The Reverend Harold A. Linn, Pastor

The Pastor’s Christmas Letter to Those Who Do Santa, and to Those Who Struggle With Guilt, Fear, or Sadness at Christmas

By Dr. Richard P. Bucher

Greetings in the name of the Dayspring from on high, Immanuel, the Word made flesh, Jesus, our Savior, Christ, the Lord. As we approach another joyous celebration of Christ's birth, I wanted to share a few thoughts with you about Christmas and our congregation.

Just Don't Call It "Christmas"

Over the years some of you have heard me make some disparaging remarks about Santa Claus. For the record I'd like to clarify exactly what I think of the Santa Claus tradition.

Let me begin this way: there is nothing wrong with doing Santa per se, just as there is nothing wrong with hanging mistletoe, setting up a Christmas tree, drinking egg nog, watching "Frosty the Snowman," or having a "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" ornament on your Christmas tree.

Just don't call these things "Christmas." Christmas is a Christian holy day that celebrates the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Christmas has NOTHING to do with Santa Claus, elves, reindeer, snowmen, or chestnuts roasting on an open fire. What upsets me is that society has the audacity to call the Santa Claus hoopla "Christmas." Let society call these things "Winter Festival," "December Fest," "Claus Day," and celebrate Santa to their heart's content. Just don't call it "Christmas." Would any other religion put up with having the name of one of their holiest days applied to secular things that have nothing to do with it? Never! But we Christians are supposed to (I guess we have to because we're not a minority!). This is the main reason I object to Santa Claus.

These things don't bother some of us because we're so used to them by now. But how would you feel if our society began celebrating Good Friday by emphasizing Huggy, the giant teddy bear, who each year brings toys to tots? What if they called this "Good Friday?" Chances are, you would be quite offended - and rightly so.

One other thing bothers me about Santa Claus, and it is the reason that our family does not do Santa. It's my belief that when Santa and baby Jesus are put side by side, Jesus doesn't stand a chance in the hearts and minds of kids. The story of Bethlehem is charming and kids like it. But Santa brings toys, lots of toys, toys that can be handled, seen, and played with! What does Jesus give? Forgiveness, eternal life, God's love, all of which are invisible and unplayable. Couple this with the fact that Santa is said to have god-like attributes. He is said to be all-loving, all-generous, all- knowing and seeing ("He knows if you've been bad or good"). With these things in view, my fear is that we could be leading our children into a subtle form of idolatry by doing Santa.

The Birth of a Savior

At the heart of Christmas is the "good news of a great joy" spoken of by the angel in Luke 2. "For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord." Christmas is so sacred because it observes the birth of a Savior. Not just any Savior. A Savior who is the long awaited Messiah, and a Savior who is the Lord God Himself! God has visited his people to save them. The little babe in the feeding trough is Immanuel (God with us).

Yes, Jesus has been born to save all people. But from what? Not from what many people today think they need to be saved: political oppression, a bad economy, gender bias, political incorrectness, social inequality. So many today feel "Victimized" by a hundred things, but not the one thing that has truly victimized them: SIN. Matthew 1:21: "and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Jesus was born to save you from your sins, that you might not be condemned to hell. And He did so 33 years later by bearing your sins on the cross.

Christmas is truly good news to those who know all too well the crushing burden of their sinfulness. It is a great joy to those who feel unworthy of God's love, who are afraid of His punishment, who struggle with guilt. In a sense Christmas is only for such people. For them it is a celebration of God's complete forgiveness and unconditional love through the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Fear Not

"Fear not," said the angel to Zacharias. "Fear not," said the angel to Mary. "Fear not," said the angel to Joseph. "Fear not," said the angel to the shepherds. Do you notice a pattern here?!

Fear is something these people experienced when standing in the presence of the holy. What about us as the millennium draws to a close? We are more often afraid of the secular than the sacred, but we are afraid just the same. Afraid of failure. Afraid of rejection and loneliness. Afraid of economic hardship. Afraid of the fate of loved ones. Afraid of illness or death. Afraid of the future.

If you are struggling with fear this Christmas season, then give heed to the words of the angel. "Fear not!" God says to you through him. Christ has been born so "that we, being delivered from the hands of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life" (Lk. 1:74-75). If you have repented of all sin, know that Christ has reconciled you to God (2 Co. 5:19). God is totally on your side. And if He is for you, who is against you (Rom. 8:31)? Who or what is there to be afraid of, when the Creator of the universe, before whom the nations are as a drop in the bucket, loves you and is for you (Is. 40:15)?

God has never promised to take away all hardships and pressures. In fact, according to Scripture these are a normal part of the Christian life (John 15:1-2; Acts 14:22; 1 Thess. 3:14). But God has promised through Jesus to give us what we need in every situation (Rom. 8:32), to supply us with His strength, His peace, His provision. He will provide for you - as He always does (Gen. 22:8,14).

To Those who are Sad at Christmas

We know that for many, Christmas is a time of sadness or depression. Instead of resenting such people for spoiling our "Christmas mood," we need to pray for them and help them as best we can.

Still, I think Vanderbilt University professor Richard Percy is right when he observes that most people become depressed during the holidays because they are focusing on who/what they don't have. When they compare the cold reality with the picture of the ideal Christmas they have in their minds (from Christmases past, etc.), sadness comes.

Few of us will have a perfect Christmas in the sense of everything being just right. Someone we want might not be there. Something we want (good health, a job, prosperity, etc.) might not be there. Such loss and lack is genuinely hard.

The key is to follow the example of Jesus Himself and focus on others. Don't focus on who or what you don't have. Focus on the needs of others and strive to love them. Give yourself away to others this Christmas. Take the initiative, just as Christ took the initiative to help and save us. Brighten someone's Christmas with an invitation to dinner, a gift, a personal note, a phone call, a listening ear, or financial aid. Use your godly imagination! Do this and see if much of your sadness doesn't fade away.

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