The Wheatland Mission

St. Nicholas

Santa Claus is ubiquitous. We all know the story. It begins right after, if not a few days before, Christmas. Santa is out there helping us make purchases, greeting us at the door of stores, talking to our children and encouraging us through commercials on TV. Store clerks wear Santa hats and images of Santa and his paraphernalia are all over the place.

For those of us who are Christians we are pained by the emphasis upon Santa Claus because it detracts from what we have referred to as "the reason for the season." The Commercial Claus also detracts from his heartily Christian precursor, Saint Nicholas of Myra.

The image below is another icon of St. Nicholas, similar to the one we viewed yesterday. As I mentioned a few weeks ago in our service icons are sometimes referred to as "windows into heaven." This means that they are symbols designed to remind us of Christ, inspire us to worship and develop within us those Christlike virtues.



In worship tomorrow night we will hear a story or two about St. Nicholas, our fellow brother and Christ and inspiring example, of a life lived in service to Jesus through those around him. Let these odd and other-worldly pictures of a person we have never met, from a country most of us have never visited inspire us to deepen our common faith in Jesus through service to those who need him most.

Finally, whenever you see a picture of the red-cheeked Santa with a Coke in his hand or hocking electronics let it remind you instead of the virtues of Jesus that his forebear, the real St. Nick, inspire you to a life better lived.


For some more thoughts on the big guy in red from a friendly blogger, who just happens to be married to my sister-in-law, click on the title above.

posted by The Wheatland Mission @ 6:52 AM