My Child Does Not Believe in Santa Clause

I want my daughter to believe in Jesus, who is the reason for the season.  As sappy as that sounds, it's very true.

Santa is not as good of a fairy tale as true story of Jesus.  I  am mainly thinking of the song Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town. Nice children get what ever they want for Christmas, and naughty children get lumps of coal. Santa see.ms very conditional

Jesus, on the other hand, forgives everyone who forgives others (Matthew 6:14).  All of us are naughty (Romans 3:10 & Romans 3:23).  The punishment for all of us being naughty is not coal, but death in Hell (Romans 6:23).  Jesus did not wait for all of us to nice either.  While we were still naughty, Christ came into this world and died for us (Romans 5:8).  Jesus gave his gift of the forgiveness of sins to all "naughty and nice children".

During Christmas, I talk to my daughter about why Jesus came into this world and Saint Nicholas, who Santa is based off of.  The stories of Jesus and Saint Nicholas will always be true for my daughter, and she won't ever be devastated that my wife and I lied to her with Santa not being real.

Saint Nicholas

Below is an excerpt from the Saint Nicholas article at the Catholic.org site, which I find is more interesting than the Santa Claus of the North Pole.  If you don't feel like reading the below wall of text, the Saint Nicholas link above has a video too.

"The great veneration with which St. Nicholas has been honored for many ages and the number of altars and churches all over the world that are dedicated in his memory are testimonials to his wonderful holiness and the glory he enjoys with God. [He was alive during the fourth century.]

...

Both of his parents tragically died during an epidemic when he was a young man, leaving him well off, but to be raised by his uncle - the Bishop of Patara. Nicholas was determined to devote his inheritance to works of charity, and his uncle mentored him as a reader and later ordained him as a presbyter (priest).

An opportunity soon arose for St. Nicholas and his inheritance. A citizen of Patara had lost all his money, and needed to support his three daughters who could not find husbands because of their poverty; so the wretched man was going to give them over to prostitution. Nicholas became informed of this, and thus took a bag of gold and threw it into an open window of the man's house in the night. Here was a dowry for the eldest girl and she was soon duly married. At intervals Nicholas did the same for the second and the third; at the last time the father was on the watch, recognized his benefactor and overwhelmed Nicholas with his gratitude. It would appear that the three purses represented in pictures, came to be mistaken for the heads of three children and so they gave rise to the absurdstory of the children, resuscitated by the saint, who had been killed by an innkeeper and pickled in a brine-tub.

...

St. Nicholas is celebrated as the patron saint of several classes of people, especially, in the East, of sailors and in the West of children.

...

This custom in England is not a survival from Catholic times. It was popularized in America by the Dutch Protestants of New Amsterdam who converted the popish saint into a Nordic magician (Santa Claus = Sint Klaes = Saint Nicholas) and was introduced into this country by Bret Harte. It is not the only "good old English custom" which, however good, is not "old English," at any rate in its present form."

Why We want to Continue to Exist as a Church

Scripture Reading

Revelation 4:8 - 5:14 ESV

8 And the four living creatures,each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Main Points

1. God the Father is worthy
2. God the Son is worthy
3. The mission is worthy

God the Father is Worthy

As a small church, we don't have the luxury for our members to sit in the sidelines.  Believe and seek God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Only God is worthy of praise.  

Elders and creatures in the above passage have an unceasing worship. Worship the Father because:

• He's Holy -- distinct -- from us.
• He's all powerful -- not puny.
• He's eternal -- not limited to spare time.
• He's our creator (vs. 11).
• He provides meaning -- purpose -- in life.

God made us.  God made the machine of man to run on God. - C. S. Lewis

He is worth it all!

God the Son is Worthy

The seven seals on the scroll means that it was VERY important.  John really wanted to pen the scroll.  The angels, elders, nor anyone were worthy to open it. 

Revelation 4:6 - Sin separates us from God.  We are under judgement.

Revelation 5:5 - Jesus is worthy.

7 eyes indicate the Lamb has great power and sight.

Revelation 5:8 - The elders worship the Lamb in the same manner as they worshiped the Father.

Revelation 5:12 - Jesus is worthy.

Jesus the Christ is the Lamb.  He is why our Church exists.

The Mission is Worthy

Jesus' mission is our mission.  His mission is His people.  Pursue this mission until our dying breath.