Santa Preaches on Christmas Eve

Well, my goodness! Merry Christmas! It is such an honor to be here with you all tonight on this most joyful and happy of evenings. Thank you very much for inviting me to speak at your delightful Christmas Eve service. I don’t get to do this sort of thing as much as I used to.

Oh, I should probably introduce myself. It’s quite rude of me to assume you all know who I am. My name is Nicholaus of Myra. A long time ago, I was the bishop of Myra—which is just a fancy name for a pastor. Anyway, I don’t get to preach much anymore, so I’m very grateful for the opportunity.

Now, some people know me by another name. Saint Nicholaus or Santa Klaus—same thing—but I’m not any more comfortable calling myself a saint than you probably are. Saint Kemper, Saint Frank, Saint Ward—I mean, it’s true, but probably best to leave it to other people to call you a saint, you know?

So, my name is Nicholaus of Myra but my nickname is “Nick.” 

Whenever people meet me, they’re always like, “Say ho ho ho, Santa’s supposed to say ho ho ho!”

Sigh. I was at a party one night, having a really great time with some friends, and someone said something really funny—I don’t remember what it was—and I laughed. Apparently, it sounded like “Ho ho ho”—I’m pretty sure I snorted, too. Anyway, I’ve never been able to live it down. When my friends imitate me, they’re all, “Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!” Fine. If you can’t laugh at yourself it won’t be long until you can’t laugh at anything.

I thought I would tell a few stories about how this whole Christmas thing got started. Let’s pray first, ““Dear Father, Be with me tonight.

There’s much work to do and my schedule is tight.

My sack will hold toys to grant all kids’ wishes.

The supply will be endless like the loaves and the fishes.

I can do all these things, Lord, only through You.

I just need your blessing, then it’s easy to do.

I do this only to honor the birth of the One,

That was sent to redeem us, Your most Holy Son.

So to all of my friends, lest Your glory I rob,

Please, Lord, remind them who gave me this job.” AMEN

Saint Paul is quoted by Saint Luke in the Book of Acts, quoting the Lord Jesus. That’s a lot of quotes and a lot of saints. This is probably my favorite verse, Acts chapter 20, starting at verse 32…

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

St Paul is saying goodbye to his church friends in Ephesus—he had been their pastor for three years. It was a pretty big church for those days. They even met in a school, kind of like how you all do. This was a very emotional goodbye.

He says he “commits them to God and the word of His grace.” To God and the Gospel—the message of Christ—what Jesus has done by His life, death, and resurrection to ensure that everyone who hears this message will receive the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven and be sanctified. Made holy. Made saints.

Then he says he didn’t covet anyone’s silver or gold or fancy clothes. He worked hard and shared what he had with everyone else. That it’s important to help the weak, people who can’t help themselves either because they’re sick or struggling in some way.

This is where I got my ideas for how to celebrate Christmas. I think this is my life-verse.

Then he ends by quoting Jesus—but it’s not a quote from the Gospels. It’s just something he knew Jesus had said. Maybe some of the disciples, or Mary told him Jesus said it. Maybe Jesus told him Himself.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

It’s obviously a blessing to receive. Duh. Who doesn’t like to get presents? But Jesus says it’s MORE of a blessing to give.

Are you more excited about what you’re going to give someone for Christmas tomorrow, or what you’re going to get? I’m definitely a lot more excited about what I’m giving everyone else.

Let me tell you how that all got started. I was pastor of the church in Myra and one of the men in my church lost his job because he was sick. He had three daughters and he knew if he died they would be sold into slavery. I wanted to help him but I didn’t want him to know it was me—I didn’t want him to think he owed me. So, late one night while they were asleep, I dropped off a bag of gold with a note that said, “For the girls. Merry Christmas.”

That felt really good. I mean, really good. So I just kept doing it. I’d put together little packages of food and toys and whatever people needed—I’d wait until after they were asleep on Christmas Eve so they’d wake up to a nice surprise on Christmas morning.

Eventually people figured out it was me but then the coolest thing happened—other people started doing it, too! It really took off. Being as generous as you possibly can is so much fun. The amazing thing is, when you give in the name of the Lord—which, arguably, everything given as a Christmas present is—the Lord will bless you in return! He’ll help you give and He’ll help you have more to give someone else. I think that’s the real magic of Christmas.

I’ve had so many adventures trying to live this out—trying to be as generous as possible. I don’t do it for praise, I do it because it’s fun.

People tell a lot of stories about me. Some of them are even true. Ha.

One time I went to a church conference—there was a lot going on, so I couldn’t sit this one out. There was this other pastor who was causing a lot of trouble. He was very popular but he had some really bad ideas.

The biggest problem I had with him was what he said about Christmas.

His name was Arius. He got it in his head that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that’s when the Son of God was created. He thought the eternal Son of God didn’t exist before the incarnation. That was bad enough but a lot of people were buying what he was selling.

So, I’m at this conference, just sitting there minding my own business—Arius is up there talking and answering questions. All of a sudden he says this, “There was a time when the Lord Jesus Christ was not.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I got up out of my seat, walked up to him and slapped him as hard as I could. Some people say I punched him—tomato, tomahto. Shut him up, I’ll tell you that.

It was the original “slap heard around the world.” I think I even said something like, “Keep the name of my Lord out your mouth!” 

I got in a lot more trouble than Will Smith, I’ll tell you that. They threw me in prison and fired me from the church—took my Bible and stripped me of my bishop’s robe. But I regret nothing. You won’t believe what happened next. Most people don’t believe me but Jesus visited me in jail and told me I’d be reinstated. He also gave me a copy of the Gospels and a new set of bishop’s robes. How cool is that? Guards find me the next morning sitting there reading the Bible dressed up like the pope—not too different from what I’m wearing tonight in some ways. When they told the emperor about what Jesus did for me, he pardoned me and reinstated me as bishop. Wouldn’t you?

Anyway, I don’t tell you any of this to make you believe in me. Nobody has to believe in me—Christmas is more fun if you do, but it’s not life or death. I don’t need anyone to believe in me. I just want people to believe in Jesus. I fought Arius because he was telling people lies about Him. He was ruining the Christmas story.

Every now and then some homeschooled kid will come see me at the mall—and they’re always skeptical. They’re like, “Is Christ homoousios or homoiousios?” Trying to see if I’m the real Santa. Warms my heart. I tell them, “Same substance, Kid. Same substance.”

God is eternal. He’s not created. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three persons. One God. God has always been three persons and One God.

There are only two categories in reality: God. And everything else. God is in a category all by Himself. Everything else is something He created. 

This is why Christmas is so important. God, the eternal Son, stepped into His creation. He entered the story He was writing. The Son of God was born as a fragile little baby. God took on flesh. This is the incarnation. That tiny baby in Bethlehem was 100% God and 100% man. 

Some of you will get Legos tomorrow. Can you imagine building a really cool Lego set and then becoming one of the mini figures? Walking around in your Lego creation. Still you but also Lego.

The Son of God was now also the Son of Man. He still is. He will be forever.

This is why I love Christmas so much. It’s the most important thing in the world.

God the Father loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him won’t die but will have eternal life.

This is the Gospel that we were talking about earlier. The word of God’s grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 

You hear the word of God’s grace—the Gospel—that Jesus was born on the first Christmas, He lived a perfect life—born sinless and stayed that way. You and me can’t say that. We were born as sinners and sinned up a mess every day since. I’ve done worse things than slap people, and I’ll bet you have, too. Well, I know you have. I got that whole “naughty and nice list” remember? It’s just the way of the world. You’re on the naughty list and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Ah, but Christmas. Jesus came into the world to get you off the naughty list and onto the only list that matters. I call it the nice list but the Bible calls it the Lamb’s Book of Life. Jesus came to get your name on that list. The list of people who will inherit heaven. The list of those who are sanctified. Saints.

God’s Gift to the World How did He do it? Well, like I said, He never sinned. Then He gave His life to you as the ultimate Christmas present. His actual life. On an actual cross—which forgave you of all that naughty nasty sin. But He didn’t stay dead. He rose from the grave. Not like a zombie or a monster. He rose from the grave in the most beautiful, glorious way—in His own flesh and blood body. And He promises if you trust Him—if you believe in Him—you’ll do the same thing one day. Though you die, you will live again.

That’s the message of Christmas that I hope you’ll always remember. His life—from when He was a baby all the way to the resurrection—it’s a gift for you. That’s why we give presents to each other—because He gave His life to us, because He said it’s more blessed to give than to receive.

And I would never want to argue with Jesus. It’s not a good idea to argue with God. But I think when we’re talking about the gift that God gives us through Jesus—the Gospel, the grace that saves us—I think it might be more blessed to receive. When God is giving you the gift, it’s definitely more blessed to receive than to give. 

I hope you’ll receive that gift. And believe. Jesus is the only way off that naughty list. And, wow, look at the time—I have a lot to do tonight, places to be, I have to go. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!