Many parents are saddened when their children learn the truth about Santa Claus. Why do you think this causes sadness for them? Why is this Santa Claus myth so important and why do so many of us work so hard to keep the myth alive in our children?
On Christmas (or Christmas Eve), which Christmas story is the one that you share with your children or grandchildren (if you have them) …the “Santa” Christmas story, or the “Jesus” Christmas story? If you haven’t shared one in the past, do you think you should share one in the future? Which one? Why?
In the “Jesus” Christmas story, we are told that Mary “wrapped him [Jesus] in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” God is all-powerful. Can you think of a good reason, or two, why God didn’t see to it that there was a place for them in the inn?
Perhaps part of the reason we like Santa is because it makes sense to us….you get gifts if you’ve been good, but not if you’ve been bad. We sometimes struggle with the whole Jesus thing, because even those who are really, really bad can be forgiven and given new life. Do you struggle with this at times? Are there people you have trouble forgiving and it bothers you that Jesus will forgive them? Do you sometimes have trouble believing that Jesus can forgive YOU for some of the things YOU’VE done? If either (or both) of these are true for you, pray for God’s help with this.
When you pray, is it like you’re sitting on Santa’s lap and you’re going through your wish list of things you would like or things you would like to have happen? How could your approach to prayer change to that you were praying in the name of Jesus, so that you were praying to follow God’s will for your life? By the way, does it scare you to pray to follow God’s will for your life, since your life might look very, very different if you were to follow God’s will instead of your own? Think about it. Pray about it.
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