One common question from Christian parents is this: “What should I tell my children about Santa?”
Let’s see if we can shed some light on this:
Firstly, tell them that Santa was a real person. It’s ok, you can believe in Santa! actually, his name originates from the Dutch word “Sinterklaas’.
Secondly, tell them the truth about Santa. The truth is that there was a man in history name Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. He was a pastor in a town called Myra, now located in South-west Turkey.
Thirdly, tell them that Pastor Nicholas was a generous and compassionate man who gave to the poor. He developed a reputation for giving gifts in the name of Jesus to people who needed them.
Fourthly, tell them that Pastor Nicholas was a great theologian. Nicholas was present at one of the important church counsels in history: the Counsel of Nicia. He helped form the Nicene Creed which reads like this:
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen
Fifthly, tell them that Pastor Nicholas was a fierce defender of the truth of the Bible. What took place at this counsel was opposition to the deity of Christ. This was a mighty showdown in the history of the church between those who held to the Bible and a group of heretics who were led by a man called Arius. These heretics denied the deity of Christ. During that heated counsel, Arius stood up and said, “Jesus Christ is not God,” Pastor Nicholas walked over to him and slapped him in the face for blasphemy.
Sixthly, tell them that Pastor Nicholas loved the person of Jesus and they should too.
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