Jesus & Santa Claus??
Christmas is one of the most festive seasons in the world. We decorate, have special music, feast and exchange presents with one another. It has been said that it is the one time of year that people are actually nicer to each other.
But I am forced to ask a question during all this celebration. Exactly where is Jesus in all this revelry? Well some will say He is the reason for the season. Perhaps. I have to wonder just how many people actually feel that way and just how many families give true, heartfelt worship to the Son of God during this time.
Secondly, Santa Claus is so ingrained in the celebration I have to ask more questions. Just how does Santa fit into the worship of the Son of God? Can we actually reconcile Santa Claus with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? And if so, how do we do it?
I believe the place we have to start this quest would be with Christmas itself. Is Christmas truly a religious event? Did God actually command us to celebrate the birth of His son? Is this a holy day prescribed in the bible?
Now I know a lot of people out there are going to give an unqualified yes to these questions. The truth is Christmas is found no place in the bible, let alone as a command from God to celebrate Jesus’ birth. You may be astounded by this and ready to vehemently object. Isn’t the story of Jesus birth in the bible? Yes the story is in Matthew and Luke. Nowhere however, is there any instruction to consider December 25th a holy day or even a day of celebration!
Consider the following. There are several holy days commanded in the Old Testament. Among these are the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement to name three. These are called annual Sabbaths. They were and still are celebrated by Jews and some Christians, once per year at specific dates based on the Hebrew Calendar. Now pay special attention to that last sentence. The dates were prescribed by God. These holy days, commanded by God are to be celebrated on particular days!
Note that in the Old Testament God commands both the holy day and the time to celebrate. No place in the New Testament do we find a command to celebrate or a date for that celebration. Check the scriptures for yourself. You will find the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12, 23 & 34 and Leviticus 23. The Feast of Trumpets is in Numbers 29 and the Day of Atonement is found in Leviticus 23. Read each chapter for the full context of the passages.
Now compare this with Matthew 1 & 2 along with Luke 2. Again, read each chapter fully. Examine them carefully. Do you see a command from God to celebrate Jesus’ birth? Did you find a date for the celebration? No, neither command nor date for observance are present. In fact, we don’t even have a date of Jesus’ birth in scripture. It is not a holy day commanded by God.
Where does this leave us? It leaves us with a celebration created by man. Christmas was instituted in the fourth century to replace the pagan celebration of Saturnalia and help Christianize the people. It was felt that the meaning could be replaced without removing the celebration that people looked forward to each year during December.
Because of this understanding of scripture, some people refuse to celebrate Christmas. They feel that it is actually Saturnalia that is being observed and dishonors God with false gods being worshiped in His place. Some would say, “Don’t do as the pagans do!”
I must disagree with these conclusions. The position of the heart is key here. Are you, in your heart, placing another god before our Father in Heaven? I don’t know anybody that celebrates Christmas that is looking to do that. Their eyes are either on worshiping Jesus, anticipating Santa’s arrival or maybe both. The point is that I may do the same thing as my neighbor, but not necessarily for the same reasons!
Now you may be wondering as to whether we should celebrate Christmas at all considering it is a man made event. Well, I for one don’t really see anything wrong with it provided you are clear on what you are doing and why. That may sound confusing but bear with me for a moment.
If you are attempting to disguise raucous revelry as a celebration of Christ, I’d say you have a serious problem. Remember that part about the position of the heart?? You can’t pretend to worship Jesus while you are really looking to please yourself. It’s as simple as that. We must be honest with ourselves and with our Lord. Nothing else will suffice. Now I’m not saying that we can’t enjoy our celebrations. What I’m saying is that we must be clear as to what we are doing and why we are doing it!
So where does Santa fit in with Jesus’ birth? Quite simply, he doesn’t! If we accept Christmas as a religious event, Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, St. Nicholas or whatever else you choose to call him cannot be reconciled with Jesus.
Now there are many that will say that Santa is harmless fun for the kiddies and others that will say he is an instrument of Satan. Frankly, I don’t care to give a sermon on Santa Claus as my job is to introduce people to Jesus and help them grow closer to Him, but I will say this. I don’t know the true origin of Santa Claus.
During my research for this sermon I came across no less than five different histories. The roots of Santa Claus can be traced to various places. Saint Nicholas, Saint Claus, the Norse god Thor, a Celtic god and a dark helper of Satan that is sent out to punish children. Some will also point out that Santa is an anagram for Satan. They will also point out that an internet search on “Satan Claus” will produce thousands of hits so “obviously” there is a connection. I find these last two arguments to be very weak indeed.
Again, the position of the heart is key. If you are worshiping a Norse or Celtic god or you are involved in Satan worship, you have a serious problem! If you are simply looking to provide some happiness to your children, I don’t see the problem. Now I know there are some that will see a problem not matter what. If so, you need to avoid Santa Claus even if it is okay in God’s eyes. To do less would be sinful as you would not be acting in faith. We can see God’s thoughts on this subject in Romans 14:23 “But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Eating or Santa, it is the same result. If you feel it’s wrong, don’t do it!
There are three reasons to celebrate Christmas: parties, reverence for our Lord Jesus Christ and Santa Claus to bring joy to children. More than likely, the three are intertwined in your home. We have also seen that you cannot simply reconcile them. Where does that leave us? I believe that all three can co-exist peaceably with the right attitude.
Once more, the position of the heart is key in everything we do, be it this topic or any other. As Christmas is a day created by man, I believe we have latitude as to how to celebrate. If it was commanded by God, this latitude would not exist.
Ecc 9:7-9 “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.” It is alright to enjoy the fruits and blessings that God bestows upon you as long as we keep in mind exactly who it was that gave them to us. And let us not fall into the trap of thinking it is us alone that provides. So if all you want is to feast and celebrate, be my guest!
If you want to use the time to worship Jesus and proclaim His birth, by all means do so joyously. This is where my attention is during this time of year. Combined with childhood memories and stories of Jesus birth along with scripture readings, I find this to be most satisfying. And if you want to add Santa to the season to bring joy to your children, that’s fine by me too.
Now how do we mix them all together since we said you can’t reconcile these things? I see nothing wrong with having a festive mood during the season as long as one doesn’t get carried away. It is too easy to fall into drunken debauchery and this is something we wish to avoid no matter what the reason.
Enjoying yourself is certainly permitted. Good food, good friends and praising our Lord and Savior can certainly all live together. And we can also share this joy with those that are not as blessed by inviting people that are alone to share our lives with us. We can also give to local shelters and the poor so that people know they are not forgotten.
I think the Magi are excellent examples for us to follow in these matters. Mat 2:9-11 KJV “When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.”
Notice the words highlighted in green. They rejoiced with exceeding great joy - Celebration! They saw the child and worshiped Him - praise and glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! They presented Him with gifts - they shared the blessings God had given them. They did not exchange gifts, they gave away from themselves. Gifts from the heart! So we see the first two reasons for celebrating Christmas mixed nicely.
What about Santa Claus? Since this part of Christmas can’t be reconciled with the other two, I believe it needs to be separated from them. Make the main focus of the day the Birth of Jesus and make sure your children are exposed to the scriptures about Jesus’ birth. They need know that Jesus was born and why. Perhaps you will want to do this before presents are opened or maybe after so the anticipation of Santa doesn’t get in the way of the lesson of the His birth. Whatever you choose, do it with an honest, open and joyous heart, dedicated to our Lord and enjoy this time with your family and friends.
We quote the following scriptures from the King James bible for the elegance and beauty that the old English gives to these words. Luke 2: 7-14
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
May you all have a joyous and blessed Christmas this year and remember:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
In His name…
© copyright 2005 Church of Hope, Inc.
Christmas is one of the most festive seasons in the world. We decorate, have special music, feast and exchange presents with one another. It has been said that it is the one time of year that people are actually nicer to each other.
But I am forced to ask a question during all this celebration. Exactly where is Jesus in all this revelry? Well some will say He is the reason for the season. Perhaps. I have to wonder just how many people actually feel that way and just how many families give true, heartfelt worship to the Son of God during this time.
Secondly, Santa Claus is so ingrained in the celebration I have to ask more questions. Just how does Santa fit into the worship of the Son of God? Can we actually reconcile Santa Claus with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? And if so, how do we do it?
I believe the place we have to start this quest would be with Christmas itself. Is Christmas truly a religious event? Did God actually command us to celebrate the birth of His son? Is this a holy day prescribed in the bible?
Now I know a lot of people out there are going to give an unqualified yes to these questions. The truth is Christmas is found no place in the bible, let alone as a command from God to celebrate Jesus’ birth. You may be astounded by this and ready to vehemently object. Isn’t the story of Jesus birth in the bible? Yes the story is in Matthew and Luke. Nowhere however, is there any instruction to consider December 25th a holy day or even a day of celebration!
Consider the following. There are several holy days commanded in the Old Testament. Among these are the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement to name three. These are called annual Sabbaths. They were and still are celebrated by Jews and some Christians, once per year at specific dates based on the Hebrew Calendar. Now pay special attention to that last sentence. The dates were prescribed by God. These holy days, commanded by God are to be celebrated on particular days!
Note that in the Old Testament God commands both the holy day and the time to celebrate. No place in the New Testament do we find a command to celebrate or a date for that celebration. Check the scriptures for yourself. You will find the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12, 23 & 34 and Leviticus 23. The Feast of Trumpets is in Numbers 29 and the Day of Atonement is found in Leviticus 23. Read each chapter for the full context of the passages.
Now compare this with Matthew 1 & 2 along with Luke 2. Again, read each chapter fully. Examine them carefully. Do you see a command from God to celebrate Jesus’ birth? Did you find a date for the celebration? No, neither command nor date for observance are present. In fact, we don’t even have a date of Jesus’ birth in scripture. It is not a holy day commanded by God.
Where does this leave us? It leaves us with a celebration created by man. Christmas was instituted in the fourth century to replace the pagan celebration of Saturnalia and help Christianize the people. It was felt that the meaning could be replaced without removing the celebration that people looked forward to each year during December.
Because of this understanding of scripture, some people refuse to celebrate Christmas. They feel that it is actually Saturnalia that is being observed and dishonors God with false gods being worshiped in His place. Some would say, “Don’t do as the pagans do!”
I must disagree with these conclusions. The position of the heart is key here. Are you, in your heart, placing another god before our Father in Heaven? I don’t know anybody that celebrates Christmas that is looking to do that. Their eyes are either on worshiping Jesus, anticipating Santa’s arrival or maybe both. The point is that I may do the same thing as my neighbor, but not necessarily for the same reasons!
Now you may be wondering as to whether we should celebrate Christmas at all considering it is a man made event. Well, I for one don’t really see anything wrong with it provided you are clear on what you are doing and why. That may sound confusing but bear with me for a moment.
If you are attempting to disguise raucous revelry as a celebration of Christ, I’d say you have a serious problem. Remember that part about the position of the heart?? You can’t pretend to worship Jesus while you are really looking to please yourself. It’s as simple as that. We must be honest with ourselves and with our Lord. Nothing else will suffice. Now I’m not saying that we can’t enjoy our celebrations. What I’m saying is that we must be clear as to what we are doing and why we are doing it!
So where does Santa fit in with Jesus’ birth? Quite simply, he doesn’t! If we accept Christmas as a religious event, Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, St. Nicholas or whatever else you choose to call him cannot be reconciled with Jesus.
Now there are many that will say that Santa is harmless fun for the kiddies and others that will say he is an instrument of Satan. Frankly, I don’t care to give a sermon on Santa Claus as my job is to introduce people to Jesus and help them grow closer to Him, but I will say this. I don’t know the true origin of Santa Claus.
During my research for this sermon I came across no less than five different histories. The roots of Santa Claus can be traced to various places. Saint Nicholas, Saint Claus, the Norse god Thor, a Celtic god and a dark helper of Satan that is sent out to punish children. Some will also point out that Santa is an anagram for Satan. They will also point out that an internet search on “Satan Claus” will produce thousands of hits so “obviously” there is a connection. I find these last two arguments to be very weak indeed.
Again, the position of the heart is key. If you are worshiping a Norse or Celtic god or you are involved in Satan worship, you have a serious problem! If you are simply looking to provide some happiness to your children, I don’t see the problem. Now I know there are some that will see a problem not matter what. If so, you need to avoid Santa Claus even if it is okay in God’s eyes. To do less would be sinful as you would not be acting in faith. We can see God’s thoughts on this subject in Romans 14:23 “But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Eating or Santa, it is the same result. If you feel it’s wrong, don’t do it!
There are three reasons to celebrate Christmas: parties, reverence for our Lord Jesus Christ and Santa Claus to bring joy to children. More than likely, the three are intertwined in your home. We have also seen that you cannot simply reconcile them. Where does that leave us? I believe that all three can co-exist peaceably with the right attitude.
Once more, the position of the heart is key in everything we do, be it this topic or any other. As Christmas is a day created by man, I believe we have latitude as to how to celebrate. If it was commanded by God, this latitude would not exist.
Ecc 9:7-9 “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.” It is alright to enjoy the fruits and blessings that God bestows upon you as long as we keep in mind exactly who it was that gave them to us. And let us not fall into the trap of thinking it is us alone that provides. So if all you want is to feast and celebrate, be my guest!
If you want to use the time to worship Jesus and proclaim His birth, by all means do so joyously. This is where my attention is during this time of year. Combined with childhood memories and stories of Jesus birth along with scripture readings, I find this to be most satisfying. And if you want to add Santa to the season to bring joy to your children, that’s fine by me too.
Now how do we mix them all together since we said you can’t reconcile these things? I see nothing wrong with having a festive mood during the season as long as one doesn’t get carried away. It is too easy to fall into drunken debauchery and this is something we wish to avoid no matter what the reason.
Enjoying yourself is certainly permitted. Good food, good friends and praising our Lord and Savior can certainly all live together. And we can also share this joy with those that are not as blessed by inviting people that are alone to share our lives with us. We can also give to local shelters and the poor so that people know they are not forgotten.
I think the Magi are excellent examples for us to follow in these matters. Mat 2:9-11 KJV “When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.”
Notice the words highlighted in green. They rejoiced with exceeding great joy - Celebration! They saw the child and worshiped Him - praise and glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! They presented Him with gifts - they shared the blessings God had given them. They did not exchange gifts, they gave away from themselves. Gifts from the heart! So we see the first two reasons for celebrating Christmas mixed nicely.
What about Santa Claus? Since this part of Christmas can’t be reconciled with the other two, I believe it needs to be separated from them. Make the main focus of the day the Birth of Jesus and make sure your children are exposed to the scriptures about Jesus’ birth. They need know that Jesus was born and why. Perhaps you will want to do this before presents are opened or maybe after so the anticipation of Santa doesn’t get in the way of the lesson of the His birth. Whatever you choose, do it with an honest, open and joyous heart, dedicated to our Lord and enjoy this time with your family and friends.
We quote the following scriptures from the King James bible for the elegance and beauty that the old English gives to these words. Luke 2: 7-14
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
May you all have a joyous and blessed Christmas this year and remember:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
In His name…
© copyright 2005 Church of Hope, Inc.