Christians Should Kill Santa

The Bible tells us to train up our children in the way they should go, and to instruct them, and to tell them what to believe and what not to believe. We see this in a text like Dt 6-7 which shows us that biblical parenting means having lots of conversations about God with our children. In these conversations we rehearse His character, His ways, His acts and His commands. We also show the connections between Him and all of life. Or consider the Proverbs, which are largely one-sided instructional talks between parents and children. And of course there is Ep 6 which commands us to raise our children in a particular way under particular recognized realities. One thing central to each of these texts is Truth. We can't parent well and therefore do our children good apart from our own understanding of what is, and is not, true. So we should kill Santa, because any other act falls short of the Truth.

Not only do countless Christian parents continue to lie to their children about the source of Christmas gifts, they do it by ascribing God-like powers to an effeminate fat man with an affinity for reindeer. They tell their precious and gullible little ones, who should be receiving sound instruction, that there is an eternal man who "sees them when they're sleeping and knows when they're awake; who knows if they've been bad or good," etc. Really? Is this a notion that honors God as the giver of all good things, and His Son on the day we celebrate His birth, and the Holy Spirit as the One at work in that divine conception? Of course not. Instead, it honors the devil, whom Jesus calls "the father of lies". And it helps the devil; for certainly he delights to distract the youngest souls from Immanuel via false meanings ascribed to the Christmas holiday (holy day) set aside in honor of the Son.

Many parents say they can do both, teach Christ and have fun with Santa. All the while the Bible is asking, "What harmony has Christ with Belial?" (2 Co 6:15) And I am asking why those who do hold out this idol to their children believe themselves obligated to do so. Why is Santa so treasured and his lack of existence so guarded? Why are the parents disappointed when their little ones finally become unbelievers in regard to this fantasy? This is truly upside down. Satan must be so pleased.

As bad, and as wrong, and as damaging, is the teaching that this eternal gift giver does us good by rewarding us strictly according to our works. The Santa of Christmas is a Pharisee, while the Christ of Christmas is a Savior who gives according to grace, meaning without regard to our works. Now, God will one day reward us according to our works. But that reward will be permeated with grace. For if He were to give strictly according to our deeds, attitudes, intentions, and motives, then we would all be without reward. For there is no purely good work except His own work.

A week before Christmas we had guests in our home. One of them, assuming we preach Santa, asked my five year old who was coming to visit her the following week (meaning Mr Kringle). Her answer was, "Grandpa and Grandma". Oh how I loved that moment, when I heard truth reign in my daughter. May it reign in all of us, and in our children.

Chistmas Is About Curse

"He comes to make His blessings flow 

far as the curse is found."  

From the hymn "Joy to the World" by Isaac Watts

On this Christmas morning 2013, more than ever I want to understand, and have my family understand, all that the Father was doing when He sent the Son by the Holy Spirit. (Redemption is a Trinitarian enterprise). And one of those things was reversing His curse ("Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us -- for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'" - Ga 3:13). One day He will finish what He has begun ("Then He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God, and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads" - Re 22:1-4).

Joy to You, from Jesus

The angel said to them, “ Do not be afraid; for behold, 

I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people."

Luke 2:10

For Christmas, Give "The Story"

This morning I finished reading "The Jesus Storybook Bible"; not to my children, but to myself. Marian and I do read this particular Bible to our little ones, but I have recently been moving through it on my own in the mornings. I even bought my own copy, because I'm funny about my books.

Each time I would read to my children I found myself wanting to continue the reading, at my pace, not theirs, because I would get so caught up in "The Story"; and because this Bible better than most things I've read reveals "The Story" well; and because I'm not all that creative, and so can't see what the creative see. Let me summarize this way: If you want to know what God has been doing in the world for ever how long the world has been here; and if you want to grasp better the reason for creation and the subsequent giving and fulfilling of God's promises to Adam (Ge 3:15), and Abram (Ge 12:1-3); read this Bible. (By the way, history turns on these promises). If you want to feel the love of God for His sinners, read this Bible. If you want to go further into the meaning and effects of the death, resurrection, ascension, and return of Christ, read this Bible. If you want to get at the heart of what your sin is, read this Bible. And if you want to understand what Jesus meant when He said that all of the Scriptures are about Him, read this Bible. If you have read your Bible but struggled to gain from it or be changed by its contents, read this Book.

This Bible is a splendid and even transforming gift for adults, and then for children. If Dad and Mom could lay hold of the message of this Book, and pass it on to their children, how happy and beautiful and distinct and fit for heaven our families would be.

And if you have unbelievers in your life (I hope you do) for whom you pray and labor that they may come to faith, give them this Bible. You might want to explain that you do not insult them by giving them something written for children; that you have read it and benefited from it, and that it reveals remarkably well the ways and works of the Creator to get His people back. Besides, isn't it true that we all need to improve our understanding of and love for the foundations and extending basics of God's message in the Scriptures? This Book will do much for that. It gets to the heart of the matter by showing the gracious heart of God and the rebellious heart of people. It makes sense of so many of the smaller parts and pieces of the long story. And it does so in brief, hitting "highlights" from the Old and into the New Testament.

I finish with this: I've never enjoyed reading anything more. I learned from Sally Lloyd-Jones' insight (The Scripture texts are her paraphrases/interpretations). My view of God has been challenged, and changed, for good. And the "good" that flows from Him in the news of the gospel means more to me because of "The Jesus Storybook Bible."

Check it out here, along with related resources.