AP story reported in the Indianapolis Star 12/25/99
Dateline LOS ANGELES – A shopping mall Santa Claus had a meltdown after refusing to cuddle a bawling toddler, calling the mother evil and ripping off his beard and costume in front of startled children.
Kelly Fornatoro, 33, said she told Santa her 19 month old son, Brian, would stop crying if he put his arm around the child. According to her, he balked and told her, “I will not imprison your child.”
“When I went to pick up the baby, he said: ‘Was it worth it? Was it worth it for you to torture your child for a picture? You must be an evil person.’”
The woman then told Santa she planned to file a complaint.
At this, she said, the man leaped from his throne and said: “You can complain about me if you want, but I am Santa Claus. I am the best person in the world. I am good.”
The mother then told Santa he should not be around children.
“With that, he got really angry,” she explained to the paper. “He started to rip off his clothes. He took off his beard, his wig, his coat, his belt.”
Some stunned parents covered their children’s eyes.
Santa was then led away by security guards, and a replacement was brought in. Westfield Shopping-town Promenade Mall and Cherry Hill Photo (suppliers of the Santa) wouldn’t give his name.
YOU COULD SAY this Santa was stressed out. In fact, I’ve heard that Christmas can be a very stressful time of year for a lot of people.
Last Thursday I heard Paul Harvey tell of a man in England who had rented an old bomb shelter. His intention was to stay there from the middle of December until sometime in early January. His purpose: to escape Christmas. Paul Harvey said that the sad thing was - there were 49 others in line behind him wanting to do exactly the same thing.
Why would these people go to such lengths to avoid Christmas? I believe it was due to stress. I mean, Christmas can be stressful:
¨ buying presents
¨ mailing Christmas cards
¨ going to the parties
¨ AND getting kids to all their events
In fact, December has such potential for stress, that it has gained a reputation of violence. December has the highest rate of suicides, homicides and robberies of any month of the entire year. It’s as if there’s a rebellion against the promises and hopes of Christmas which results in a denial of the season.
It wasn’t supposed to be that way. The angel declared to the shepherds that God’s purpose (in sending Jesus) was “peace." “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14
But, if that was the purpose of Christ’s birth, how can we assure ourselves of that peace?
Luke introduces to us two people who meet the baby Jesus at the Temple when He’s been brought by Joseph & Mary to be dedicated to God & circumcised according to the Law.
There’s something about the way that these 2 react to Jesus that may hold the secret of how you & I can escape the turmoil & stress of Christmas. In fact, there are 3 things I believe we can learn from Simeon & Anna that can help us have peace and contentment this Christmas.
1st, THEY DIDN’T FALL PREY TO BELIEVING THAT MONEY WAS IMPORTANT TO CELEBRATING CHRIST’S BIRTHDAY.
One of the BIG stresses of this season is the pressure (not only to buy gifts), BUT ALSO to buy fairly expensive gifts for others. For example, if someone buys us a fairly costly gift for us we feel duty bound to buy the same type of gift for them.
ILLUS: I get caught by that trap myself. I visited the hospital this past week and spoke with a woman in the waiting area who was making gifts for her children and grandchildren. She was making Santa faces out of plastic & yarn. And I thought to myself "that’s not a very impressive gift." I couldn’t picture a child getting all excited about something that looked so ordinary. But really, she had the right attitude, not me. She may not have had a lot of money, but she was cheerfully offering gifts made (in love) by her own hands. That was the important point of Christmas in gift giving. The reason many people hate Christmas is because we find ourselves getting trapped in a vicious cycle that makes us think that the point of the season involves spending lots of money.
Simeon & Anna didn’t fall into that trap. They were looking for the Messiah… and who did they pick? They picked Jesus, this baby being carried by Joseph & Mary. Now, you have to realize – Joseph & Mary didn’t come into the Temple carrying a sign like you see sometimes in airport waiting areas that declare: "The Smiths." They weren’t carrying a sign saying: “This is the Messiah”
Instead, they were part of the ordinary crowd of people who came into the Temple every day. In fact, if ANYTHING distinguished them – it was the fact that they were poor. Luke 2:21-24 tells us that Joseph and Mary had brought their sacrifice with them: two small birds.
Leviticus 12:6 & 8 tells us: "‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering…. If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’"
In other words, according to the law, a person of means who gave birth to a child was required to bring a lamb as their sacrifice. But a poor couple brought what Joseph & Mary offered: a couple of small birds.
But, this couple’s poverty, didn’t phase Simeon & Anna. They weren’t distracted by appearances. They were looking for the Christ not for expensive gifts or apparel. It’s almost as if they took their pick of presents beneath the tree… and they chose the gift in the brown paper shopping bag.
So, Simeon and Anna didn’t fall prey to believing that money was important to celebrating Christ’s birthday.
THE 2nd THING THAT WOULD HAVE INSURED THEM GOD’S PEACE WAS THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR CHRIST.
ILLUS: This past week, I went to visit a heart patient at St. Vincent’s hospital. I went on Thursday, and as I was making my way down the hallway I noticed a large, beautiful nativity scene. I stopped to examine the ornateness of the figures. There was Mary, and Joseph and the shepherds and their sheep… but I was shocked to see that the manger was empty. I thought to myself "somebody has stolen the baby Jesus!" Then I sort of shrugged and dismissed the matter as another example of the callousness of our culture.
However, the next day, I again visited the same hospital, but was walking down another hallway where another, smaller manger scene was on display. Imagine my surprise when I noticed this manger scene also empty. Jesus was missing.
Later, I learned that - for those who observe what is called Advent (which our church usually does not) - part of the Christmas season is observed by leaving the manger empty until Christmas Eve when the baby is then placed in its manger bed.
Jesus was missing. That was true in the hospital manger scenes… and that can be true of us as we celebrate Christmas as well.
We’re all familiar with the concerted effort some make to take Christ out of Christmas. The ACLU has been highly successful in blackmailing almost everyone into dismantling mangers across our nation. BUT, even solid church going people can forget about Jesus in their Christmas celebrations.
ILLUS: The Barna Research Group poll, conducted national survey: (88% of whom identified themselves as Christian), and they found
· 37% of adults) said the birth of Jesus was the most important aspect of Christmas.
· 26% of respondents ages 18 to 34 said birth of Jesus was most important aspect of Christmas.
· 39% among respondents 65 and older said the same thing.
· BY CONTRAST 44% of the respondents said family time was most important.
It’s easy, in the midst of all the decorations & hype of Christmas - lose Jesus… to overlook Jesus. I have to admit, even I struggle sometimes with keeping Jesus at the center of our family celebrations. It’s not deliberate, it just sneaks up on us. We just somehow fail to LOOK for Jesus in what we do with our families.
By contrast, Simeon (especially) was looking for Jesus. He’d been promised he wouldn’t die until he had seen the Christ. So, when he finally discovered the child, this was the highlight, not just of his day… THIS was the highlight of his life.
AND, when he finally sees Jesus, Simeon prays: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.” Luke 2:29
It’s as if he were saying “OK God, I’ve seen the Christ, I’m ready to die now! Open up the grave, roll out the casket… I’m content now.”
What robs many people, including Christians, of the peace that Christmas can have is that we get caught up in looking for everything but Jesus. And thus, the manger of Christmas becomes empty for us.
THE LAST REASON SIMEON AND ANNA HAD THE SECRET OF THE PEACE OF CHRISTMAS WAS THAT THEY HAD PREPARED THEMSELVES TO RECEIVE GOD’S BLESSINGS & HIS PROMISES.
Simeon was not a particularly important man, but he was known as a righteous and a DEVOUT man. The Word for “devout” in the Greek means “taking a good hold” on something. Thus, to be religiously devout was to “take a good hold on God.” Simeon’s being devout meant that, for him, God was at the center of this his life.
Similarly, God was at the center of Anna’s life. She was constantly in the Temple day and night. She was known for her fasting and prayers. She was ALWAYS worshiping God.
THESE WERE NOT Christmas and Easter type of worshippers.
THESE WERE NOT every other Sunday attenders
THESE WERE NOT even every Sunday morning attenders.
Simeon and Anna were the type of worshippers who would have been present every time the church doors were opened. They were involved in nearly activity open to them, because they were dedicated people who loved God with all of their hearts, their souls and their minds.
· It’s intriguing that it was to them… and ONLY to them… that God revealed His promises of the coming Messiah. Bear in mind, there were other people in the Temple, other people to whom God could have revealed His plans… but it was only to these 2 – that God revealed His message of peace.
Now, my point is this: You might be a Christian… you might know God’s message of salvation…AND you might get into heaven…without being as dedicated as Simeon & Anna were in their faith. BUT I’m going to tell you right now, unless you learn to see things as they did, AND learn to look for Jesus (not just at Christmas, but every day of your lives)… AND unless you commit yourself to putting God at the center of your lives…
You’ll not only miss out on the peace of Christmas… you’ll also miss out on a lot of other blessings from God.
CLOSE: As we look at the story of Simeon and Anna, it’s vital to remember that the reason they got to see Jesus, was because they had given God a special gift… the gift of a warm heart. A heart where God was always important.
I recently read the story about a couple of Americans who answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on Biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire & police departments and a large orphanage.
In the orphanage, there were about 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government. Christmas was approaching when these Americans sat down and told this group of orphans - for the first time - the story of Christmas.
· Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem.
· Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.
Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word.
Then the Americans gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. And Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins. No colored paper was available in the city.
Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown were used for the baby’s blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt.
The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until one of the workers came to one table where little Misha sat. Misha was about 6 years old and had finished his project.
BUT there was something different about this child’s manger. There, in the manger, lay not one, but two babies. Quickly, the American called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously.
Now you have to realize Misha had only heard the story once… but he related it accurately –
up until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, "And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay.
“I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn’t, because I didn’t have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift”.
So I asked Jesus, "If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?" And Jesus told me, "If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me." So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him---for always.”
That is the message of Christmas. This message is not found in rich gifts, or fancy decorations, but in a simple faith. A desire to give the warmth of our hearts to Jesus.
Other Sermons in this Series:
Believing To See Luke 1:5-1:25
Truth In Advertising Luke 1:26-1:38
The Exciting Promise Luke 2:1-2:20
The Gift Of The Warm Heart Luke 2:21-2:40
