As St. Nicholas morphs into Santa Claus, we should think about if Santa would kneel at the feet of Jesus.
The ultimate thought on this is that Santa should represent the spirit of giving without receiving such as God’s purpose in giving His Son, Jesus Christ, to the World. St. Nicholas of Myra did bow down to Christ. He followed the Messiah to the point of fighting those who would change the doctrine in order to fit into their personal agendas. St. Nicholas also felt the calling to help those in need without ever wanting anything in return.
The spirit of the holiday has changed. Expectations have been perpetuated over time and have lost the meaning of what started off as a celebration of life and light, losing what the fulfillment of God’s promise truly means. The “idea” of Santa is a fantastic one that has been lost over the decades as we dive deeper into materialism and out of bribery to have our children act appropriately.
Santa Claus was made to worship Jesus just as cartoons, music, art, books, and the like. Even more so, his human counterpart did worship. All things are created in order to do this because God has given mankind the ability to do so. It’s what we do with those abilities that will ultimately affect the outcome of our beliefs and those that we influence.
Isaiah told us about a time to come when a man would change everything, of God coming down as true love. His Son would bring us hope, light, live and good will. He dedicated his life to tell of God’s promise.
Isaiah 9:6 KJV
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
We have lost translation over the years. We use to place hope in these words, but now we place it in a man in a sleigh to help get us a through a hectic season. People blast “Believe” across the landscape, but the joy is misplaced in an idol of a created character and not the One True King.
Luke speaks out. He tells us what has happened and who is the only one who brings about the joy and hope of the season. He praises God for the love He brought down to humble the world.
Luke 2:14 KJV
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
St. Nicholas was a man after God. He knew where hope laid, and spread it by giving hope to others. As he changed into a created character, he did more, he brought families together, inspired fun and joy. He never intended to become something to worship, but he placed the worship at the feet of the only place of hope that ever existed.
His giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.”
―St. Nicholas of Myra
I love this! I agree Santa Claus is really aiming for the same thing- to bring pure joy on kids faces. 🙂
Such truths you have written. It is so sad how the truths of Christmas have become distorted over time. All the more reason to write more posts like this can continue talking about the truths of Jesus and Christmas. Really great read!
Thank you for the encouragement. I commented below about how I write a similar post every year and discuss this with my children as well. It’s so important to recognize truth first, and then why people may believe in make-believe over truth. We also discuss how people often celebrate with both and it becomes a tricky subject. We just lean on truth over here.
I have often wondered if St Nicholas would be saddened by the way he became santa and how for far too many santa is the first thing they think of when you mention Christmas.
Yes. I have written a similar post to this every year and I think it is finally making a slight impact. It is something that I share with my children every year and we make a point to discuss the truth. Thank you for stopping by 🙂