This segment in the blog is drawn from a scholarly tradition in British media that I am privileged to carry on in my own, small way.
So, before the battle between how we should greet each other politely and in the spirit of Good Cheer, the debate of "Merry Christmas" VS "Happy Holidays", often with the viciousness of a wrestling grudge match, we had "Jesus VS Santa".
As a Social Media Doom Scroller (someone who gets caught just flipping and flipping and flipping on my phone from one bit of media to the next, usually when my brain is overtired) when something pops, I take a picture of it to "come back to it later". I think I cleared out about 200 'pops' the last time I edited my photos on my cel phone. But this caught my attention.
Every Christmas, the debate arises between 'secular' and 'sacred' about who "owns" the holiday. On the one hand, I find this hysterical because we of the 'sacred' side are called upon to share Jesus freely. On the other, I find this disappointing, as the wise young man said in "Miracle on 34th Street", 'Make a buck, make a buck, even in Brooklyn its the same...'
"Jesus VS Santa" entered my cultural consciousness in the cartoon short of Jesus and Santa having a knock down, drag 'em out fight over Christmas. It is a low brow and low quality bit from the makers of "South Park" but it made me laugh because it touched (painfully pinched?) a nerve about Christmas.
On the lighter side of Jesus and Santa, does anyone have the Christmas ornament of Santa kneeling in prayer by the manger? There is a sacred connection, Santa is St. Nick, and his lineage can be traced-not to the North Pole-but through history.
I believe it is important for our Church to think about this (yes, we are doing 'theology') to be aware and clear and focused that we do things differently than "Jesus vs Santa". Ours is not 'either/or' but 'both/and'. For example...
We will decorate the Sanctuary with all the glory and trappings of the Holidays the Saturday after Thanksgiving, on Saturday, December 1, 2024 at 9am. Everyone is invited.
We will participate in the Christmas parade on Friday, December 6 at 7pm, singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, celebrating the lighting of the Christmas Tree here in Merchantville, and then hosting refreshments in the Narthex.
We have partnered with Urban Promise to have an Angel Tree, set in our already decorated Chapel, to purchase presents for the children they serve. Gifts are due back by Sunday, December 8.
So, all in all, I think that shirt is a far better representation of Jesus and Santa in regards to our church than considering them in a cage match. But there's more.
Consider this. When Jesus was born, the shepherds were hanging out in the fields, watching their flocks by night, they got not only an angel and a prophecy, but "...suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God..." The birth of Jesus marks hope fulfilled for the world. And the world, secular and sacred, celebrate that hope. The joy is that we in the 'sacred' camp 'get it', we know what is happening.
The sad part is that the world, the sinful world, the popular culture, the 'secular' camp, they know something wonderful is happening, but do not 'get it'. The sense of God's hope is too powerful to be ignored. There is celebration with all the glitz, bling, lights, shiny bits and baubles, lights, songs, colors, trees, lights, garland, presents, Santa's EVERYWHERE, movies (from the Hallmark lineup to "Big Red One" this season), lights, and the celebration of the consumer free market economy that the 'official' start of the Season, Black Friday, when retail traditionally goes from the red (owing money) into the black (making profits) for the year.
Jesus is the Light of the world. At Christmas, the world sees the light, reflects the light, fires up new and brighter bulbs every year, it cannot be helped.
But the world does not understand that this light is Jesus, born to us, saving us, loving us. That is for us to explain. We are not here to 'take back' Christmas, but to share Jesus ever more.
May we sing with the choirs of angels,
Pastor Peter
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