And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
(Luke 1:46-56)
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My friends – he is everywhere now! It’s true – and it’s so exciting! I don’t know how he gets around so much, but I’ve seen him in Oshawa and I’ve seen him in Pickering and I saw a picture of him in Beaverton weeks ago. He’s everywhere! It’s so exciting! I’m talking, of course, about Santa Claus! Because it’s that time of year! What an awesome dude he is! Everywhere and all over the world and bringing presents to boys and girls. He’s truly awesome! And he knows things. Lots of things. You know what they say:
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
He's gonna find out
Who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping;
He knows when you're awake;
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
Oh! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Think about these words for a second: “He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake; He knows if you've been bad or good ...” He sounds a bit like God, actually. Now, I have nothing against Santa – although when I try to type his name I notice that more often than not I make the inevitable typo and it comes out as “Satan” instead of “Santa.” My bad. But I’m not one of those Christians who rails against Santa. It’s all good, clean fun – although Lynn and I had the experience of raising a child who never ever wanted anything to do with Santa. Go figure. I think he’s a rather jolly old fellow who adds to the enjoyment of the season. But I will say this – Christmas is not all about Santa. You could say that Santa has become a secular icon for the season; almost the false god of Christmas; and far removed from his Christian origins as St. Nicholas. So maybe we do need perspective. As I said when Advent began, I don’t worry too much about the whole “Jesus is the reason for the season” stuff – but I would say that neither is Santa the reason for the season. In some ways Jesus and Santa seem to be in competition at this time of year, so I’m wondering how we could encourage people to choose Jesus, or at least to put him first. I have a few thoughts about the differences between Jesus and Santa that might help us make that choice and could remind us that, indeed, this season is not all about Santa.
Let’s think first about where Santa lives. Now all of us know that Santa lives at the North Pole. That’s where his workshop is. That’s where his home is. That’s where the toys get made. Santa has a very special relationship with Canada. The North Pole is a little beyond Canadian territory, but the nearest inhabited place is Alert, Nunavut – so if Santa ever needs help with anything he comes to Canada. And, of course, he takes his summer vacations in Bracebridge at his own little village where he kindly invites us all to visit him. All well and good. But do you know where Jesus lives? At one and the same time he’s with God the Father interceding for us, and he’s living right in our hearts. Jesus is way better than Santa. It’s not all about Santa.
And then – what is it about how Santa travels? In a sleigh? Pulled by reindeer? Isn’t that kind of old-fashioned? I mean – I admit that there’s an impressive quality about the fact that the reindeer can fly and that one of them has a shiny red nose, and that he can circumnavigate the entire world and stop at so many homes all in one 24 hour period. Points for Santa, I guess. But remember what I just said a moment ago – Jesus doesn’t even have to travel. He’s just always with you. Santa’s gonna leave! He’s gonna ride that flying reindeer powered sleigh back to the North Pole and aside from his summer in Bracebridge you’re not going to see him again until next Christmas. And keep in mind – Santa might ride in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer – but so what! Jesus can walk on water! So there’s maybe a couple of points for Santa, but still – Jesus is way better than Santa. It’s not all about Santa.
And I want you to think about how hard it is to get to see Santa. I was in the Oshawa Centre last week. Just by coincidence Santa was there at the same time. And don’t tell me that it wasn’t the real Santa. I know better than that. It was him. I saw him. And people were lined up just to get a chance to sit on his lap for a few seconds to tell him what they wanted. Seriously – there was a lineup! Can you believe it! You have to line up! What’s with that? You know what you do when you want to talk to Jesus? You pray. You don’t have to go to some silly shopping mall. And how well does Santa really know you anyway? If you don’t get to see him – if the lineup is too long – will he really know what you want? Think about it - he has to have a list and he has to keep checking it. Memory issues or something. Jesus just knows you. And he knows what you need. And he never forgets. Jesus is way better than Santa. It’s not all about Santa.
And why does Santa say “you better not cry”? I beg your pardon. We’re human. We have emotions. We cry. When sad things happen. Sometimes when happy things happen. We cry. What’s the big deal. Santa needs to get over it. But Santa seems to think there’s something wrong if you cry. “You better not cry.” I mean – I can understand the pouting part and the shouting part – but “you better not cry”? You know who cried? Jesus cried! John 11:35. Shortest verse in the entire Bible - “Jesus wept.” Is Jesus on Santa’s naughty list because of that incident? Crying’s OK. There’s nothing wrong with it. What’s with Santa’s attitude? Jesus is way better than Santa. It’s not all about Santa.
And I hate to say it – but Santa’s biased. Apparently he prefers the good little girls and boys. Which is pretty arbitrary when you think about it. Seriously – define “good” and “bad.” How does Santa really make that call, anyway? The truly best thing about Jesus is that he doesn’t make that call. He understood perfectly. Remember what he said: “only God is good.” So Jesus gave up on the whole “naughty list” and “nice list” thing a long time ago. He just came for the world. He even said that he didn’t come for the good people – but for the bad people! Remember - “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Compare that to Santa with his lists that he can’t remember and so he has to keep checking them. Seriously. Jesus is way better than Santa. It’s not all about Santa.
Mary said that “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” God had looked on her with favour by calling her to be the mother of Jesus. And through Mary, God sent Jesus to us. I have nothing against Santa – he’s a cultural icon and I’m sure he’s a great guy to share some milk and cookies with in the middle of the night – although keep a close eye on him because sometimes your wife will start kissing him – somebody saw that once. But Christmas is not all about Santa. Jesus – the Son of God – is far more important!
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