Jesus and Santa: Are they connected?

As Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I might share a couple of musings with you. One could be fooled into thinking that Santa and Jesus share something in common. They do both seem to be celebrated over the Christmas period. But, is there really a substantial connection between the two, or is it all just coincidence?

Growing up, I always thought Jesus and Santa must be connected. I believed that Jesus was born the King of Israel and Santa brought presents to celebrate his birth. If I was good, like Jesus wanted, I would receive a present from Santa. Perhaps, that is the connection between Jesus and Santa? Santa is Jesus' kind of henchman, delivering presents to 'good' god-fearing people, right? 

Obviously, this connection is not the case. Jesus and Santa, as you will clearly see, share nothing in common and I would like to demonstrate how. Let’s do a comparison between the two:

Jesus	Santa
Jesus died on the cross to give eternal life to those who don’t deserve it.	Santa gives gifts to only those who are good, those who deserve it; he gives coal to bad people.
Jesus teaches that all are unworthy (essentially evil).	Santa teaches that some of us are good and some are bad.
Jesus is loving towards those who don’t deserve it.	Santa is judgemental and intolerant.
Jesus is a historical figure. He lived, died and rose again to bring his followers to worship God.	Santa is a myth, perpetrated by and proclaimed to bring glory to the false god of consumerism.

Clearly, Jesus and Santa, theologically and ideologically speaking, are opposed to one another. And, obviously, no one actually follows Santa, religiously speaking, unlike Jesus. But, each year, children are, I'll label, indoctrinated into waiting for this big fat man to arrive. They are taught that if they are good, they will receive a gift. Whereas Jesus calls on us to rely and trust in him. Santa is worshipped as some sort of hero, thus robbing Jesus from his glory and honour. It sounds a little extreme, but just consider these things for awhile. 

So, who will you celebrate, or encourage your kids to celebrate this Christmas? Will it be a historical, generous man, who gave his life for you? Or will it be a big, fat, intolerant, judgemental man, who does not really exist?

In conclusion, Jesus offers to those who don’t deserve it eternal life; that’s you and me!! The error in the thinking or ideology behind “Santa” is the same error the Religious Leaders of Jesus time fell into, that being that God only accepts good people.

Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"(John 5:45-47)

In Moses, you have the Ten Commandments. No one can keep these, but in Jesus, the God-Man, we can be rescued by his death on the cross. Why not, this Christmas, celebrate the birth of your saviour, Jesus, the King of the Universe!

Resource Review: The Trouble with Paris

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What if you're living in the wrong reality?

Doesn't everyone want the good life these days? Our shopping mall world offers us a never-ending array of pleasures to explore. Consumerism promises us a vision of heaven on earth - a reality that's "hyper"-real. We've all experienced hyper-reality: a candy so 'grape-ey' it doesn't taste like grapes anymore; a model's photo so manipulated that it doesn't even look like her; a theme park version of life that tells us we can have something better than the real thing. But what if this reality is not all that it's cracked up to be? Admit it, we've been ripped off by our culture and its version of reality that leaves us lonely, bored, and trapped. But what's the alternative?

In The Trouble With Paris, pastor Mark Sayers shows us how the lifestyles of most young adults (19-35) actually work "against" a life of meaning and happiness to sabotage their faith. Sayers shows how a fresh understanding of God's intention for our world is the true path to happiness, fulfillment, and meaning.

Post links:

• Stuff! Are you all about it?
• Life (9): Mountains, mirrors and glory

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Stuff! Are you all about it?

Take a look at your life for a moment and think, if someone was to watch me for a day, what conclusion would they draw from their observations? I am not speaking moralistically as such, but rather, what do you value most in life? What or who are you living for?

Now, watch this compelling video. It was produced by Annie Leonard (The Story of Stuff):

At this point, I am not sure whether I necessarily share the same spiritual views as Annie as I don’t know her personally. However, she raises an interesting point – we live in a society that is enslaved by the machine of consumerism! Our lives are consumed with consuming more stuff, which is an empty and destructive pursuit.

Am I saying that buying stuff is against God? No, but I am trying to push forward a point. Why not let Jesus, God incarnate, creator of the Universe speak for himself. Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, that is where your heart lies also” (Matthew 6:21). Then latter in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:44). The issue isn’t with buying stuff, but rather, what is at the centre of your life? Do you live and work simply to buy things, which brake or rust and are worth nothing in the end anyway? Is consumerism is what life is all about or is there a deeper more fulfilling meaning to life?

The answer is simple, and Jesus stated it in the verse above. The kingdom of heaven basically is God’s people living in perfect relationship with him. Jesus likens it to a treasure, the most valuable thing in the entire world. It is so valuable that life is meaningless without it. God created us to know, love and enjoy him, and vice versa – this is the treasure. A life without God is essentially meaningless.

Life does not need to be this way. Our rejection and denial of God can be done away with through Jesus, God in human form. You don’t have to live enslaved by consumerism anymore and you can now live for the most valuable treasure in the world – God!

So, what will you place as the treasure of your life? Will it be that stuff you bought that will only break within the next few weeks, or would you prefer a fulfilling relationship with God?