1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:10,060 Greetings, this is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with a 2 00:00:10,060 --> 00:00:14,980 moment of truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. 3 00:00:15,359 --> 00:00:23,500 Today, I want you to think through with me some random reflections on Christmas. It's that time 4 00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:29,780 of year, and I love to do this every year. And this is one of those times of year when people 5 00:00:29,780 --> 00:00:36,780 are open as at no other time to an explanation as to who and what Jesus was and what he did. 6 00:00:37,140 --> 00:00:44,100 Is this true for you? Do you find yourself perhaps more open to hearing about Jesus and his life? 7 00:00:44,579 --> 00:00:49,679 There's something about this man's life and death that attracts people like no other. And the 8 00:00:49,679 --> 00:00:55,240 apostle Paul puts it this way in the book of Galatians. He says, but when the fullness of time 9 00:00:55,240 --> 00:01:04,939 had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under 10 00:01:04,939 --> 00:01:12,859 the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. At Christmas, God sent forth his son, didn't he? 11 00:01:13,500 --> 00:01:21,159 Jesus, this vulnerable, needy babe, he was born of a simple Jewish maiden, Mary, born of woman. 12 00:01:21,159 --> 00:01:29,180 This son of grace was also born under the law, that is, born under the old covenant of works 13 00:01:29,180 --> 00:01:36,019 that we could never perfectly complete, in order that he might redeem those who were under the law, 14 00:01:36,140 --> 00:01:42,939 as Paul says, that is, bring back to God we who found ourselves contained and condemned under the 15 00:01:42,939 --> 00:01:51,099 law. Oh, Christ, in his life and death on this earth, Christ perfectly obeyed the law in every 16 00:01:51,099 --> 00:01:57,799 circumstance in which he found himself. Christ thereby obeyed for us because he was our federal 17 00:01:57,799 --> 00:02:04,140 head, that is, the one who acted in our place. And this is what Paul meant when he said, to redeem 18 00:02:04,140 --> 00:02:09,419 those who were under the law. Oh, this is one of those deep theological issues with which we deal 19 00:02:09,419 --> 00:02:15,780 when we think about Christmas. In addition to the simpler things like shepherds and wise men and angels, 20 00:02:15,780 --> 00:02:22,939 there are many simple as well as complex components of Christmas, many of which we may lack for 21 00:02:22,939 --> 00:02:31,599 information. For example, where do we derive the title Christmas? The word Christmas is actually 22 00:02:31,599 --> 00:02:39,479 a contraction of two words, Christ's Mass. The church has long celebrated the lives of the saints 23 00:02:39,479 --> 00:02:48,080 in 365 feasts, one for every day of the year. For example, St. Francis of Assisi is assigned October 24 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:57,520 4, upon which a meal, a prayer, and a Mass are said for St. Francis. And likewise, the feast day for 25 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:05,539 Mary, Mother of God, is celebrated on January 1st of every year, in which a Mass is said in the Roman 26 00:03:05,539 --> 00:03:11,599 Catholic Church in her name. And one might then ask, well, then, when is the Mass said for the 27 00:03:11,599 --> 00:03:20,919 Savior, Jesus Christ? And the answer is quite simple. Upon Christmas Day, December 25, this is Christ's 28 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:28,780 feast day. When the Mass is said for him, that is, Christ's Mass contracted now to Christmas. Well, do you 29 00:03:28,780 --> 00:03:36,139 see how nothing comes to us in a vacuum? Christ's Mass, December 25, is a feast day, upon which 30 00:03:36,139 --> 00:03:42,780 presents are exchanged, feasts are eaten, and religious services are observed. So elevated has 31 00:03:42,780 --> 00:03:48,479 this feast day become that it is observed not only by the Roman Catholic Church, but by all Christians 32 00:03:48,479 --> 00:03:56,080 everywhere. Why do you think that December 25 was chosen for Christ's Mass, do you think, December 25? 33 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:03,800 Well, there are two competing theories, only one of which holds up to historical scrutiny. Let me 34 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:11,840 indicate those for you. Number one, the first theory for why December 25 is chosen as Christ's 35 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:18,819 birthday. Well, December 25, number one, was chosen in order to correspond to the pagan celebration 36 00:04:18,819 --> 00:04:25,600 of Saturnalia, which is the pagan feast for the god Saturn. In the Roman panoply of gods, 37 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:32,040 the majestic regal personage of Saturn, occupied this place in the calendar of gods to be recognized 38 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:37,500 and celebrated. For the Romans, it was one of winter's great breaks, when firewood could be 39 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:44,160 burned, animals slaughtered and consumed for protein, and daily labor ceased for at least 12 hours or so 40 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:49,879 in a holiday. In fact, we have a letter from Pope Gregory the Great to a missionary in Britain 41 00:04:49,879 --> 00:04:59,259 that pagan temples and festivals be converted into Christian churches and festivals as well in order 42 00:04:59,259 --> 00:05:07,720 to facilitate the transition of pagans to Christians. December 25, the day of Christ's Mass, was one of 43 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:16,779 those days. Well, the second competing theory as to why December 25 was chosen is because December 25 44 00:05:16,779 --> 00:05:23,439 was chosen because it was figured to be precisely nine months after the church calculated Jesus' birth 45 00:05:23,439 --> 00:05:31,699 from his conception. Church fathers like Tertullian reasoned that the Bible indicates that Jesus was 46 00:05:31,699 --> 00:05:38,399 conceived on the same day on which he was later to die. That is the day he was crucified, and that would 47 00:05:38,399 --> 00:05:46,720 be March 25 or 14 of Nisan in the Jewish calendar. So then, nine months later, logically, this places his 48 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:54,699 birth on December 25. The great theologian, St. Augustine, notes, for he, that is Jesus, is believed 49 00:05:54,699 --> 00:06:00,939 to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered. So the womb of the virgin 50 00:06:00,939 --> 00:06:08,160 in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which 51 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:14,519 he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since. But he was born according to 52 00:06:14,519 --> 00:06:24,500 tradition upon December 25, unquote, from no less than authority than St. Augustine. Well, I hope you find 53 00:06:24,500 --> 00:06:30,480 that to be at least interesting, if not convincing. But here's another random fact of which you might not 54 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:40,339 be aware concerning Christmas. Did you know that rank pagan unbelievers were far more conscious of Jesus' 55 00:06:40,339 --> 00:06:46,819 birth and his own people, the Jews? That's the thrust of the account of the visit of the Magi, 56 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:55,819 that is, the wise men from the East. Let me take you back to 586 B.C., when the Chaldeans, 57 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:03,819 the pagan magicians of Babylon, in service to King Nebuchadnezzar, when they overran and conquered 58 00:07:03,819 --> 00:07:09,319 Judah, just as her prophets had predicted. 2 Kings chapter 23 tells us, 59 00:07:09,399 --> 00:07:15,639 And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have also removed Israel. 60 00:07:16,220 --> 00:07:21,319 And I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, 61 00:07:21,379 --> 00:07:27,240 my name shall be there. And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the 62 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:35,399 plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him." The books, the Old Testament books of 63 00:07:35,399 --> 00:07:42,040 Kings and Chronicles record that the Chaldeans carried away everything of value that they found 64 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:49,279 in Jerusalem, including the sacred scriptures they found, which is, of course, the Bible of the Jews. 65 00:07:49,279 --> 00:07:57,740 Well, the thing that we must note about these Chaldean pagan scholars is that they read the 66 00:07:57,740 --> 00:08:04,500 material that they captured or stole. Well, this happens with every great empire. It's not unique 67 00:08:04,500 --> 00:08:12,199 to the Chaldeans. Those bookish souls who love to pour over pages and documents and scrolls, 68 00:08:12,740 --> 00:08:18,980 these kind of bookish souls exist everywhere, including me. I might include myself there as well, 69 00:08:18,980 --> 00:08:24,939 although I'm not as great a scholar as many in the past. But these scholars assiduously studied and 70 00:08:24,939 --> 00:08:31,959 understood what they read too. They may have been pagans, but they were no dunces. So they studied 71 00:08:31,959 --> 00:08:38,279 the prophecies concerning a savior as well. For example, in Numbers 24, verse 17, they saw this, 72 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:46,080 they read this, and I quote, "...I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come out 73 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:53,740 of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Unquote. So when the Magi in Babylon, after reading 74 00:08:53,740 --> 00:09:01,860 these kinds of texts, saw a phenomenon in the sky that is a star that normally did not shine in the 75 00:09:01,860 --> 00:09:09,200 western sky, well, they reasoned that this prophecy of the Jews was about to be fulfilled. A star was 76 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:15,379 about to come out of Jacob. A king, that is a scepter, was about to rise out of Israel. Oh, well, 77 00:09:15,379 --> 00:09:21,120 these great scholars, what were they to do? Of course, they would pack up and beat feet to Israel. 78 00:09:21,799 --> 00:09:28,139 But to be the first there, right? Be the first to greet and pay homage to this king who would rule 79 00:09:28,139 --> 00:09:35,259 the whole world. This is the background. When you read in Matthew, for example, "...now after Jesus was 80 00:09:35,259 --> 00:09:41,220 born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to 81 00:09:41,220 --> 00:09:48,100 Jerusalem saying, where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose 82 00:09:48,100 --> 00:09:57,960 and have come to worship him." Unquote. Oh, these Magi, these wise men from the east were more informed, 83 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:04,919 I submit to you, than the sleepy-headed scribes and Pharisees of Israel, who ostensibly studied 84 00:10:04,919 --> 00:10:12,039 the text and knew it inside out. Oh, this is one of the points that Matthew intends to make. Even 85 00:10:12,039 --> 00:10:19,759 Gentiles were more receptive to the Messiah than his own people. Another favorite random reflection 86 00:10:19,759 --> 00:10:27,659 on Christmas for me is the 12 days of Christmas. Oh, what a rich heritage we have in this blessed 87 00:10:27,659 --> 00:10:33,500 tradition of the 12 days of Christmas. What comes to mind for you when you hear, for example, 88 00:10:33,620 --> 00:10:41,279 the 12 days of Christmas? Probably the song that begins, on the first day of Christmas, right? My true 89 00:10:41,279 --> 00:10:48,759 love gave to me, right? I apologize for singing. This is all we in the West usually get, don't we, 90 00:10:48,799 --> 00:10:56,240 concerning the 12 days of Christmas. We experience Advent where we anticipate Christ's birth perhaps 91 00:10:56,240 --> 00:11:04,000 28 days prior to Christmas mass, Christ's mass. But then, for us, Christmas abruptly ends. We 92 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:10,240 celebrate a secular New Year's Day a week later, and then it's back to the daily grind. Well, not so 93 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:18,659 in the Eastern Orthodox churches. No, no, no, no, no. Unlike we in the West, the East makes a sacred 94 00:11:18,659 --> 00:11:27,360 celebration of Christ from his birth on December 25 to the Epiphany 12 days later on January 6. 95 00:11:28,019 --> 00:11:35,100 And that's ostensibly the day when the Magi appeared to worship this newborn king. That's when Christmas 96 00:11:35,100 --> 00:11:43,279 ends in the East on January 6. In between, there are 12 feast days when a whole spectrum of spiritual 97 00:11:43,279 --> 00:11:51,200 moments are celebrated. Oh, what a memorial of Christianity these 12 days are as well. And how 98 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:57,399 much is revealed about Christ in these 12 feast days, too. For example, let me just give you a couple 99 00:11:57,399 --> 00:12:06,460 of examples. For example, on December 26, the day after Christ's mass, that is the Feast of St. Stephen, 100 00:12:06,460 --> 00:12:13,879 a traditional day for giving from the abundance of Christmas to the poor. For example, if you know the 101 00:12:13,879 --> 00:12:21,080 hymn, Good King Wenceslas, you know the entire point of the hymn is that the king, on the feast of 102 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:28,700 St. Stephen, spies a poor man come in sight gathering winter fuel. And the good king orders his page, 103 00:12:29,220 --> 00:12:36,039 bring me flesh and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither. Thou and I will see him dine when we 104 00:12:36,039 --> 00:12:42,799 bear him hither, unquote, right? It was a feast day for St. Stephen, the first deacon of the church 105 00:12:42,799 --> 00:12:51,039 in Acts, December 26. Deacons traditionally make provision for the poor out of the treasury of the 106 00:12:51,039 --> 00:12:59,980 church. And so, this day is set aside to lavish a king's abundance on those less fortunate. Oh, you 107 00:12:59,980 --> 00:13:05,539 are meant to do this, dear Christian. Go to the soup kitchen and bring steaks. Go to the city of refuge 108 00:13:05,539 --> 00:13:13,299 and replenish their store of turkeys and beef. See that no less fortunate than you enjoy a king's 109 00:13:13,299 --> 00:13:19,940 banquet, even as Good King Wenceslas provided for that poor man and his family. Well, another example 110 00:13:19,940 --> 00:13:28,539 is December 27. It's a feast day for St. John, the only one of the 12 apostles who did not die a martyr's 111 00:13:28,539 --> 00:13:35,720 death, but rather died a natural death. A mass is said for St. John, the disciple who wrote of the 112 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:42,320 incarnation of Jesus. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. And then December 28. Another 113 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:48,700 final example here, December 28, is the feast day of the holy innocence when a mass is said for the 114 00:13:48,700 --> 00:13:55,179 children murdered by Herod, a monster who tried to sweep up the newborn baby Jesus in his dragnet of 115 00:13:55,179 --> 00:14:01,960 holocaust. Oh, they were not martyrs like St. Stephen, these holy innocents. St. Stephen died 116 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:07,340 heroically in a vision of the glorified Christ. They were not heroes like the apostles who died 117 00:14:07,340 --> 00:14:13,100 consciously witnessing to the risen Christ. Rather, the church asserts, and I agree with them here, 118 00:14:13,179 --> 00:14:18,860 that these holy innocents died for Christ nevertheless because they died unjustly before they had a chance 119 00:14:18,860 --> 00:14:25,480 to know or to will. In celebrating the holy innocents, we remember the victims of, for example, 120 00:14:25,700 --> 00:14:35,179 children of abortion, only fit to do so, or children of war, only fit then, isn't it? Remember the holy 121 00:14:35,179 --> 00:14:42,379 innocence of war? Or perhaps the children who die of parental abuse, all of these and more. Well, each 122 00:14:42,379 --> 00:14:48,960 feast day has its own aspect of Christmas that highlights a singular feature for Christians to 123 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:54,899 remember, not just that one day, but all through the year, not just gifts given by my true love like 124 00:14:54,899 --> 00:15:02,779 a maid's a milking or golden rings or partridges in a pear tree. No, even Epiphany, January 6, celebrates 125 00:15:02,779 --> 00:15:09,259 not only the day on which the wise men arrive to worship the newborn king, but also that's the day on 126 00:15:09,259 --> 00:15:16,639 which the gospel is begun to be proclaimed. Christ's manifestation to the nations, symbolized in 127 00:15:16,639 --> 00:15:23,440 these pagan Gentile kings who now have their Savior revealed to them. And so, dear listener, these are 128 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:30,879 not just rote repetition superstitions. No, the 12 days of Christmas, so much more than a Christmas carol 129 00:15:30,879 --> 00:15:37,759 about exotic gifts given me by my true love. No, it is more about the good gifts of God to his people 130 00:15:37,759 --> 00:15:45,460 for his son, Jesus the Christ. Another random reflection for me on Christmas that I find 131 00:15:45,460 --> 00:15:51,980 surprises many people is that the genealogy in Matthew is an integral part of the Christmas story. 132 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:58,580 What, you may say? Come on, pastor, no boring list of names can be a part of the wondrous story of 133 00:15:58,580 --> 00:16:05,799 Christ's nativity. Well then, name me one Christmas carol about the genealogy, right? I've seen plenty of 134 00:16:05,799 --> 00:16:12,399 dramatizations about the holy family, found no room at the inn, retired to the manger, or maybe shepherds 135 00:16:12,399 --> 00:16:19,120 who tended their flocks by night, visited by angels, even Herod killing the infants of Bethlehem. But I've 136 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:26,580 never seen Cecil B. DeMille or Steven Spielberg dramatize Jesus' genealogy. That seems to be an oxymoron. A 137 00:16:26,580 --> 00:16:35,539 genealogy cannot by definition be dramatic, can it? But any self-respecting Jew of the first century, 138 00:16:35,940 --> 00:16:41,740 he would shake his head in disbelief at this kind of attitude. And he'd ask why you could, 139 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:45,759 on the one hand, say you were allowed in the Bible for, while on the other hand, dismissing 140 00:16:45,759 --> 00:16:53,279 genealogies. Genealogies were utterly necessary to the life of a young babe for several reasons. Number 141 00:16:53,279 --> 00:17:01,559 one, a child's genealogy established his chosen status. A child's genealogy established his chosen 142 00:17:01,559 --> 00:17:08,079 status. Are you a Jew or a Gentile? Well, even today, a Jew is not a Jew unless he can establish his 143 00:17:08,079 --> 00:17:15,460 lineage via his parents. A genealogy is crucial to establishing one's chosen status. And number two, 144 00:17:15,460 --> 00:17:22,460 the promised Messiah would descend from Abraham and David. That was the promise. Messiah would 145 00:17:22,460 --> 00:17:28,680 descend from Abraham and David. The covenants which God cut with Abraham and David both promised 146 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:35,220 that the Savior of mankind would descend from their line. To Abraham, he said, in you all the families 147 00:17:35,220 --> 00:17:41,200 of the earth will be blessed. And to David, he promised in 2 Samuel chapter 7, when your days are 148 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:47,339 fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who shall 149 00:17:47,339 --> 00:17:53,299 come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will 150 00:17:53,299 --> 00:17:59,440 establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Unquote. So when the Messiah appeared, he would 151 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:05,420 have to establish his lineage right out of the gates. No Jew worth his salt would expect anything less, 152 00:18:05,420 --> 00:18:11,019 especially those responsible for authenticating these things. Oh, dear listener, it's difficult 153 00:18:11,019 --> 00:18:16,319 for us Gentiles, perhaps on this side of Christmas, to comprehend the primacy of Christ's genealogy 154 00:18:16,319 --> 00:18:22,799 to first century Jews, but it was there. And consequently, can you understand the importance 155 00:18:22,799 --> 00:18:28,339 of Jesus' birth narrative beginning with these words? The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, 156 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:34,880 the son of David, the son of Abraham. Few people today realize that the nativity actually begins 157 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:40,839 with a genealogy. Turn to Matthew chapter 1. You will find that the birth narrative of Jesus begins 158 00:18:40,839 --> 00:18:47,660 not with angels or shepherds or Joseph and Mary, but with a dry, boring, and trivial, maybe dry, 159 00:18:47,660 --> 00:18:53,900 boring, and trivial, but it begins with a genealogy. It would not have been dry, boring, and trivial 160 00:18:53,900 --> 00:19:01,660 to that first generation, to that first audience, that is Jews who expected the Messiah's credentials 161 00:19:01,660 --> 00:19:08,900 to be authenticated before anything else was said about him. The genealogy in Matthew does precisely 162 00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:16,019 this. It is entirely fitting to begin the birth narrative of Jesus with a genealogy. And thirdly, 163 00:19:16,079 --> 00:19:23,819 we must note about this, that Christ's genealogy gathers up all of fallen humanity. Christ's genealogy 164 00:19:23,819 --> 00:19:30,839 gathers up, embraces all of fallen humanity. Oh, there are actually some very poignant moments of 165 00:19:30,839 --> 00:19:35,640 drama in the genealogy, if you know your Old Testament. How many of you know, for example, 166 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:43,819 that Jesus is a descendant of incest and prostitution? Oh, yes, a descendant of incest and prostitution by 167 00:19:43,819 --> 00:19:49,940 way of Judah and Tamar. Go over that story in Genesis. Jesus stands in the line of Perez, son of Tamar, 168 00:19:49,940 --> 00:19:56,299 who connived and controlled her father-in-law, Judah, to bear her a son by posing as a prostitute. 169 00:19:56,460 --> 00:20:04,400 Scandalous! Also scandalous is that Jesus is a descendant of Rahab, the harlot of Jericho. 170 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:13,339 And then what is more, Jesus is also scandalously the descendant of Solomon, who is the son of David's 171 00:20:13,339 --> 00:20:19,440 adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. Well, if you read the genealogy of our Savior, 172 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:25,880 carefully, you notice that there's a lot of saving to do, a lot of saving to do, not just you, 173 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:32,559 but the entire remnant of mankind. So the next time you pick up Matthew and you begin to read, 174 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:39,319 don't skip over the genealogy with which he begins his narrative. No, that genealogy is integral to 175 00:20:39,319 --> 00:20:46,859 his story of salvation by grace. And then finally, I think we'd be remiss to neglect the history of 176 00:20:46,859 --> 00:20:52,779 Santa Claus. If we're going to treat of Christmas, right? We'd be remiss to neglect the history of 177 00:20:52,779 --> 00:21:01,299 Santa Claus, who today is really a pale image of the real Saint Claus or Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas. 178 00:21:02,099 --> 00:21:08,000 Oh, what a contrast between the legend and the reality. The true story of Santa Claus begins 179 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:13,259 rather with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. 180 00:21:13,259 --> 00:21:19,059 At the time, the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, 181 00:21:19,220 --> 00:21:24,920 who raised him to be a devout Christian, they died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. 182 00:21:25,220 --> 00:21:31,140 Obeying Jesus' words to sell what you own and give the money to the poor, Nicholas used his whole 183 00:21:31,140 --> 00:21:36,359 inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. Nicholas dedicated his life to serving 184 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:42,980 God, and he was subsequently made bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known 185 00:21:42,980 --> 00:21:48,380 throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern also 186 00:21:48,380 --> 00:21:55,359 for sailors and ships. Under the Roman emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, 187 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:01,059 Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, and he was exiled and imprisoned. Yet, after his release, 188 00:22:01,579 --> 00:22:08,940 Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325, and he died December 6, A.D. 343, 189 00:22:08,940 --> 00:22:14,640 in Myra, and he was buried in his cathedral church. This is Nicholas. This is the real St. Nicholas. 190 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:20,700 One story, for example, tells of a poor man with three daughters. Now, in those days, a young woman's 191 00:22:20,700 --> 00:22:27,019 father had to offer prospective husbands something of value, a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better 192 00:22:27,019 --> 00:22:33,519 the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. 193 00:22:33,519 --> 00:22:39,119 This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. 194 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:44,380 Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home, 195 00:22:44,700 --> 00:22:50,660 providing the needed dowries. While the bags of gold, tossed through an open window, 196 00:22:51,140 --> 00:22:57,559 are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. And this then subsequently 197 00:22:57,559 --> 00:23:04,259 led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from St. 198 00:23:04,339 --> 00:23:10,640 Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why there are 199 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:17,339 three gold balls. Three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols 200 00:23:17,339 --> 00:23:22,500 for St. Nicholas. Therefore, we have oranges off him since they're golden in color, right? 201 00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:30,460 And so St. Nicholas gained a reputation as a gift giver. So, dear listener, banish the notion of the cartoon 202 00:23:30,460 --> 00:23:38,220 character Santa Claus that has come to take the place of the real St. Nicholas. Oh, Nicholas would weep 203 00:23:38,220 --> 00:23:43,579 if he saw today what's been made of him. St. Nicholas is not a clown character dressed in a red suit 204 00:23:43,579 --> 00:23:48,779 with a fluffy white beard and black boots. Bishop Nicholas, indeed loved children deeply, cared for them 205 00:23:48,779 --> 00:23:56,700 in an age when infant mortality hovered around 20% and disease and poverty characterized childhood 206 00:23:56,700 --> 00:24:04,539 all over Europe and Asia. St. Nicholas did anonymously leave food and clothing and gifts for children and 207 00:24:04,539 --> 00:24:09,359 their families. He didn't slide down chimneys and leave a room full of toys for kids. The good bishop 208 00:24:09,359 --> 00:24:16,880 ministered to children in a disciplined fashion all year round. He did not work year round at the North Pole 209 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:21,799 with an army of elves in order to disgorge an avalanche of toys in one night that's Christmas 210 00:24:21,799 --> 00:24:29,339 Eve in an orgy of consumerism. No. St. Nicholas followed the example of Jesus Christ, and he did all in 211 00:24:29,339 --> 00:24:35,319 Christ's name. He was not the secular, godless cardboard cutout that our society makes him out to be. 212 00:24:35,740 --> 00:24:41,640 So, remember this. Inculcate this, dear listener, dear parent. Teach this example to your children. 213 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:50,119 Follow the lead of the good Bishop Nicholas, not St. Claus. Finally, my last random reflection on 214 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:57,380 Christmas is this. Why is this season anticipating Christmas called Advent? Advent means coming or 215 00:24:57,380 --> 00:25:02,579 arrival. It looks forward to the first arrival of Jesus Christ into the world that he made. But savvy 216 00:25:02,579 --> 00:25:07,539 Christians also know that Christmas anticipates his second Advent when he returns to redeem his own, 217 00:25:07,539 --> 00:25:12,880 renew a fallen creation, and judge the wicked. The Lutheran Church has long recognized this 218 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:19,500 facet of Christmas, and here is a prayer from the third Sunday in Advent. Almighty God, you once called 219 00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:25,700 John the Baptist to give witness to the coming of your Son and to prepare his way. Grant us, your people, 220 00:25:26,019 --> 00:25:32,319 wisdom to see your purpose today and the openness to hear your will that we may witness to Christ's 221 00:25:32,319 --> 00:25:37,859 coming, and so prepare his way. Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy 222 00:25:37,859 --> 00:25:45,779 Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Oh, dear listener, know this. At every Christmas, Christ's first 223 00:25:45,779 --> 00:25:52,359 Advent is only half the story. Use this Christmas season to anticipate his second Advent. Put your faith 224 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:58,259 in him now for all the work of salvation that he accomplished at his first Advent and the completion 225 00:25:58,259 --> 00:26:04,180 of that work at his second Advent. Paul says this, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with 226 00:26:04,180 --> 00:26:09,880 a cry of command with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead 227 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:15,759 in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive or are left will be caught up together with them in the 228 00:26:15,759 --> 00:26:22,819 clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Oh, come, Lord Jesus. This is 229 00:26:22,819 --> 00:26:29,859 Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. New Geneva meets for holy worship on Sunday 230 00:26:29,859 --> 00:26:36,160 at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th Boulevard. We invite you to join us this holiday 231 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:44,740 season. Meet us in worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of Boulevard. Call us at 232 00:26:44,740 --> 00:26:50,119 523-0196, 523-0196.