Silent Night, Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Claus or Jesus?

Wooden nativity scene ornaments and decorations displayed at a festive market stall, capturing the warmth and tradition of the holiday season.

Whether ushering in Christmas revolves around a baby in a manger, a man in a red suit, an elf on a shelf, or some other tradition, I imagine most households are, by now, knee deep in holiday preparations and festivities. We are a Silent Night, Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Claus and Jesus culture all rolled into one. Depending on our traditions, our upbringing and our family dynamics, we carry with us into adulthood ideas of what the Christmas holiday experience should be. Looking around us, we see those who are tired to the bone, immersed in the stress an activity-filled calendar brings. They will surely breathe a sigh of relief when all the hustle and bustle of the season ends. Others seem to want to simply get through this time of year. They are all-to-ready for something else. Still there are those who remain tied to their schedules and all the busyness the world offers. Opening their 2025 calendars, they seek to add one or two more things to their already full social calendars.

As for me and this season of the year, I am more the Silent Night person than the Jingle Bell Rock girl. I do like celebrating with family and friends. Seeing and hearing the expressions of joy of those I love any time of the year does more for me than any merriment or festivity a single holiday might bring. I can also do without the stress, the commercialization, the busyness, and the activity-filled calendars the world and those of it bring into our personal spaces this time of year. I understand some thrive on activity not only at Christmas but throughout the calendar year. It seems though when we enter the race to get everything done hoping to complete every task with perfection or at the very least to present it as such on social media we do nothing more than keep ourselves and those around us from Jesus.

When the time arrives to remove the Christmas tree with its perfectly placed decorations, I wonder how many of us have our eyes on Jesus, or do we remove him from our homes and hearts and return to the busyness invading the peacefulness that should be occupying our hearts, our minds, and our souls? Reducing Christmas to something other than it was meant to be minimizes Jesus and the reason God sent His Son and our Savior into the world. It is no wonder the feeling of nothingness haunts so many and the poverty of spirit, which lies in wait, always just under the surface, is so prevalent in the world today. Remove Jesus and there is no hope. Even the real Santa Claus knew that.

From childhood stories to the media and advertising of the twentieth century, Santa Claus arrives in his red suit, big belly, white beard, and a bag full of gifts transported on a sleigh equipped with bells and propelled through the air by flying reindeer. It seems whether we have been good or bad, Santa arrives, nonetheless. He comes each year during the Christmas season, appearing from the folklore of old and differing cultural interpretations the world over. Few realize, or perhaps they have merely forgotten, the Santa Claus of today, the man born out of legends, was an authentic and real man who served God. 

Nicholas was born to wealthy parents, and though they died when he was young, they instilled in the boy a heart for God. His life exemplified the words of Jesus who said, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21, ESV). Doing precisely that, Nicholas used his significant inheritance to help those in need. Persecuted for his Christian beliefs, he was imprisoned and exiled. Undaunted, he remained faithful, always choosing Jesus over the world. It is not difficult to imagine that this Nicholas carried upon his back a bag bursting not only with the material gifts he chose to give to the poor, the helpless, the meek, and the suffering but also the fruit of the Spirit he shared with the world.

The stories of Nicholas abound. One tells of three young women born into poverty who, with no prospects of marriage because their father could not provide a dowry, would be sold into slavery. It is said that because of Nicholas' kind and generous spirit, these women were saved from a life of misery and despair. Having nothing to do with our bank accounts' size, the spirit of poverty touches us all. Misery and despair, be they internal or external, seem commonplace in our world today, and I cannot help but wonder how things might change both at Christmas as well as during the year if we, like Nicholas, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:12-17).

Although I am merely one solitary voice in a world of many, I am convinced Jesus is not only the reason for the season, but the thrill of hope we all need in our lives. God’s gift to all of us—a baby born in a stable to become His Son crucified, the resurrected Redeemer of this weary world—Jesus, the one who stands with us in the barren, meaningless spaces of our lives filling us "with an indescribable and glorious joy"(1 Peter 1:18-19). 

Merry Christmas! May the peace of Christ and the hope he brings during this miraculous season of the year remain with you all the days of your life.

*Some of what you have read today is taken from the article Santa Claus and Empty I wrote for the online magazine Jesus and Pop Culture in 2020.

Tis the Season to be Giving: Christmas and Beyond

Gifts of the Season

At times, when I write, the words get stuck somewhere between my heart and my head. For someone who can be a bit of a hummingbird flitting about from here to there that makes perfect sense. However now, rather than getting stuck somewhere with wings flapping wildly about, I know the importance of the pause that happens as the words pass from my heart to my head and then to the place where I put pen to paper. Pauses happened a lot this week. I had a subject in mind for my blog. I began writing, but as often happens, God had another plan.

In the pause, God always speaks to me. He knows exactly what I need and when I need it. I understand the stillness of heart, mind, and soul required if I am to get this right. That hummingbird part of me has gotten me into a fair amount of trouble over the years. Thankfully, the flitting about is no longer as pronounced as it once was. I attribute some of that to my age.

Slow and steady wins the race. I learned that one from Aesop’s tortoise and hare in elementary school. As with many lessons, it takes some of us more time than others to apply the learning in our own lives. That, I think, has more to do with our stubbornness and the choices we make than with getting older. I know plenty of younger individuals whose choices tell me they learned some of their most valuable life lessons far earlier in their lives than I. Their perseverance, persistence, and consistency demonstrate their understanding of walking the narrow road as opposed to the wide one. I see them and know the One who leads them.

As for me, I might not be as young as I once was, but I understand the value of good, though sometimes difficult, life lessons. In that, God gets all the credit for taking hold of me and for placing some remarkable people in my life to help lead me back to the narrow gate. We all need those people in our lives, and we need God’s unchanging Word to give our questioning minds the only truth that leads us to peace—the peace that surpasses our human understanding.

Stepping through that gate onto the narrow road or continuing our lives upon the wider path is a choice we all must make. Matthew 7:13-14 serves as our warning. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (ESV). Not everyone chooses the path leading to life. That saddens me because I know that way, while hard, takes those choosing it on an indescribable journey out of darkness and into an amazing light.

What God promises is real. From Genesis to Revelation—every promise, every truth for our lives can be found there. Of course, reading the Bible is one thing, accepting the truth of God’s Word, quite another. Lately, God keeps leading me back to this truth, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:23-26, emphasis mine).

Tis the season to be giving, and grace is a gift, a precious gift God offers to all of us. It is one we should freely give to others as well. Something miraculous and freeing happens to us when we offer grace like that of God’s to those in our lives. When challenging situations arise, when disappointment comes, when people fail to meet our expectations, I wonder what might happen in our relationships if grace, deserved or not, were our first response? I wonder, too, if we stopped flapping our wings or our mouths wildly about, whichever the case may be, and extended kindness and mercy toward others how our relationships might change, how our own lives might change?

Often, we, too easily, ignore our own sins and mistakes. We have little, if any, tolerance and patience for others often assuming we understand their intentions. During this Christmas season of giving and beyond, a grand erase of what we think we know and a good long look in the mirror might help us see the plank in our own eye first. A simple pause and a glance at my reflection reminds me of the glaring reality of my sins, my mistakes, and my imperfections. I am thankful God’s mercies for me are new each morning, His steadfast love never ceases, and His faithfulness is unending.

I remember....”you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

The reality of who I am in Christ Jesus comes in the truthful answers God gives me when I pray and when I immerse myself in His Word. Here the presence of the Holy Spirit strengthens me and helps me fight every personal battle. Our battles all differ; however, true freedom in Christ requires we walk the same narrow road, and we crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. With God there is no compromise; however, He never intended we fight our battles alone. He gave each one of us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and carrying the fruit of the Spirit, we learn what it is to live by the Spirit and keep in step with the Spirit.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are gifts God gives to us, and like His gift of grace we are all better for passing them along to others. Remembering I do not know the reality of another person’s fight, I pray the grace, so freely given to me, will always be my gift to others not only during this Christmas season of giving but also beyond. Wherever my daily walk takes me in the future, may I pause and remember, too, sometimes my best and most grace-filled response to others is often no response at all.

Seeking wisdom from God and His unchanging truth, I ask, “Is it greater self-control or patience I need, more kindness or gentleness? Do I need to learn more of love, of joy, of peace? Great is Your faithfulness, Father, strengthen mine. Let me not be the hindrance that keeps others from knowing Your truth and obeying it.” From day-to-day, the answers I receive are not always the same, but allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me, I pray to be filled with fruit of the Spirit that flows from my life into another life and then another until one day from our expanding circles of influence we all fill the Earth with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—no more conceit, no more provoking one another, no more envying one another—just grace, simple, abundant grace—everywhere. What a precious and powerful gift!

Galatians 5

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Keep in Step with the Spirit

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Choose Something Like a Star: Being Still, Knowing God

Choose Something Like a Star

The final weeks of 2024 are upon us. Here in Kansas only remnants of the beautiful colors of Fall remain. Soon, we will be steeped in gray December. A new year follows. Then the winter’s dreariness gives rise to the newness of Spring, followed by Summer’s warmth. The winds of change buffet us along and we, too, usher in the new seasons of our lives. Through it all, “He [makes] everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastics 3:11, ESV, emphasis mine).

I cannot fathom all that God has done, all that He is doing, all that He will do. Still, I praise Him. Sometimes I wonder about the why of it all especially when I see others struggling even though I know their painful circumstances and their trials—big and small—like yours and mine, are not a measure of God’s love for us. In fact, even in the struggle God works all things out for both our good and His glory. Taking hold of that promise, we need never doubt who God is nor the power of His love for us. His divine nature is real.

The evidence that God is present in our lives is everywhere. Satan prefers we focus on him and not on our Creator God. When we give the world and those of it our attention, our eyes grow dim and Satan’s job of tempting us and enticing us to sin becomes easier. The world clamors for our attention. Satan craves it, but leaving the noise, the chaos, the confusion, and our own busyness behind and simply turning our eyes to the heavens could change more than that moment for us. In it, we might find the path to hope, to healing, to restoration.

God does make everything beautiful in its time. I have seen it. I understand doubt and frustration and the search for understanding; however, standing in the darkness of a silent night, when I see the stars, serenity and peace wash over me. Finding God in this messy world might be as simple as choosing something like a star.

Humor me while I step back into my literature classroom for a moment. The mere mention of an author or one of his or her works brings back fond memories of my students and the time we spent together exploring the writings of classic authors whose words, I hoped, would leave a lasting impression upon their hearts and minds. Now retired, my heart for literature and the classic writers of old remains. The words resonating most with me today come from those I discovered to be authentic men and women of faith. These days, I return to them often and quote them in my writing, too.

Robert Frost is one of those. Rabbi Victor Reichert, a friend and neighbor of Frost’s, once said, “I hear the voice of God in his poems. He was deeply spiritual. He was listening to God.” I hear that, too. The words in his poem Choose Something Like a Star allow us to experience the pause of which I wrote earlier.

There is something so personal in the darkness surrounding Frost as he fixes his gaze on a single star. That star, the one he calls “the fairest one in sight,” remains silent even as Frost implores it to give him a word or some direction to be remembered and called upon later. The poet desires much more than the star’s “I burn.” As the poem progresses, I am reminded that the contemplative moments of my own life calm me and settle my mind, and it is only in rising above the fray and stepping away from the world that I hear,

“Be still, and know that I am God.    

I will be exalted among the nations,    

I will be exalted in the earth!”

(Psalm 46:10)

Like Keat’s Eremite myself, I am an introvert who is comfortable with solitude. I find seclusion appealing, and yet, I know God created me for a purpose I cannot ignore. In that, I am reminded, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that [we] may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which [we] shine as lights in the world as [we] hold forth the word of life....” (Philippians 2:14-16a). In the changing seasons of my life and the lives of those I love, I hold fast to my faith in Jesus Christ and to the truth of God’s unchanging Word. God exists and is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I see all around me His remarkable glory in creation making me ever-more aware, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

I pray as we enter this holy Christmas season and await the Savior’s birth that you choose something as simple as a star to slow you, to bring you hope and to lead you to Jesus, the one who heals and restores those places of your heart, your mind, and your soul needing it most.

Choose Something Like a Star

by Robert Frost

O Star (the fairest one in sight),

We grant your loftiness the right

To some obscurity of cloud –

It will not do to say of night,

Since dark is what brings out your light.

Some mystery becomes the proud.

But to be wholly taciturn

In your reserve is not allowed.

Say something to us we can learn

By heart and when alone repeat.

Say something!

And it says "I burn."

But say with what degree of heat.

Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade.

Use language we can comprehend.

Tell us what elements you blend.

It gives us strangely little aid,

But does tell something in the end.

And steadfast as Keats' Eremite,

Not even stooping from its sphere,

It asks a little of us here.

It asks of us a certain height,

So when at times the mob is swayed

To carry praise or blame too far,

We may choose something like a star

To stay our minds on and be staid.

"You keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26:3