Jesus - Better than Santa Claus
By Dean Collins
Every Christmas season millions of parents dress their children in holiday colors for the annual picture with Santa Claus. I will confess to doing the same when my children were young. I suppose some parents still encourage children to write a letter to Santa or tell Santa what they want for Christmas. It’s probably all innocent fun and of course, has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.
We tend to do a lot of things in life that have nothing to do with Jesus. But think about how some magical messages have perhaps negatively impacted a far greater spiritual discipline. Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He gave us a model for prayer. In the last hours leading up to his death, he put emphasis on the power of prayer. And what Jesus told us to do is far more important and powerful than the fantasy of asking Santa to bring new toys (and very specific ones at that) !
I am afraid that some of our silly antics about Santa may have carelessly slipped into our approach to prayer. Prayer is not a wish list of all the things we dream about and that we would buy if we won the lottery. Prayer is a deep connection between us and our Creator. Yes, Jesus cares about what brings us joy. He gives good gifts. He wants what is best for us, which is often not the same as what we think is best.
A little while
John records the final words from Jesus before he prayed in the Garden. He spoke of not being seen for “a little while” before being seen again. This would prove true. After the crucifixion, the 12 didn’t see Jesus for a little while, and then after the resurrection, they did! He then ascended into Heaven where we do not see him for a little while, but we will again when he returns. Sometimes a little while seems long and as if it will never come. You remember that feeling about Christmas when you were 5 or 6? The next Christmas seemed to be a lifetime away, but in time the next Christmas always came.
The Christ of Christmas will keep all of his promises including his final return. In the meantime, Jesus has given us a helper, the Holy Spirit. He also promised that we could pray in his name and he would answer. He would meet every need and our joy would be full.
Experiencing his presence
Sometimes my joy gauge is low, and the tank seems almost empty. Yet when I step away from whatever seems overwhelming in the moment, I am reminded how God has shown up time and time again all through my life. We haven’t yet seen him face-to-face as we wait our little while, but we have experienced his presence over and over.
In a little while, Christmas morning will arrive. We will do all of the fun things we want to do and can do with friends and family. But be careful that we don’t put Jesus to the side when we take down the decorations and stash away the trappings of Christmas. We don’t have to wait a year to experience his presence. He will appear to us in many ways in the next little while. He will also see us face-to-face when he returns in glory, just as he promised.
Your time with God’s Word
John 16:12-24 ESV
Photo by Laura James
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