This Santa Claus has
been used in countless adds, countless stories, countless movies, countless stores and even used in countless churches. The question remains where did Santa Come from.
We all know he did not come from the North Pole. This jolly fat man we know today as
Santa comes from a Coca-Cola Christmas Campaign. They used him to sell Cokes and
they sold so well that Santa Claus became a national Icon, a world wide icon for
Christmas. Even the United States Government takes part in this. They fake tracking
Santa Claus around the world and have a dedicated phone line just for people trying to
find out where Santa Claus "is at" in the world tonight. This man also is associated with
a Catholic Saint. St. Nicholas.
This St. Nicholas is
associated with two stories past down through church traditions. one of them occurred somewhere in the 4th century at a church council that was discussing the Deity of Christ
Jesus. One man by the name of Pelagius (i think) or his disciple (i cant remember). This
man doubted the deity of Jesus. When St. Nicholas heard this, being a bishop of the
Church, got up an approached the man and slapped him for doubting who Christ was.
For slapping he originally was stripped of his Bishop status but later was forgiven and
was restored as a bishop. THis was because he stood up for Jesus. At the same time
there is another story that definitely was not used for the Coca-Cola merchandising. In I
think second century while Rome persecuted the church, St. Nicholas was thrown into
prison and was given little to no rations resulting in a very thin and starving St. Nicholas.
This certainly was not a man who was not a jolly fat man who give out gifts.
This brings me back to
my original question, what is the meaning of Christmas. Churches around the world between the 23 of december to the 25 teach about Christ coming to the earth as a baby.The entire story they teach is about the miracle that God came to the earth so that we
may live. THis is an awesome and powerful story of the Grace of God but it might be
just me but i feel like the churches never tell the complete story. It seems they focus
completely on the miracle and less on the meaning of this amazing gracious act by
Christ.For you see the story beings in the origins of the bible but I decided to being at Psalms 84:11-12: "For The LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!" You see in these verse David is very clear how Good God really is. He would not do anything that was not for the best for us. If it were Good for us to have a million dollars he would give it to us. SO for us He knew that the best thing we needed was a savior So he sent us his son to die on the cross so we would have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him. We now are fellow citizens with the saints in the Household of our LORD.
From there the Story of Christmas leads us to Isaiah 9:6 "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." This is the very promise the world received for the messiah of the world. The very hope for the salvation of the world from the death of Sin. We so very unworthy were given the best gift on could ever receive, the one we call our Prince of Peace. ITs is such an amazing thing, when we place our hope in Him we have such a peace over us that words cannot describe, where one does not worry about death itself for we know we will spend out lives with Him.
THe words in Isaiah were simply a promise to the things to come in Christ. But guess what...the promise was fulfilled on day on when the Angel of God Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary to give the words of hope, love and grace to the world. Luke 1:30-33 "The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." These very words are the words from God to Mary that Jesus, The savior, the Son of God, part of the Triune God will come to earth as man so we can have an eternal life through Him. Before Christ, all of mankind were to fall except the Jews who had the ability to sacrifice to God for the forgiveness of their sins. People in Britain had no way of ever making it into heaven for they were very lost.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:16, 17 NASB). God sent His only son into the world knowing very well that the world would not accept him but destroy his Physical body on the Cross that very day. Christ loved us so much that For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:3-11 NASB).
For the meaning of Christmas is yes to remember the day Christ came to us. It is on that Day the cornerstone of the church was being sent in place that we the church are build off of. But if feel if we do not direct it to the fact that Christ died, was raised and came back we fail to present the Gospel of Jesus. But one may ask how do we show this to others.
Now in this is the true meaning of Christmas is to show the love of Christ to others. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34, 35 NASB) For it is only through the Love of God are we able to show this love. There is no better way i can see showing this love than to be with those you love on Christmas. For Christmas was the Day we use to remember the day of the most loving Gift LORD God ever gave the world, Jesus Christ, His one and only son. Christmas is really a holiday of love not of materialism. So easily we fall into the materialism of the world but we all need the reminder of what Christmas is all about. It is about remembering the Love of God not the gifts we get in this world.
My prayer on the Christmas Eve night, LORD God is that your love will alway stay on my mind, and if you were to ever ask me the same question you asked Solomon that I would live a life worthy of You. I know very well I will alway fall short of your glory because of the flesh i will deal with until the day i die. I love you lord and thank you for these wonderful people i get to spend Christmas with. Pablo, Ashley, Laura, Gloria, Cathy, David and Stephen Hutchinson, Chad Hall and my Crossing Church family. I love these people and love the opportunity to serve you more. You are an awesome God and thankful to serve you Lord.
Thank you for your love!
Amen
