Santa Claus or Jesus Christ?
December 23rd, 2009 by 
chesedkel
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:10,11
O come this Christmas season
To celebrate, there must be a reason.
Many are the tales of a storyteller,
But what’s the reason for Christmas, I wonder.
We sing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer;
What’s about him that we hold so dear?
Hear about Frosty the snowman;
But where’s he where Sunny greets the land?
We hear of elves filled with such glee,
Whether work or play they danced in gaiety.
Not to forget Santa Claus,
In whom are so many promises of presents
That we kids are lost.
What of the glorious light from the heavens
When mighty angels greeted lowly shepherds?
And oriental wise men from whom we heard
Proclaiming Jesus Christ the newborn king?
Now, what a very strange thing:
Jesus and Santa on the day of Christmas; were they of one kin?
For most of my childhood years, I had believed that Christmas meant an annual phenomenal festival when Santa Claus flew all over the world on his magical sleigh, delivering toys to well-behaved children. I imagined him falling down a chimney to be greeted by a nice treat of cookies and a glass of milk. However, no one had a personal encounter with this jolly old man. So maybe Santa Claus was an invisible god of Christmas who sits on his great frosty throne in the north pole, hears the wishes of good kids and blesses them with gifts that appeared out of nowhere. But no matter how hard I wished, that did not happen too. So I snapped out of that fantasy dream and dismissed Santa Claus and all his related kin and creatures as a fairy tale (though such a tale had taught us well on the spirit of giving).
When I learnt why Christians celebrated Christmas, I thought, “Alas, this is finally making sense!”
Although Christmas was not the actual day of Jesus’ birth according to the Hebrew calendar, we capitalize on this festive season to tell of His birth here on earth as God-in-flesh, the servant king. Christmas becomes the time when all of us are reminded that Jesus was born to restore the relationship between God and Man, to care for the lowly, to heal the sick and the crippled. This is the greatest gift that God has for us; it lasts for eternity for those who receive Him whole-heartedly, unlike the material gifts that Santa Claus gives, which can perhaps only spark a child’s interest for but a little while.
It is a real pity for people who have not received this gift that the story of the birth of Jesus is being contested by stories of flying reindeers, Santa, elves, and so on, which are all not real. It is also ironic that on such a carefree holiday, people are busy getting gifts to give away like Santa Claus does. (By now you’ve probably sensed how skeptical I am of Santa. Well, it’s probably the bout of cold as I am writing this. No hard feelings towards the children’s all-time favourite Christmas character, whatsoever.) I really wonder what kind of Christmas songs matters more and brings more meaning to people: ‘Come All Ye Faithful’ or ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’?
I personally testify that it makes more sense – and definitely feels much better – to celebrate Christmas because of Jesus rather than Santa. It is better to choose God’s ways than the world. There is such freedom and great joy released into our spirits when we worship Jesus with Christmas songs that point to Him. There is such a great peace for us when we offer Him our adoration. And there is such great meaning and power for our lives when we live for that which is real – the one true God, Jesus Christ.
Because Jesus is the real deal of Christmas, let us clear away the clutter of what is not real, so that we can see His glorious majesty with more clarity! O Come, let us adore Him!
Posted in Devotions | 
No Comments »