LESSON 8

CHRISTMAS

Christmas can be a magical time, especially for children. I am still able to remember the wonder on Christmas morning, of seeing toys that had magically appeared over night brought by Santa Clause. At that early age I was too young to be consciously Christian. I just believed, like all children, in what I was told, whether it be in Jesus or in Santa Clause. I do not believe it was harmful to my later Christian profession to have once believed in Santa Clause. Children believe in all sorts of fantasies, whether it be Santa Clause or Cinderella. I really do not think it unChristian or harmful to allow children to believe in Santa Clause; neither do I fault those parents who have decided, out of their Christian beliefs, not to impose the Santa myth on their children.

However, what we do in church is another thing altogether. What an absolutely wonderful message Christians have to hold and to share at Christmas. The church should be ever mindful of the holy night of Jesus' birth. I find it ironic this Christmas season to see on the internet choirs breaking forth in singing the Hallelujah Chorus in public places. And then I read in a church bulletin where a church is going to have Santa Clause at its Christmas festivities. The irony is that the choirs, some secular, have taken the message of Christ into the market place while the churches have taken the market place (Santa) into worship.

I believe the commandment, "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain," applies here. Whatever the church does, whether in worship or in activity, it attaches the Lord's name to that particular activity or worship. It is God's house. And Jesus said, "My house shall be a house of prayer." With such a wonderful and holy message as that of Christ's birth to proclaim, why would the church opt to cloud and confuse the message with one of Santa Clause? I remember over thirty years ago when my wife and I belonged to Bellview Baptist Church while attending seminary in Memphis that Bellview (one of the largest and most prominent churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, pastored by Adrian Rogers) had one of the first singing Christmas trees. It was absolutely huge. And as we gathered for worship the first song the singing Christmas tree sang was "Winter Wonderland." Later the worship morphed into the more traditional religious songs of Christmas. But the message had been given: the church has two messages to bring--one secular and one holy.

The huge singing Christmas tree was a beautiful sight, impressive and awe-inspiring. But I can't help remember the admonition of a wonderfully dear professor of mine who reminded us young preacher boys that the Psalmist admonished us to worship in the "beauty of holiness," not the "holiness of beauty."

I'm not a Christmas Grinch. As I said before, Christmas can be a magical time for children and young children do not yet have the discernment to choose between the secular and the sacred. They believe it all. But when those children are brought into the house of God let them see the beauty, majesty and holiness of Christ's birth. As they grow older, they, like us, will understand that the message of Christmas as proclaimed by the church is a message that eclipses all others. And even though their days of belief in Santa Clause will have passed their days of believing and trusting in the Jesus in the manger will have emerged and grown. "Silent night; holy night . . . . Jesus, Lord at Thy birth."