The truth is, Virginia, Santa is a myth (Why Santa Claus is not a part of my family's celebration of Christmas)

Dear Editor--I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, 'If you see it in The Sun, it's so.'
Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety-fifth Street

In preparing to write this Blog, I re-read the classic "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus" editorial from the September 21st, 1897 New York Sun, written by Francis P. Church. I confess to there being some good things in Mr. Church's response to Virginia. He at least makes mention of the realities of unseen reality, which was an excellent counter to the creeping rationalism of the coming 20th century. Perhaps we still need a reminder of those same unseen truths. Perhaps. However, when my children ask, "Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?" I have to tell the truth. I have always told my children ... no, there isn't. He is a myth and a legend. On the other hand, there is a God heaven from whom comes every good and perfect gift; a God who is a father to us all; a God in whom there is no change, no turning shadow; a God who sent His Son as man to redeem a depraved race. Rather than delighting in a mythical man in a red suit ? delight in this God; the major difference between the two being that one is real and the other is not real.

In fact, I warn my children that idolatry is dishonoring to our God and defamation to His name ... and it's all too easy for a jolly man sliding down the chimney on Christmas Eve to become such.

C.H. Spurgeon defined idolatry like this:

"The essence of idolatry is this-to love anything better than God, to trust anything more than God, to wish to have a God other than we have, or to have some signs and wonders by which we may see him, some outward symbol or manifestation that can be seen with the eye or heard with the ear rather than to rest in an invisible God and believe the faithful promise of Him whom eye hath not seen nor ear heard."

I fear to teach my children to bow down to another master (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). I fear that this being might become a god; or at minimum a false representation of something that takes the place of the only God they should ever bow to.

Now, I say all of this knowing that I will be labeled as a Christmas kill-joy and that I am spoiling all of the yuletide fun. However, I will give you several reasons why the Anderson family has chosen to celebrate Christmas without Santa Claus and why it would be my wish that others in the church of Jesus Christ would follow suit.

1. The attributes of Santa-God.
I understand that most people of healthy mind and emotion are not going to confuse the mythical Santa with God himself. That being said, I find it disturbing that he is given attributes that God alone can possess. The line "He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake; he knows when you've been bad or good?" I personally find troubling. This makes our mythical Santa-creature all too God-like. He is an omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (everywhere present), omnipotent (all powerful) being who is able to grab all your deepest desires out of his magical sack. To top it all off, Santa has a moral standard that needs to be kept in order for him to appear. Of course, I have never known a person in all the history of consumer-driven American Christmas who has NOT kept the standard; but more on that in a moment.

2. Truth or Lies?
Personally, my largest issue with the celebration of Santa Claus as an integral part of our Christmas celebration is that fact that it does indeed require parents to lie to their children. My question, therefore, is: what do we teach our children by promoting a lie? I am not going to say that God will ultimately be displaced by Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. (Although, I think it is a real possibility.) However, I wonder what this will ultimately do for our children's faith? When Virginia asked for the truth, she was fed a lie and asked to believe it. Call me a cynic, but I have issues with that.

3. The Santa Standard
In my mind, Santa provides Christian families with a real theological anomaly. If the requirement for presents is to "be good" - name one child who has ever actually been 'bad' enough to not receive presents? The concept of Santa promotes an incredibly weak and arbitrary standard at best; universalism at worst. I don't believe these are healthy ideas to promote to our children. Santa grades on a curve (and a very generous curve, at that). God's standards stand; eternally. He offers a gift that can not be earned. The Santa ethic confuses this.

4. A Total Eclipse of the Son
The noise and the turmoil of Santa Claus will absolutely smother the quiet power of the manger and the cross to the mind and heart. When Santa is elevated, I believe Christ is demeaned. It becomes very difficult to direct our family's attention to Jesus when the children are waiting for Reindeer to hit the roof and presents to come down the chimney. I fear to exalt myth over the reality. Christ is central to everything ... and Christmas is an unusual opportunity to intentionally exalt Christ with my children. I don't want to ruin that by putting something else in front of them that will consume their affections. The affections of my children are too important and I do not wish to play around with them like that.

Wait just one cotton-picking minute, Mr. Scrooge ...
(The arguments I am hearing as I write)

My Family did Santa and I still believe in God!
I will be the first to admit it: I believed in Santa Claus. I mean ... I really believed. It was rather disappointing for me to find out that he didn't actually exist. As far as I know, no great psychological damage was done because my parents allowed me to believe in Santa. I now believe there are better ways to intentionally exalt Christ with our families. The argument of 'my parents did it and I'm okay' doesn't hold much water for me. My wife's grandfather smoked for 50 years and didn't die of lung cancer. That doesn't logically make it safe for me to smoke. There's a better way.

But it's like a fairy tale...
If Santa were treated in our culture and in our families as a fairy tale, I wouldn't take issue. The problem is that in the majority of cases, he is not a fairy tale. He is real. Many (if not most) who 'do Santa' are asking their children to believe a lie. He is presented, most often, as truth. While, as parents, we may be reflecting on Santa with sentiment, the bottom line is that we believed a lie and that we're asking our children to believe the same.

Don't get me wrong ... I am the first defender of the value of fairy tale and legend. My family just saw "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". It is a fantastic fairy tale; a great fictional story. My wife and I loved it. My children loved it. "Father Christmas" was even involved with the story. The main difference being that none of us were asked to believe in a literal 'Santa' or a real 'Aslan'. Let fairy tales be just that: make-believe stories that are mere pictures and illustrations of what is real; unseen fantasy that points to unseen reality. Don't ask your children to 'believe' in something that will ultimately disappoint. Ask them to believe in the One Ultimate Reality that will satisfy the heart.

Santa: A Tutorial in Giving?
Some argue that Santa teaches giving. I personally don't buy that. Milk and cookies, coupled with some lightly sanitized behavior, in exchange for goods in a sock or under a tree doesn't really teach giving. In fact, I would argue that it teaches the opposite: greed. Santa's bottomless bag is not about how I can give to others; it's about what he can give me. Santa will not be my children's tutor in conditional gifts ("you better watch out?"). Christ is our 'unspeakable gift'. This is who they shall know, love and learn from.

For these reasons, Santa Claus is not a part of the Christmas celebration at the Anderson home.

So what's a family to do?
I think every believing family needs to be intentional in that "whatever you do, whether you eat or whether you drink, do all for the Glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31). This must apply to holiday celebrations. Please don't misunderstand. I am not saying for a minute (as some do say) that we should not celebrate Christmas. In fact, I would say the opposite. Celebrate. We should celebrate with more exuberance and joy than anyone living in our consumer-driven, Santa Claus loving world; the difference being that our celebration should be of Immanuel; not ourselves.

For those who include Santa Claus as a part of your familial Advent celebration, I only ask that you ask: "why"? What is our desired outcome as a family? Is he more real than Jesus to your children?

I am not writing this to be a kill-joy (honest). I am writing this that you might think. I am writing this that you will seek to glorify God in every area of your family life. If you desire to have a mere 'Happy Holiday" - I suppose all of the Santa-stuff will not do too much harm. However, if you do desire that your family come to know the true cosmic realities of the manger and the cross, that I ask you to prayerfully and thoughtfully consider how you 'do' your Advent celebration. Leverage this holiday for the most glory for God and the most joy for your family. It's worth the work. It's worth being thought as strange. It's worth another look.

It's worth saying, "No Virginia, Santa is not real. However, there is One who is real; who is alive; who is worth celebrating and looking to and trusting in; and who will give the greatest joy because He is Eternal Joy. Believe in Him with all of your heart and thought and affection."

Closed for raucous around the Holiday Tree (and How I have become a Traditionalist)

I am writing this as a public service announcement (sort of):

Faith Community Church will hold a public worship service on December 25th at 10:30 AM.

If anyone is reading this (and I mean if anyone is reading this) who is a part of one of those churches who felt the need to shut their doors on Sunday, December 25th because that happens to be Christmas day, please understand that this is not personal. I am not writing this to flame big churches. Some of my dearest colleagues in ministry are on staff in large churches. My intent is not to be critical with a spirit of criticism. However, I do believe canceling corporate worship on Sunday for the reasons that I am hearing is a bad idea. Frankly, I was surprised to read about the number of churches that are doing this. So to be clear: We're meeting. It will be scaled back and the attendance will be low. However, I believe that it will be truthful and meaningful. If your church is closed on Sunday, you're welcome to join us.

Here are the reasons why we will not be closing. Take them for what they're worth.

1. Corporate Sunday Worship is a significant tradition.
Yes, I said tradition - and frankly, it concerns me when this tradition is taken so lightly. (There you have it. I can no longer be pigeon-holed as a 'non-traditional' pastor.) Granted, we will not be having Sunday School. Our service will be scaled down, and the fact that many will be out of town and that our volunteer staff will be low remains true. It will probably be a shorter service than usual. None of this changes the reality of Sunday's corporate gathering as a highly valued aspect of our weekly rhythm of communion and community. There may be lower attendance. I am not terribly concerned with that. The church has been worshipping together on Sundays longer than the church has been involved with the Advent celebration. It seems that the older tradition should get precedence.

2. Not having a Sunday corporate worship service because of a holiday is a 2005 phenomenon.
Perhaps my views here are colored by the fact that I am in the throes of completing a course on Ancient and Medieval church history. But the fact is that in the 1600 years in which the church has celebrated Advent on December 25th, it would have fallen on a Sunday approximately 228 times. I don't think there has ever been a time that anyone would have considered not meeting for regular Sunday worship services because of Advent. I would also venture to say that this is not only a modern option for the Christian church, I would guess it's also an exclusively American option. I somehow don't think that our brothers and sisters in China and in the Sudan will put off meeting on Sunday because it happens to fall on December 25th. My guess is that our brethren in these places would think us strange.

3. Canceling corporate worship for the convenience of Christmas morning raucous around the Christmas tree caters to (rather than fights against) the worldly tendencies of the season.
Again, I realize that I am going to come across as a legalistic-stick-in-the-mud. However (here comes the stick), canceling corporate worship because it is inconvenient to some worshippers strikes me as being an over-the-top caving in to American consumerism. While I wouldn't want to make corporate worship intentionally inconvenient (let's hold worship services on Monday mornings at 10:00 - that would be a fantastically inconvenient time ...) Worship that is determined entirely on convenience is being driven by the wrong things. If we allow our children to think that Christmas morning is, indeed, mere raucous around the Christmas tree the lesson must be more than the simplistic Charlie Brown morals of the commercialization of Christmas. I don't see how this can't lead to a tendency toward a worldly heart; that is - a heart that loves the world and the things (key word) of the world more than it loves Jesus. That's serious. Canceling corporate worship on December 25th only accentuates this.

4. Should we abandon the practice of meeting on Sunday because we can't pull off the "Sunday Morning Production"?
I pose this question as a pastor of a small church who doesn't understand what would be wrong with gathering with a small group of people (children and babies and everything) for a scaled-down, intimate worship service that consists of the singing of a few hymns with an acoustic guitar and Biblical meditation on the incarnation. I realize that many of the large churches canceling services are doing so because of staffing issues and, while I am not writing this to flame my brothers working in large churches, I do challenge that notion. Have we lost perspective on the realities of worship to the point that we can't worship together without putting on a production that's on the scale of a Rolling Stones concert? I personally believe that the priority of the gathering of the saints takes precedence over the production of a service. Therefore, canceling because of staffing seems a small thing, because a lot can be done with less. I know this, because it happens in my church every week. My plea to my brothers in large churches: scale down and contextualize. Don't cancel.

5. We need to be careful that we are not bowing to the family idol.
Many services are being canceled on December 25th so that people can spend time with family. I question the legitimacy of that way of thinking for two reasons. First, the implication is that 'family time' and corporate worship are two separate activities in our lives and are not compatible with each other. I personally reject that notion. It is my conviction that corporate worship must be a part of the rhythm of the Christian's family life. Sinful neglect of the practice of corporate worship will ultimately be a detriment to family life. It is a constant battle to keep this perspective. I do not believe tossing the Christmas morning service is going to help the family cause in the long run. Secondly, I believe that we too easily forget those who are without immediate family - a reality that is only amplified during the holiday season. While families are indulging in presents and Santa Claus there are many who are alone. Single adults and 'empty nesters' and those who are alone for whatever reason may find the solace of the gathering of their local church to be deep consolation and encouragement. The entire program does not have to (nor should it) be catered to the suburban American family demographic. I believe 'family' tends to be the predominate idol in the church (an idol being defined as anything which draws our affections away from God). Canceling Sunday services because it might inconvenience the family seems to be another way the church is bowing down to the idol.

6. Irreligious people tend to actually seek out a church to attend twice a year.
It seems strange to me that we close our doors on the one day of two when many non-attenders actually show up. Not only does it seem like a lost opportunity, it really doesn't make any sense. Should we close on Easter, as well? It's always on Sunday and this would give staff and volunteers a day off to spend with their families. Perhaps on Palm Sunday we can pass out Resurrection DVD's for families to show after the Easter Egg hunt and the ham? That way we can shut down on both Sundays when unbelievers tend to come to church and we can all stay home and not feel guilty about it.

Something in this logic doesn't sit right with me.

7. The church lends to the further secularization of the holiday by taking herself out of the picture.
This may not matter to some. There are some who would just assume that Christmas be a mere 'holiday'. (An aside: The irony of 'Happy Holidays' is the fact that the word 'holiday' is merely the coming together of the two words "Holy Day". Substituting "Happy Holidays" still doesn't take out the religious connotations of the season that our secular society would so love to eliminate.) I believe that the churches who have closed their doors on Christmas Sunday have effectively taken themselves out of this discussion. From my perspective, those pastors who have canceled Sunday worship services for the sake of convenience need to leave Home Depot and Target alone and let them have happy holy days. The irony is that many of these places adjust their hours on Sundays (a small few businesses close altogether) so that people can attend corporate worship.

Some may take great comfort in knowing that while some churches may be closed on Christmas Sunday, most Walgreen's will be open.

Happy Holidays.

An Open Letter to the Men of FCC

My Brothers in Christ,

In lieu of a report from the pastor or a report from the elders which gives a personal and corporate run down of 2005 events, I have decided to issue a personal invitation to join with me in learning how to be a better shepherd leader in your home, in the community and in the church. I am inviting every man in our church to join me on this journey. Please count this letter as your personal invitation to be a part.

If FCC is to survive for the long haul, we must have leadership that is capable of shepherding the flock of God in a loving, Biblical and wise manner. This means that we need men who are able to study and teach the Bible; men who are able to pray; men who are filled with the Spirit; men who are able to lead their families; men who are able to show practical love and service for the body; and men who are able to fill in what is missing and fix what is broken in the church.

I have been thinking about a 'teacher's class' for some time. However, it is clear to me that we need more than a 'teacher's class'. The need is too great for something so narrowly defined. We need something stronger and weightier. We need something more along the line of a shepherd's fraternity than another class. I am proposing the following as a way to raise up strong, Godly shepherds at FCC:

An ordered, systematic, yet spontaneous, 26 week (and beyond) track designed to equip shepherds in prayer, the word and service.

1. Commitment from a group of men
This is open to any man at FCC who wants to learn how to be a better leader. Not every one who goes through this will end up an FCC Elder or leader. However, every one who goes through this will be a better leader in his home, church and community. This will require more than the standard 'Bible Study' commitment. There will be higher expectation and accountability in this group. While it is open to all, it may be a 'fit' to only a few.

2. The Weekly Meeting
We will meet once weekly, with a choice of two possible meeting times: Saturday morning's from 6:00 AM to 8:00 and Tuesday Evenings from 9:00 - 11:00. Saturday and Tuesday will run on a parallel tack. There will be definite 'start' and 'finish' time. This will be reasonably structured and might look something like this:

- Bible Study and Bible study methods
- Interaction of current ministry issues in the church
- Study and interaction over the following books:
a. Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch
b. Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
c. If I am to Lead by D.E. Hoste
d. Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work by Eugene Peterson
- Prayer (at least 30 minutes each week


3. Daily Disciplines
In order to be prepared for the weekly meeting, each participant will need to have spent time during the week in Bible Study, reading material and prayer. This will not be optional. (Point: We have to figure out a way to budget our time and our lives in order to live walk and be in the spiritual realm. We will help each other to do this. Therefore the "outside of the meeting' 'stuff' will be just as important as the meeting itself.)

4. Ministry Practicum
Based on Jesus' rabbinical model of discipleship, I intend to take one or more individuals from this group of men with me in practical ministry whenever it is possible. i.e., I will very rarely ever go on a call or go through a counseling session or visit in the neighborhood or visit the hospital, etc. alone. I will make it a point to have someone from the Shepherd's group with me at all times during active person-to-person ministry. As we walk together, I will turn over ministry duties as appropriate.

The ministry practicum may also include other areas of service in the church. However, all ministry should be community driven; meaning that while ministry accountability will be to FCC leadership, there will be personal accountability in ministry within the shepherding group.

5. Other areas that will/may be considered
- Family shepherding
- How to articulate theological truth
- Time management
- Dealing with personal sin
- How to practically love people
- Listening skills
- Expression through speech and writing
- Living for one purpose, boasting one passion (The Gospel and the Cross)
- Prayer issues
- Church issues (membership, etc.)
- Spiritual warfare
- Being filled with the Spirit
- Handling sticky theological issues in the church

It is my hope and prayer that the men of our church will be prepared to serve on several levels after walking together through this time of class, mentoring and practical equipping.

I want to ask you to prayerfully consider being a part. I have read recently about an early group of Franciscan monks who called themselves "The Order of the Lesser Brothers". Reading about these strong, selfless, Kingdom-minded monks inspired my imagination and my hopes for our church. No worries, I don't expect results of chubby little friars in course-wool robes. However, God wants our hearts. Therefore, I pray this will affect your heart and my heart to this end: that we encourage and strengthen one another, in order to lead with grace and humility and strength in service.

Will you consider joining me? We will have preliminary meetings on January 8th (6:00-8:00 AM) and on January 10th (9:00-11:00 AM) and consider this a personal invitation to be come and take part.

Please feel free to connect with me if you have any questions.

For His Renown,

Bernie