Yes, Virginia, there is someone better than a Santa Claus
Category: Faith...
Posted Sunday, December 19, 2004 at 03:29 PM [GMT-6]

[Updated 12/21/04]

An open letter, with a nod to Francis P. Church:

Virginia, when you were eight years old, you asked whether there really was a Santa Claus, and were assured by a caring person that, yes indeed, the old fellow does exist and will continue to do so, making glad the heart of childhood.

But now you're a bit older and you've heard that some people are questioning the very name of Christmas, wanting to re-write it to remove the mention of someone or something called "Christ," and you've got your own questions. After all, as long as we have Santa Claus, isn't that enough?

Virginia, those people are wrong. They've been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they can see.

Yes, Virginia, there is someone better – much better, in fact – than Santa Claus. Please allow me to explain.

His name is Jesus, and he is referred to by many as Jesus Christ. Yes, that's right, Virginia; the very name of Christmas wouldn't exist were it not for Jesus. But he is so much more than Santa Claus; much more than simply someone whose title is the basis for a holiday.

You know that Santa Claus also goes by the name of Saint Nicholas. "Saint" is a word that means holy or set apart. Jesus was proclaimed holy and set apart before the very foundations of the earth were laid.

Santa has a list of the names of every boy and girl on earth and he knows whether they've been naughty or nice; only those who have been nice get gifts from him. Jesus knows every one of us, too; in fact, he knows the exact number of the hairs on each of our heads. He also knows that none of us has been nice...he knows very well how bad we are, and yet – wonder of wonders! – he still offers a free gift of unsurpassed value to any of us who will accept it. And he doesn't just keep a list; lists can be misplaced or torn or smudged. No, Virginia, Jesus has a Book in which all the names of all the people who have accepted his free gift are written and those names will never be erased!

Whenever you see a picture of Santa Claus, he's dressed from head to toe in a beautiful red suit. Jesus wears a robe of brilliant white, but there was a time when he, too, was covered in red. It was his own blood, shed on behalf of sinful men and women everywhere, at every time. It's hard to imagine, isn't it, that this terrible crimson outpouring could, in fact, wash us white as snow.

I'm sure, Virginia, that your parents give you milk and cookies to put out for Santa Claus each Christmas Eve. We don't have to provide drink and food for Jesus, because he is the Living Water and the Bread of Life.

Santa travels around the world in a wonderful sleigh pulled by eight reindeer, who obey his every command. Jesus, however, owns the cattle on a thousand hills. In fact, he created those cattle, and the reindeer and every other animal, and all creation obeys his command.

Virginia, have you written your letter to Santa Claus this year? We must rely on pen and ink and someone to deliver our letters in order to communicate with Santa, and as far as I know, he never writes back. And, sometimes we wonder if he read or even received our letters. There are no such barriers to our ability to communicate with Jesus. We can talk to him at anytime and in any place...and he always answers!

Santa Claus' most amazing feat is that he can visit every home in the world on Christmas Eve and leave gifts for the good little boys and girls. We understand that those gifts were created especially by Santa and his elfin helpers, and even though they are expertly crafted, they eventually break or rust or lose their sparkle. Jesus, on the other hand, created both time and space and is not bound by either. He is everywhere, all the time, and the gift that he offers is available at any time during our lives, not just when we awake on Christmas Day. What's more, his gift never fades or loses its power; it lasts for an eternity, and each second we have it is more glorious than the previous one!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, if you want him to exist, and characters like him and hobbits and talking sponges are wonderful folks who serve our imaginations well.

On the other hand, Jesus Christ – the Reason for the Season – is truly alive today, just as he was before the beginning of time, and there's no need to try to invent or imagine him or someone like him.

No Christ in Christmas? Thank God he lives and lives forever, regardless how skeptical men may try to obliterate all references to him. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make holy the hearts of sinful men, and they will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

Merry Christmas!