Don’t be bad Santa
In the news one year appeared the story of about 40 rampaging Santas in New Zealand. Drinking, stealing and even getting into fights these Santas claimed to have a cause to make a fuss about. The over commercialisation of Christmas concerned them. So they were protesting, bringing the issue to everyone’s attention.
But people everywhere have a certain expectation of Santa – it’s a part of the traditions of Christmas. Santa is, well, umm, to put it bluntly, he’s nice. To be Santa means “HO HO HO,” and smiles and cuddles for everyone, and never an unfriendly word. Santa has to act like Santa. He has to play his part in the Christmas season to perfection. Be nice
Santa!
This Santa trend is very worrying and I’m beginning to think that some Santas may be pretenders; worse still hypocrites who tell children to be good while they act very bad. Shame on them! Don’t they believe in Christmas? How could they expect anyone to listen to a word they say, or want to be part of Christmas, while they are involved. Tell you what - let’s all boycott Christmas in protest. You first, then I’ll follow later on.
Absurd isn’t it? Why would I let a bunch of badly behaved Santas change my Christmas? What should I do? Give up turkey and presents? And Christmas crackers and mince pies? And friends and family and the whole big occasion because somewhere some people I don’t even know did something I don’t really agree with? It sounds pretty
silly put like that. But then, come to think of it that’s exactly the excuse thousands have used for not going to church.
“I’m not going to church - it’s full of hypocrites” (Best place for them if you ask me, they may yet learn something) “I’m not going to church - the people are so bad there” (where else would you want bad people to go? I mean when their acts are short of criminal?) Here’s a thought I’ll leave a blank and you can fill in as many reasons as you can think of. Ready? Here we go ….
“I’m not going to church because the people are …………”
But I have another more important question. It’s about something I really don’t understand. Why have you let the hypocrites/bad/unfriendly etc people change what you do? Unless you’re giving up Christmas due to the whole bad Santa affair it doesn’t sound very consistent to me. Or fair.
I mean it’s not very fair on you. To lose a chance of a glimpse of heaven, or of a prayer answered, or of hearing a song that makes your heart sing, to lose a quiet moment of reflection in a world that moves too fast and furious, just because of something someone else chose to be. How fair is that? How sensible?
The New Year is almost upon us and many will make resolutions, I’m not going to ask you to go to church this year. That would be too easy by far. Instead I’ll ask you to have the courage and honesty to review the decisions you’ve made about you and God and to take the time to check that they are the right ones.
Many of the decisions we make daily don’t really matter much in the long run. But this one does, both now and forever. Choose wisely. Follow no Santas.
“The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says, "Only in returning to
me and waiting for me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is
your strength...” Isaiah 30:15 NLT