Santa Claus has to be, without a doubt, one of the most
recognizable icons of the Christmas season. But with this status of “icon”
comes the annual and seasonable tradition of thinking that this holiday symbol “overshadows”
Jesus Christ who is the true meaning being Christmas.
Instead of thinking of Santa Claus as some blasphemous
replacement for the baby Jesus, I honestly feel we can use the characteristics of Santa to teach those
who don’t know Jesus Christ is a wonderful lesson about the Divine Majesty of God.
It is God’s Divine Majesty that has perplexed the world
for centuries. It is hard for our human minds to fathom that a Holy God would
take on human flesh. As Martin Luther
was noted as saying, “The mystery of the
humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human
understanding.”
That is why we turn to jolly old Saint Nicholas. The one
true God who gave us Jesus (John 3:16-17) can be discovered and the concept of
Him becoming flesh, can be better understood if we used some of the words in
the turn “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
FIRST,
the song teaches us that Santa “sees us
when we’re sleeping.” This “ability” of Santa teaches us that God watches
over us and is with us. This “never-ending” presence of God while we are asleep
is called omnipresence. Paul
preached in Acts 17:28 that God is “…not far from each one of us, for in Him we
live and move, in Him we exist.”
Our everlasting God is present in all things and this
concept is repeatedly affirmed in Scripture. Jeremiah 23:24, says “‘Am I a
God nearby,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in
secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill
Heaven and Earth?’ declares the Lord.”
Just think, no atomic particle is so small that God is
not fully present to it, and no galaxy so vast that God does not surround it.
No space is without Divine presence. God is in touch with every part of
creation. God cannot be excluded from any location or object in creation. That
truly is omnipresence!
The song also says, “he
knows when you’re awake” and “he
knows when you’ve been bad or good” which means that God has knowledge
about our active existence. This eternal knowledge God possesses about us is
called omniscience (om-nih-shunce).
Only God knows all the intricate details about His
creation without any limitations. The Psalmist praised God’s limitless wisdom and
understanding in Psalm 147:4-5, “He determines
the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great
is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”
Jesus taught His Disciples in Matthew 6:8, “Your Father
knows what your needs are before you ask Him.” We must realize that nothing
can hide itself from God’s view. This also includes the intentions held in our
heart. Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation can hide from Him.
Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes. This is the God to whom we
must explain all that we have done.”
Technically, we say that the Divine Omniscience is seen
as the infinite consciousness of God in relation to all possible objects of
knowledge. God knows past, present and future all at the same time. He is also
aware of all possible outcomes of our situation no matter what decision we
choose to make. Simply put: God knows all
things all the time!
Although omniscience may be a hard concept to grasp, it
is simply God’s infinite and intimate knowledge of His creation. God does not
have to learn anything as He already knows everything.
For example, we do not know next year until next year is
complete, but God knows next year already as well as every single day of all
eternity. We as mortal, human beings, only know things in part and in select pieces
and even that understanding is skewed.
This is why we must be taught, study, learn and grow. God
knows things fully, all at once, regardless if the event is past, present or
future (yet to be). This infinite knowledge is omniscience.
So, going back to Santa….we sing like he really knows all
about us regardless if we are asleep, awake, naughty or nice? This jolly elf
that has the power to go around the world in one single night and shower people
with gifts (and to take breaks to eat cookies and drink milk) is the same “all powerful” Claus we believe can magically
swoosh up and down chimneys and make reindeer fly?
How can one single
person be so “everything” and do it in ways that are hard to believe,
understand, or grasp logically? How can someone use their powers that defy
gravity, scientific explanation, space, time, and dimension? Well, sounds more
like God our Father to me than Santa Claus!
Yes, these wonderful attributes of Santa’s ability to be
Santa is what we call, when referring to God, His omnipotence! When we say “omnipotence,” we are saying that God is
all-powerful and all-empowering.
Omnipotence is God’s perfect ability to do all things
that are consistent with His Divine Character. God can do all that God wills to
do. No power has any other source other than God. A good example to explain this
comes from Genesis 17:15-17 and 18:12, 14, when God came to Abraham (who
was 100-years-old) and announced that Sarah, at the age of 90, would have a son
and become “the mother of nations.”
What was the response? They laughed at God because, humanly
speaking, it was not only impossible but ludicrous. But God lovingly replied to
their lack of faith by asking a powerful question: “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”
Nothing that God wills to do or conceives for us is
beyond His ability or power to accomplish. Matthew
19:26 clearly states, “…everything is
possible for God.” This is why we refer to God as “Almighty.” His “Almightiness”
is also His omnipotence!
Santa Claus can be a very helpful tool in assisting
someone who does not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Santa
Claus can be a very helpful analogy to help someone understand the Divine
Majesty of God.
Just remember that God’s way of being with the world is omnipresence. God’s way of knowing the
world is omniscience. God’s way of
influencing the world is omnipotence. So,
if all these “omni-words” are hard to remember and you would rather summarize
them into a single word, just say that God is transcendent!
Yes, another “big word,” but we have to remember that we
serve a big God! It is extremely important for us to remember just how great an
effort God has gone to in order to reveal himself to us!
It was been written by an anonymous author that “if our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been money, God would
have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been technology, God would
have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would
have sent us an entertainer; but our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent
us a Savior.”
Have fun this Christmas season using the imagery of Santa
Claus to teach others about God’s Divine Majesty. I pray that through this
simple story, others may come to know Jesus Christ personally and place their
faith in Him. Merry Christmas!