This year many of you will celebrate Christmas with your host families. The Christmas season is a joyous time when schools close, houses are brightly decorated, and families gather together. Christmas is also the time when we hear folk stories of Santa Claus appearing from his home at the North Pole to bring gifts to all children of the world on the night of December 24. Christmas songs tell us the big, jolly man with white beard and 9 reindeer (including Rudolph, with the red shining nose) knows when we are sleeping, and when we are awake, so we better be good or he will put our name on the Naughty List. If your name goes on this list, there will be no presents for you….only black coal for Christmas.
Santa Claus is all about needing to be better, or work harder to prove yourself to be a really good little boy or girl to get the best present. But the sad thing about this story is that no one knows if they are ever really “good enough” to make Santa’s good list. Many children go to bed the night before Christmas hoping they are just good enough to get an Xbox when they wake up, or if they were like me, a real live pony (which I never got!).
There is a better story about Christmas.
The true Gift-giver is God. For God so loved the whole world, He gave His only son, Jesus so that whosoever believes in Him would not die, but have the gift of eternal life.
Whereas Santa Claus says, “Earn the gift.”
God says, “Receive my gift.”
Santa says, “If you’re good, you’ll get my love.”
God says, “Only my love can make you good.”
Santa makes a list and warns, “I’ll be checking it twice” to see if you’re still good.
But God did away with the list of requirements by sending his Son to die for our wrongs, and said, “It is finished.”
Children sing about Santa “to be good for goodness’ sake!” But because of God, we can say Jesus was good for our sake.
By living the perfect life we couldn’t live, and dying the death we deserve to die, Jesus gives us wrong-doers, who are on the naughty list, the gift of God’s love.
This Christmas, while enjoying hot chocolate, decorating cookies, and playing in the snow, take time to think about the free gift of everlasting life that is being offered to you.
Sincerely,
Tiffanee M. Wright, MA, MPH | Executive Director
AHLI – International Education and Homestay
(adapted from 3 Tips for sharing Jesus with others this Christmas; Adam Ramsey, 11/22/2017)
