I've been fortunate this week to spend more time with my kids than I normally do. My wife has been out of town and my only conversation partners have been my six and nine year old daughters. As usual, I found wisdom from the mouths of babes...Everyone knows that all good conversations eventually point to Christmas, and being true to expectations, ours meandered from school to church to classmates to Santa Claus.
"Some kids at school say that Santa isn't real" my nine year old says.
I respond "Well - what do you think?"
"I don't tell them any more, since they're just looking for a way to make fun of me no matter what I say... But I do still believe."
"Santa is good to believe in..." I wisely respond.
Then the kicker...
"Do you think Santa brings gifts to those kids who don't believe in him?"
I was lost. I wanted to say - "Of course not!"
I stammered "I'm sure they get gifts from their parents". Deftly avoiding the real question.
But I got to thinking - what are we teaching our children when their one of the few "special" characters in their lives only brings treats and goodies to kids who profess their belief in him? What are we saying when we claim that "naughty or nice" is the arbiter of yuletide justice?
What I want to say is - "Naughty or nice, everyone gets gifts from Santa."
I'm not entirely sure why I feel this way, but I think it has something to do with my concept of grace. Capricious grace doesn't attract me any more. It used to. It gave me a sense of identity and accomplishment to know that I was "better" than those terrible sinners (liberals and Democrats a-plenty) out there, and that God loved me more because I behaved correctly and believed the right things.
But that's changed. I'm simply not terribly impressed with a benevolent supernatural being who meters out grace on their terms, to whom they choose.
However... I am drawn increasingly to a characterization of God/diety/whatever that shows the same graciousness towards all creatures, big or small, pretty or ugly, good or bad.
Sure... it's easy to be nice to and love those who worship me and give me their devotion. But what kind of deity loves even those who hate them? How does this vision of God affect how I relate to others, if I operate from the assumption that they are no more special or deserving of grace than me? Hmmm...
Maybe we'll just delete that verse from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"...
What kind of list is Santa making then? Does God have a list? Am I on it?
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