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Every year about this time I blog about the real meaning of Christmas. It’s certainly a well-covered topic by many authors but I always feel the need for my own spin. I usually reference a Ben Stein letter. See it here.
This year there has been a disturbing theme that has really caught me off guard. It seems that this year, people really got into Christmas early. Whether it was shopping earlier, hanging up the decorations or the stores outdoing themselves yet again, things were moving in a hurry. Because of this, people also began speaking about Christmas earlier. I’ve had many conversations this year about Santa versus Jesus. It wasn’t until the third conversation that it REALLY hit me. I even remember pointing my finger at the person I was talking to. “You are willing to defend Santa more than Jesus!” I said with eyes wide open like someone had just slapped my on my back.
Before you roll your eyes and move on to the next post consider how most of these conversations go.
PERSON: Are your kids excited about seeing Santa this year?
MATT: Well, we really don’t do the whole Santa thing.
PERSON: You mean you aren’t telling your kids about Santa?
MATT: Well, our children are young (3 and 9 months) but I’m not going to lie to them about a tale that overshadows the real reason we have Christmas.
PERSON: But it’s just for fun, how can you do that to your kids?
MATT: You mean, how can I decide to NOT lie to my kids. Well, I am just a horrible father.
See, I have yet to hear anyone use the “J” word in these conversations (Jesus). For some reason, it makes people uncomfortable when I say to them “I really want my kids to know that during Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus who is our Lord and Savior. It is the message of Emmanuel (God With Us) and the beginning of the greatest life that the people on earth have ever known. It is because of Him that we are saved and for this we celebrate this miraculous event.”
If you are uncomfortable with this message or think that there is more to Christmas then this, then maybe this particular Christian holiday is not for you. Maybe you should sit this one out.
Instead of ‘sitting it out,’ what we see instead is people making their own holiday. Maybe these people should instead celebrate Seinfeld’s Festivus.
So if anyone asks me again, how I can deprive my kids of believing in Santa, from now on my answer is this. I tell my kid’s about Jesus and not about Santa because I love them and I want them to know where they can turn to, to learn the truth. After all, they will have enough lies and confusion handed to them throughout their lives. I do this because it is my job as a father to train them in the way they should go. (Proverbs 22:6) It is my job and privilege to honor these celebrations such as Christmas and Easter for the amazing pieces of history that they are. I do this because I want them to know about the Grace that God has given us through his son, Jesus the Christ.
Merry Christmas kids.
From the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 7 Verse 14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,and will call him Immanual.”
When you turn the pages of the bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament, chances are, you are not concerned with how long turning those pages will take you. However, 400 years separate these two books. At least from a literary standpoint, God was silent for 400 years. Readers have no knowledge of any great prophets or of God’s interaction with man during this time. Certainly, through His word God felt we didn’t need to know about this quiet period of time.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, came quiet. He came on a silent night. He could have come with Heaven’s trumpets sounding and thunder rumbling but he didn’t. Instead he broke the many years of silence through the cry of a baby.
Let’s face it. It wasn’t an easy time for Joseph and Mary. In those days people would have to report to their birthplace to pay their taxes and that is just what Joseph and Mary were doing. Mary, probably just about nine months into her pregnancy, was taking a long trip, she was uncomfortable and Joseph was worried. The two of them would not successfully find refuge at an inn so instead they settled in what scholars say was actually a cave. A damp and dirty shelter in which Emmanuel “God with Us” would come to save us for the sins we have never been able to turn from.
Out of the long silence came the cry of a baby who came to us so that we may again be with our Father. He came to us! Praise God! God was with us on earth. He never gave up or forsook us because he loves us so much. He came down to our sinful, lustful world in a dirty cave and was born into an imperfect family. He lived a perfect life, performed miracles and died for my sins and yours. It is the beginning of the most incredible event in our human history.
This Christmas I would ask you to consider something. Forget about your Christmas tree, the shopping you haven’t finished, the presents you want to receive. Forget it all. Instead, consider today where you stand with God. Talk with Him. He loves us. He wants us to return to him and there is no other way to our father but through His son, Jesus Christ. (John 14:6)
And here is your harsh truth. You have a decision to make. You are either with him or against him. It’s that simple. It is not enough to do good deeds or to try to be a good person. Don’t fool yourself by saying “I’ve never killed anyone, I pay my taxes, I’ll go to heaven because of those things.” God is giving us the chance to be with Him but he is still letting you decide.
I hope you all have a very blessed and Merry Christmas.
Enjoy this song about this very subject title “Winter Snow.” My favorite lines are:
You could have come like a winter storm
With all of the strength of a hurricane
You could have come like a forest fire
With the power of heaven in your flame
But you came like a winter snow
