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I'd like to ask you a question that goes to the heart of the Christmas
festivities. Why is it that Santa is at the center of our Christmas
celebration? Why do we tell the story of Old St Nick coming down the chimney
bringing everyone presents right alongside the birth of Jesus? I ask myself
this question at this time every year.
We might start with - a factual story about how a real man in what is now
Turkey became known as St Nick, and eventually became associated with a
custom of gift-giving in the winter. But that's a little bit boring unless
you're a history buff, so disregard that. Instead, I'd like you to go with
your emotions for a minute. In the darkness of midwinter we are reaching for
something or someone to light up the world. If a poll were taken among
adults asking who, what historical person, has manifest love most purely -
who has been the most perfect human being- for an enormously high percentage
of people in our culture, Jesus would be the answer- and so we celebrate his
birth and his life as hope and inspiration for ours.
But ask kids what a perfect adult would be like and imagine their answer...
The Perfect One wouldn't interfere with them too much - just show up once in
a while bearing gifts. He'd like food, probably the kind that's not good
for you - so they'd take him to be a big guy who likes cookies. He wouldn't
be ordinary - he'd be fantastic - he'd fly through the air, whistle, have
elves - he'd be jolly - you get the idea. And if being good was required
he'd reward them with presents. Does Santa live? Yes. Not at all times in
all places - but you and I both know Santa lives. And he's coming.
Am I going too far in saying that Jesus, Santa, they are like a mature and
immature version of the same thing..
Moments ago Ed Priest treated us to his wonderful rendition of 'Twas The
Night Before Christmas which announces the coming of the immature version of
the Perfect One.
Santa is alive and well because we have learned to incarnate him, make him
real here on this earth, and we accept the assignment. Our whole culture
puts a lot of effort and time and a whole lot of money into making this
story come alive.
Let us now, as part of the homily, I'd like us raise our voices to sing a
more mature version of a story that welcomes the Perfect One Please, if
you would, turn your hymnals to p. 239..... Let us sing together, with
feeling - "Go Tell It on The Mountain."
After the song...
At Christmas when we prepare for the coming of Santa, we know he's our
responsibility. He lives because we have learned to incarnate him. What we
get when Santa comes to town, is one glorious day that is usually writ
pretty large with generosity and kindness throughout the world that
celebrates this holiday.
But to learn to incarnate Jesus, to accept responsibility to become more
like him day by day - that's a different challenge because the giving is not
material, it is of ourselves and the assignment requires transformation.
The story of Christmas is so bittersweet because Jesus was born in a stable,
because he was turned away from the inn, and because he was killed. Because
we can't seem to play the part we are supposed to play, because our
transformation to live out of the kind of love he taught doesn't go deep
enough, the reenactment isn't quite as bright as we want it to be, and so we
sweeten the story with Santa.
We prepare for Christmas mainly Santa's way right now. We share our love in
the ways that we can and the ways we know how. But our opportunities to do
better are endless, because the children, the poor and the dispossessed are
always with us. This magnificent story that is writ large across our
culture extols us to prepare them room. Let us keep returning this story of
the birth of a dispossessed child in a manger. In telling and retelling this
story we are urging ourselves to grow in love and kindness to one another.
Let us listen to it, let us sing its songs, let us keep striving to get our
part right, which is what the telling is all about.
Santa and Jesus both live within our poetry and imagination. Santa will come
virtually alive as we incarnate him for just one night. But the hope and the
promise that comes with the story of Jesus is that if we were to make room
in our hearts for a more perfect love and allow ourselves to be transformed
by it --- were that moment to come, there would be peace on earth and good
will toward all and the stars would shine bright in the heavens. O how
lovely is the evening that would be.
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