The By-products (BUY) of Christmas

Thanks to Dr. Robert Schuller at the Hour of Power tonight,

I am inspired to shift my focus and share my recent reflections.

Enough of the prelude.

Santa Claus Is a BY- Product of Christmas and

has in recent years become a BUY Product of the Holiday Season.

Sometimes this transformation has been at the expense of

the REAL reason we celebrate Christmas.

Is it easier to believe in Santa than it is to believe in God? Maybe.

Is it easier to BE Santa than to BE God? Sure it is.

Santa is only responsible for your " happiness" for one night or day every year.

HE can prepare for it for another 364 days before he gets another chance to "get it right".

God, on the other hand, is responsible for EVERYTHING.

So weather and health and all the other gifts of our lives

every day of our lives are NOT from Santa? Right.

God has more to do than Santa and all of his elves.

That is such a cool perspective.

How amazing it is that we are even able to put

them in the same sentence without censure.

So, the story of the trees and evergreens

and Advent candles and Rudolph all get jumbled together

in a commercial morass which is often deplorable and sometimes worse.

If we are true to the genuine Christmas,

we can shine light even into these crowded days

and bring a measure of peace into our corner of the world.

There is nothing WRONG with Santa.

We simply need to remember it is NOT Santa we worship.

And if we have THAT wrong, it is time to re-group.

The way I look at it,

we are blessed with an ever-present and all-knowing

God of Eternal Mystery, Creator of All.

THAT is worth worship and service.

Santa who has these mysterious "knows if you are bad or good" qualities

is a part of our world of PLAY.

And yes, God is there in the PLAY whether we realize it or not.

So... I play with Santa.... but do not worship him.

I save that kind of oblation for our Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier.

Do I believe in God? Yes.

Do I believe in Santa Claus? Yes.

Are they equal ? Not at all.

Perhaps

God may smile when we play with Santa

and keep the real meaning of Christmas in our hearts and lives.

At a cosmic level the ripples of goodwill rise to the surface from the secular celebration.

Who said?... All things in moderation....

Go ahead and buy a letter from Santa and have some fun.

Just remember what Advent is really about beneath the commercial collage.