Rev. Bob Klein UUCLR

December 4, 2011

BECOMING SANTA CLAUS This morning you have heard some of the history of the Bishop who was the original St. Nicholas, or St. Nick. You also were just reminded of that great poem written in 1822 by Clement Clarke Moore (1779 - 1863) Twas the night before Christmas or “A Visit from St. Nicholas". Our modern Santa Claus stepped right out of Moore’s poem. St. Nick was never associated with reindeer or a sleigh until the poem added them. In fact reindeer and sleighs would have been pretty unusual in the 4th century Mediterranean village of Patara that was the home of St. Nicholas. It was quite a journey from what is now southern Turkey to Santa Claus’ home at the North Pole. Though it was a bit later when celibacy was enforced for the clergy, and especially for Bishops in the Roman Catholic church, the good Bishop of Myra is also not known to have married Mrs. Claus or anyone else. Of course it is a wonderful myth that has grown from the generosity and concern of Bishop Nicholas into the early super hero, Santa Claus, with his bands of Elves and herds of flying reindeer. If our society were to end around Christmas and be buried for future archaeologists from the cosmos to discover, just imagine how they would write about the jolly bearded red-coated elf that we worshipped. Would they call him the god of gifts and commerce? Would they laugh and call us pagans over the flying reindeer and sleigh? The sheer goodness of Santa Claus, giving something to every good girl and boy, with none turning out to be bad girls or boys, is really quite a positive message of divine love. It is a message far more consistent than the mixed messages of a loving God who is also vengeful and judging as portrayed in parts of Christianity. Santa Claus is much closer to a Universalist understanding of a loving God.

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Stories and poems grow into myths and myths may grow into religions. The myth of Santa Claus is one that appeals among all western peoples, perhaps to all people when well translated. It is amazing how the addition of reindeer and a sleigh to the story of Bishop Nicholas made all the difference. Humble religious figure becomes worldwide gift giver! Not all that different in some ways from the growth of the stories about a certain carpenter from Galilee into a worldwide savior. Certain Christian groups have long opposed the growth of the Santa Claus myth because it distracts from the ‘reason for the season.’ Many of those same true believers know little of the pagan origins of Christmas in solstice celebrations nor of the Christian origins of St. Nick. They do recognize, however, that a godlike figure who gives lovingly made gifts to all might cut into the impact of their telling of the story of Jesus’ birth bringing salvation only to true believers. There has been a dialectic process continuing throughout the history of Biblical religion alternating between inclusivity and exclusivity, between salvation for the chosen people, elect or true believers and salvation for all. Santa Claus comes to all, and even with the mild threat of some receiving just a lump of a heat source, everyone ends up with a gift. Santa Claus is indeed a Universalist. The Santa Claus tradition may continue to develop. In recent years, he has been tracked by radar as he proceeds from house to house around the world. Little more than a half century ago, he was known primarily through the one poem. Then there was the Miracle on 34th Street, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and cartoons and movies and story books, and later the Polar Express. By the time that baby boomers were doing our own shopping, Santa had gone big-time! By the 1960s, St. Nick had become Santa Claus! But another transformation was happening in families around the United States and in much of Europe and other parts of the developed world. Since Santa Claus couldn’t get down every chimney, he needed partners. 2

If it was listed in the job description for becoming a parent, I missed it, but somewhere along the line, at least in this country, one of the jobs that comes with being a parent is to become Santa Claus. Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, and anyone else who is interested in the lives of children may also find themselves playing Santa, but for parents it is a required role at least most years! Those of us who are a bit older probably experienced our parents as what was really the first generation of Santa’s modern helpers. There are older traditions of gifts, stockings and decorating Christmas trees, but our parents went all out to make Christmas a wonderful time, and we have followed their lead. As we have grown up, at least those of us who are parents became Santa Claus. Sometimes with teenagers we also became the bank of everflowing cash the rest of the year, but around Christmas time we became Santa Claus. With younger children, we might have been forced to eat some cookies and drink some milk left out for Santa, but we were surely pushed to shop and wrap gifts and often to put toys and bicycles together so they would be ready on Christmas morn. Over the years, some of us have even donned the red and white costume, with the black belt and boots, and even the white beard and a couple of pillows if we were not already amply endowed. Dare I say we have become the god of Christmas gifts? But this is not a bad thing, for Santa incarnates divine love and good humor. He is a jolly old soul! It is an honor to serve as Santa, or even one of the elves, for loving people and generously giving gifts is at the heart of humanity and the divine. Santa is not driven by fears of scarcity, nor is he unduly judgmental. No, Santa is the one who bestows great gifts, who touches hearts, and warms the soul of even the most horrible Grinch. Santa delivers where so many humans fail. Santa is the spirit of Christmas. Now some years it has been harder to become Santa Claus. Sometimes the holidays come too soon, and some years the money is too short to be the kind of Santa we want to be for our children, relatives & friends. 3

As creative, caring beings, we can always find ways to bring joy to those we love even when money is short and gifts are few. We don’t really need to steal a sleigh and a herd of reindeer to be the best Santa Clauses we can. We each have something to offer, starting with our love. Kids may complain when they don’t get the newest best electronic stuff that all their friends are getting, but even the newest best stuff will only last a couple of years before it needs to be replaced by newer better stuff. What lasts is the love that we share in our families and in our community. Early Christian writers gave us a Greek word for this kind of love that was distinctly different. Agape is a kind of engaged family/community brotherly/sisterly love that is very different from Philos or Eros, philosophical or erotic love. Agape was reputed to be the way Jesus talked about the most important kind of love, a love that is not interested in repayment, but in giving generously to another. Santa Claus is the embodiment of Agape love, with a wink and a twinkle! Isn’t that the kind of love we all need all the time, but especially during the darker days of winter in the harder years? Some years we become better Santa Clauses, but every year the people we love, and all the people of the world need a good solid Santa Claus to bring gifts and good cheer and unconditional love. We need Santa Claus to bring us gifts of love and we need the chance to become Santa Claus for others to bring them the gifts of love that we can give. It is nice to receive gifts, but there is something really heart-warming about being able to give gifts to others, to share what we have, to bring a smile to the face of a child, or an old friend or relative or spouse. It probably is better to give than to receive. It certainly is nice to be in a place where we feel we can give to others, to become Santa Claus, to make a difference. If any of you are too young to have played Santa Claus, and I trust that we all know that Santa is beyond gender, anyway, your time will come. 4

We each can play Santa Claus for some special person every year. Yeah, I know that it can sometimes be fun to play the Grinch, too, but becoming Santa Claus is a sacred human responsibility. It is a gift from elders to the children of the community. Some of you may not feel that you are worthy to become Santa Claus, you may feel more comfortable as one of the elves, but with time, in the great circle of life we can all become Santa Claus for a time for somebody special. It doesn’t require a red suit or a white beard or a sleigh or a team of reindeer, all it requires is a healthy dose of the Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice spirit. So this season, don’t be a Grinch, become Santa Claus! Ho! Ho! Ho! And Amen!

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