On December 25th we will all gather together with
family and friends to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord; what is arguably THE
most well-known birthday in the history of the world, the birth of Jesus
Christ. This is the celebration of the
Incarnation of the Son of God in human form.
This is the celebration that finds its culmination in the celebration of
the bodily Resurrection of Jesus on the other great feast day of the Church
year, Easter. Almost everyone who
celebrates Christmas at some point in time has included in the preparation and
celebration the legend of Santa Claus.
The name “Santa Claus” is an English transliteration of the Dutch Sinte
Klauus which in itself is a Dutch transliteration of Saint Nicholas, an
historical person who lived during the third and fourth centuries AD and served
the Church as a priest and bishop.
The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born
during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time
the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy
parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while
Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and
give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist
the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God
and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout
the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and
his concern for sailors and ships.
Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who
ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was
exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and
deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and
robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in
his cathedral church. The anniversary of his death became a feast day in the
Church calendar, St. Nicholas Day,
December 6th (December 19 on the Julian Calendar).
Through the centuries many stories and legends
have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us
understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as
protector and helper of those in need.
One story tells of a poor man with three
daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective
husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the
chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman
was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were
therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different
occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries.
The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in
stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of
children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is
told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls,
sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. And
so St. Nicholas is renowned as a gift-giver.
Thus we have the tradition of giving gifts in
December, a tradition that has been incorporated into the celebration of the
birth of Jesus. As we travel down our
Advent journeys of preparation this year, let us take time of pause to prepare
our hearts to truly welcome the coming of our Lord into our lives by the grace
and mercy of God through the free gift of faith and also to prepare for His
return in all glory and honor. As we
draw closer to this year’s Christmas celebrations, let us remember that the
greatest gift ever given in the history of the world was the gift of
forgiveness and eternal life lovingly given by our heavenly Father to all who
believe and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
This gift was given as Jesus lovingly and sacrificially gave His life so
others may live. Therefore, the greatest
gift we could ever give to another is to share our faith in Jesus and through
our sharing of the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, to bring
that person to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
God’s blessings to all this Advent as together
we prepare for the feast of the Nativity of our Lord.
In Christ’s Service
Pastor Scott
