Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, let me get to the heart of the matter. This is another truth that hit me hard as I was listening to some Christmas carols recently (I am getting beat up quite a bit this holiday season, but it's all good). We all have heard this one, right?
"You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry,
You'd better not pout, I'm tellin' you why,
Santa Claus is coming to town..."
So far, so good. I don't see any problems with a big, fat guy in a red suit coming to town for a visit...
"He sees you when you're sleeping;
He knows when you're awake.
He knows if you've been bad or good,
So be good for goodness' sake...."
Whoa. Let's hit the pause button for a second there. What kind of qualities are we attributing to this jolly, old fellow? I have listened to this carol for years, and I guess I never really grasped what we've turned the Santa Claus figure into...until now. It seriously disturbs me, especially when I start to hold it up to the light of God's Word. Now I can almost see the eyes starting to roll and to feel the indignation pouring through my computer screen as people read that last statement. What's wrong with Santa Claus? He's just a harmless little thing, and you're out to spoil it for all the little kids. I know, I know. I'm trampling on some supposedly sacred ground here. But is this belief in Santa Claus a truly harmless thing, especially for those who claim to believe in God?
Let's take a look at the first claim in this Christmas carol: "He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake..." Huh, that sounds pretty similar to what I read in Psalm 139:1-3: "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways." Now, did you catch that? Read it again s-l-o-w-l-y. This carol highlights some essential beliefs about Santa Claus that put him on equal footing with God. Think about that for a second or two. I don't know how Santa Claus feels about that, but I DO know how God feels.
"I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another."--Isaiah 42:8
In other words, God is not about to share the stage with anyone. Not even Mr. Claus.
While you mull over that, let's take a look at Santa's second claim to fame: "He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness' sake..." Again, this idea sounds familiar. Jeremiah 17:10--"I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." So here we have both Santa and God making a judgment on a person's behavior and rewarding him accordingly. I'm not really sure where Santa draws the line between good and bad. In the movie "A Christmas Story", the main character abandons his friend in an emergency, beats up a bully, curses, and lies to his mother (about where he learned the curse word). He wonders all along if he will be able to get the present he's requested. Christmas comes, and the present is there. Whew! He made the cut apparently. God's standard, on the other hand, is written out very precisely in the Bible. He doesn't leave us in any suspense about where we stand: we've ALL failed His good/bad test.
"As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.'"--Romans 3:10-12 and Psalms 14:1-3No wonder Santa is so popular.
Having said all this, I come back to my earlier question. Is believing in Santa Claus truly harmless? As believers is it something that we can teach kids and expect that they will outgrow or leave behind at a certain age? I don't think so. I read an article back in August that referenced the National Study of Youth and Religion. In the study teenagers who identified themselves as Christian had a hard time articulating their beliefs. Could this difficulty come from confusion between Santa Claus and God? I don't know for sure, and I'm not sure that the study even goes there. It does make me wonder if there isn't a connection, though. The Bible is very clear about not mixing other stuff in with God. In the spirit of Hebrews 3:13, I encourage my fellow believers in the body of Christ to seriously consider this issue and seek the Lord about it.
"Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,..."--Joshua 24:14, 15a
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