Of Santa and such

Haven't written in a while...but so moved to share today.

In the past, I have struggled with the thought of Santa at Christmas. Thinking as many, that it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas. Until I heard the story. Well, as it is in any case where we come to a knowledge of truth, my thoughts and attitude have changed.

Seems there was a young man named Nicholas whose parents died and left him an incredible inheritance. Believing what he was taught that to follow Christ, he should sell all he had and give to the poor, he set out to do that. Hearing that a father of three young women had no money for a dowry and planned to sell his girls into a brothel, Nick was compelled to act. So he snuck up to the window of the home and tossed a bag of gold into the girl's room to help the family. He was caught as an intruder by the father and when it was discovered what he had actually done, he begged the father not to tell. He believed that he should not display his good deeds before men.

Later, Nicholas was serving God and made a trip to the Holy Land, visiting the manger in Bethlehem. He was moved by God and set his faith on the fact that Jesus was indeed God wrapped in flesh. Returning to his native land of Myra, he was aboard a ship that was in a terrible storm. He prayed and helped the sailors prevent shipwreck. They attributed their salvation to him. He attributed it to God, and vowed to go into the first church that he came to and give thanks to God. Unbeknownst to him, at that very moment, the men of that church were struggling about who to name as the next bishop. They agreed to let God decide and declared that the next man to walk through the front doors would be named bishop. Well. You guessed it. In walks ol' Nick. That's how he gets the bishop clothes and the honor.

Persecution and famine struck the land. Nicholas saved the life of a political prisoner by snatching the sword out of the hand of the executioner, cutting the prisoner's bonds and setting him free. He exposed the governor who was hoarding the food and allowing the people to starve. A pagan emporer rose to power and under the Diocleatian persecution, Nicholas was also arrested. He was tortured by being branded, pinched with pliers, being beaten over and over again. He never renounced his faith.

Eventually the persecution ended and many who were left maimed and blinded by their eyes being gouged out, worked to restore the church. Nicholas was in on it. Seems another man was setting forth the argument that Jesus was not equal with God...and wrote a catchy, but inappropriate song to teach his belief. At the Council of Nicaea, Constantine was trying to regroup with the Christians. The dude with the bad song stood up and started singing to the top of his lungs. Nicholas had enough and went and punched him in the mouth to shut him up. Nicholas then helped write the Nicene Creed, which most Christians hold as truth today.

Because punching a fellow preacher wasn't exactly in line with preacher behavior, Nicholas was stripped of his Bishopness. Later in life, he helped to establish orphanages and was famous for letting the children run around with his bishop hat on--much to the dismay of his fellow preacher people.

Now. That's good ol' St. Nick. Powerful kind of guy, don't you think? Maybe we can and should be a little bit more like him. Giving it all and not telling. Praying and being an example of trust in Jesus in the storms. Standing against injustice and setting prisoners free from the grip of satan. Holding fast to the faith in the face of those who want to crush our beliefs. Taking one for Team Jesus. Giving the devil a fat lip. Playing with the children...and realizing that MOMENT is holy...not what we wear.

Merry Christmas. Give. God did. His best. For our best. Give. Forgive. Everybody. Everything. Hope.