who rode through the air in a wagon.
That portrayal was elaborated on in 1822 by Clement C. Moore, New York professor of Theology, in his famous poem which begins “’Twas the night before Christmas…” His “old Saint Nick had clothes of fur, twinkling eyes, merry dimples, cheeks like roses, nose like a cherry, beard white as snow, and a round belly with a huge pack on his back…”
Picking up on that image, cartoonist Thomas Nast added a North Pole toy workshop in his cartoons for Harper’s Weekly magazine.
In 1925, a large corporation ran an advertising campaign of Santa Claus further defining him as a large man with a red and white fur suit, black boots and a long flowing beard - the closest yet to our current depiction of him. And that is the image that we have come to associate with Saint Nicholas!
The tragic part of all that is how the devil has contorted the man and the ministry of Saint Nicholas who became known only because of his very determined devotion to Jesus Christ.
Instead of the fretting and getting and greed that the modern Santa Claus represents, the true Saint Nicholas represented the love of God who does not give switches and rods and coal, but rather has given us the greatest Gift of all, the gift of Jesus Christ!
Jesus is the meaning of Christmas! “Christ mass” means “anointed celebration of Christ.” It is the celebration of how God sent His beloved Son of whom He declared: “I am well pleased!”
Christmas is about Jesus Christ who, the bible says in Acts 10:38, “…went about doing good, and healing all those who are oppressed of the devil…” It is the story of Him who is the King of all kings, and Lord of all lords!
That, dear one, is a Merry Christmas!
