The teenage granddaughter of a trader at our daughters’ farmers’ market asked would I play Santa on the last Saturday before Christmas Day.
Thoughtlessly, I agreed.
The following weekend with my wife and daughters on a Christmas shopping spree, one of the girls purchased a Santa outfit.
Later, during the early hours of the morning I awoke and reflected on what I was going to do.
What am I doing?
I have been a convinced Christian for 42 years and the spiritual significance of Christmas Day is deep and meaningful to me.
What sort of witness would this be to: myself, my wife, daughters, granddaughters, general public and the market traders themselves some of whom know of my Christian position?
What if I bumped into…
How would I feel if I bumped into Jesus in the crowd? If He looked at me with sadness in His eyes and palms held upwards, what would I do?
Whilst that probably won’t happen, He will be watching me.
What He did
After what God the Father did for me by giving Jesus to the world and in view of what Jesus endured for me, how could I actively distract people from the crowning event of God physically entering world history that first Christmas day?
Apart from His stupendous display of wisdom and power at creation, the following defining events of world history are recorded thus:-
1…God so loved the world that He ‘gave’ His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John chapter 3 verse 16);
2…Jesus’ self-sacrifice for us that first Easter Friday - My God, My God…why have You forsaken Me? (Matthew chapter 27 verse 46 - quoting Psalm 22 verse 1).
As He excruciatingly hung there tortured by cramps:-
When Jesus saw His mother there and the disciple He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother ‘Dear woman here is your son’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother’. From that time on the disciple took her into his home and cared for her. (John chapter 19 verse s 26/27).
Even at death’s door Jesus lovingly provided for the physical and emotional care of His mother.
3…The angelic pronouncement of His resurrection: He is not here; He has risen. (Luke chapter 24 verse 6) which results in: bringing many sons to glory (Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10) on the basis of the power of an indestructible life (Hebrews chapter 7 verse 16).
Much more should be said about each of these momentous events and here I was going to participate in the Godless nonsense of Santa, and that as its chief actor.
A mother’s love
The angel Gabriel had told the “greatly troubled” young Mary: the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke chapter 1 verse 35).
Regarding # 1 above it has been asked: how can the supernatural virgin conception of Jesus be believed?
The answer lies in the reaction of a heart-broken grief-stricken loving mother
from near the cross 33 years later, as Mary watched her precious Son be mercilessly tortured and executed.
She did not scream in protest: ‘Don’t do this. He wasn’t miraculously conceived. There was a human father. Let Him go’.
NO.
Her harrowing reaction to the unspeakable injustice she was witnessing was silent horror and inconsolable grief. Why?
Because she knew He was the Son of God conceived in her by God Himself as the angel Gabriel had foretold, without the involvement of a human father. These brutal men were executing the Son of God.
Even Mary had to
And even Mary had to kneel at Jesus’ cross for forgiveness and acceptance. She too had to be born again.
No-one can enter the kingdom of God unless s/he is born of…the Spirit…the Spirit gives birth to spirit. (John chapter 3 verses 5/6).
What to do
I felt trapped by my own thoughtlessness and disloyalty. Now my daughter had even arranged for a fire brigade truck to bring me to the market.
But don’t many young Christian parents perpetuate the tale of Santa to their children? Hadn’t we done exactly that with our young children? Wasn’t I being over dramatic by ‘bangin on’ about this? Was it that big a deal?
Well…spiritually ‘yes’ to me it was that big a deal but how could I stay true to my Saviour yet get out of this without possibly causing an adverse reaction within my own family?
I came to an uncomfortable conclusion I felt I couldn’t avoid. I would have to go through with it…this once.
A painful lament
Tragically, we live in a firmly embedded post-Christian age. Irrelevant Christianity, rejection of objective truth, no spiritual dimension or meaning to life, a sense of futureless hopelessness: heathen Australia) wherein the Biblical message is almost completely swamped:-
1)…the creation account by the evolutionist mindset;
2)…Christ-mas by Santa Claus;
3)…Easter by the easter bunny and chocolate eggs; and
4)…the evermore popular satanic Halloween’s strong emphasis on the occult.
Society deteriorates as God is increasingly ignored. Don’t believe in anything? Believe anything.
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…although they knew God, they [did not] give thanks to Him but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans chapter 1 verses 18 & 21).
But liberatingly, the risen Jesus still says today: I am ‘with you always’ to the very end of time. (Matthew chapter 28 verse 20).
Gavin Lawrie is a retired Barrister and Solicitor from Tweed Heads NSW Australia and author of the book: 'THE EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION: Uncovering The Faulty Science Of Dawkins' Attack On Creationism'. He is married to Jan with two adult children and they are grandparents.
Gavin Lawrie's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/gavin-lawrie.html