Will the Real Santa Claus Please Stand Up?
On Sunday, Pastor Jarrod brought us the story of Saint Nicholas. No, this wasn’t the story of the jolly fellow who flies with reindeer and has a belly that shakes when he laughs like a bowl full of jelly. This was a much older story.
The tale goes that St. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra. In the early 300s, when Constantine was legalizing Christianity in the Roman Empire, some stories of St. Nicholas show amazing character. A terribly poor man could not find husbands for his daughters, who had no dowry. He was on the brink of offering his daughters into prostitution when St. Nicholas secretly threw gold coins into their shoes (or stocking or down the chimney, depending on which version of the tale you hear). Another story tells of a time when he talked hesitant sailors into sharing a portion of grain bound for Rome with a starving Myra, telling them that God would provide for them. Sure enough, the grain was restored when they reached Rome and Myra was saved. St. Nicholas even punched a priest in the face at the council of Nicene when the priest spread the false story that Jesus was not always with God, but was created on Christmas Day.
Where many see a war on Christians and Christmas, we can take lessons from St. Ncholas – and even our modern day Santa Claus. Both promote giving throughout the world to those in need. We can use our gifts and our callings in this season of Advent to intentionally be Christ to others, giving through love.
And we can start today!
-Cindy Norris
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