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The Misleading of Santa and Elf on the Self 

12/23/2013

2 Comments

 
Submitted by Angela Tomlinson 
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It all started with our official decision and commitment to debunk the Santa myth and omit the Santa Claus ruse from our Christmas celebration. My husband and I had the talk about Santa with our daughter Daisy today: "Santa is not real, he's a made up character, we don't believe in Santa, we believe in Jesus. He is a real person and we celebrate His birth. All things come from God, our presents come from Him because all that we have comes from Him, our presents from Him represent the free gift of eternal life God gave us through His son Jesus. We give gifts to represent the grace Jesus gave us when He paid the debt for our sins, etc."
     
So I think we have effectively dealt with the secularism that is encroaching on and taking over this sacred holiday, only to find another trend spreading like wildfire and troubling us more and more each day. Recently this "Elf on the shelf" joker began popping up all over the place. Facebook is ablaze with strategies of how to incorporate this doll into the lives of children each day leading up to Christmas. He even has his own book and get this, he watches all the children's behavior and is apparently in cahoots with Santa, employed to rat out the bad children and report the good works of the obedient children – the result of which is to be only coal and no presents to the “sinners” and all the presents they can handle to reward the works of the “little angels.” This behavior management technique goes back and forth in a dramatic song and dance until it reaches the pinnacle of this whole production: when both good and bad children alike end up getting the coveted presents they wanted in the first place.
     
There are so many parts of this practice (like that of Santa Claus) we take issue with and they’re too numerous to count: suggesting this fictional character possesses omnipresent qualities like that of God, the support of works over faith, putting faith and dependence in an entity other than God, to what and who's standards of behavior the children are being held, rewarding sinful behavior and God-like qualities equally, no consequences for sinful behavior, suggesting that any kind of control is possessed by anyone other than God, and so on and so forth. It’s nothing but idol worship manufactured and dressed-up in a cute festive red and white package.
      
Now I can't begin to tell you how appalled and distraught we became upon analysis of this jumbled concoction of distorted doctrine and the blatant disregard for the holy nature and sanctity of the miraculous historical events we celebrate during this time of year. It also saddens me to think about how hard these seemingly well-meaning parents are working to create a positive influence in their children's lives only to ultimately prevaricate in order to display a muddled and convoluted portrait of the “goodness” of mankind. What a hoax!
     
Don't they see that putting these seemingly harmless false idols before their children and playing along with this lie will cause their children to one day question the validity of our Savior Christ Jesus? I can just picture it now. Sooner or later their children will begin to question the reality of Santa, the Easter bunny, tooth fairy, etc. One by one, the parents then have to confess to the lie they have perpetuated for each character.
     
The biggest problem arises when children begin to question parents about their belief in Jesus. Will the children actually believe their parents are being honest about this Deity that you cannot see when they've already been lied to numerous times about the others? How are children expected to have unwavering faith in God when their parents have already systematically built up and then destroyed their “faith” in all of these other icons. This compromises and discredits the Godly witness of the parent to their child, making them hypocrites whose words do not match their actions. More importantly it, in turn, compromises the witness of Christ to the world portraying Him as a hypocrite, spiritualizing Him, downplaying the significance of His miraculous birth and sacrificial death, and lumps Him in with the others as a “false” idol.
    
Why do adults feel the need to perpetuate this secular fallacy in order to spread the feeling of “Christmas cheer?” As if the life of Christ and the knowledge of His saving grace through faith isn't enough to evoke these feelings of joy and thanksgiving. They promote these worldly values as opposed to participating in activities that bring glory and honor to a perfect God; the kind of worship that cultivates and encourages a sense of awe and amazement as God's redemptive plan begins to unfold with the birth of the Messiah. But I digress.
    
Then I began thinking about Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” I began to wonder if and how we can reverse-engineer this blasphemous distraction and use its basic premise to refocus family worship back on Jesus. Was there a way we could use it to create a new kind of tradition, teaching our children how to glorify Him in a way that supports sound Biblical doctrine, honoring and giving thanks to Him for His redemptive work on the cross and His grace that abounds while also providing a reminder of His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence?
     
And then it hit me: Does the all powerful, sovereign God in heaven not know His beloved and see and hear everything we do and say? (Ps 139:13-16, Jer 12:3) Does He not call us to be set apart by living a life that honors Him (Gal 1:15-16, Gal 2:20, Ps 4:3, Rom 12:2). He has even given us the standards by which we should live (Ex 20:1-17) and by which we will be judged in His Word (Mat 12:36, John 5:28-29). He also offers the gifts of mercy, grace, forgiveness and everlasting life through His son Jesus to those who believe in Him (John 3:16; 3:36, Rom 6:23), and redemption by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). It occurred to me that even though this basic concept when wildly astray there just might be a way to refocus and re-purpose it so that all glory, honor, and praise are redirected to God.

So here is my idea: The Messiah in the Manger initiative. Instead of centering all activities on Santa or an elf just focus on Jesus – the Messiah in the manger (Luke 2:4-14)! Get back to the true meaning of Christmas and the reason we have cause to celebrate and rejoice! Put God FIRST during this holiday and all year long.
     
Let’s develop traditions that show children ways to honor and worship God in order to teach them about the nature and characteristics of Our creator's sovereignty (omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence), the gifts of forgiveness, mercy and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Look for ways to reinforce the standards God has set forth in His Word, and to live a lives that are set apart by a pure witness for Christ and of the Gospel through guarding the holy and sacred relevance of the impetus of God's redemptive plan.

Parents, make a commitment this Christmas season to keep your eyes fixed on God. Make sure your activities evoke the kind of worship that glorifies and honors God magnifying the purity of this sacred and holy celebration. Protect the wholesomeness and legacy of your witness of Christ for your children and guide/guard the developing witness of your child against the evil influences of the world, against anything that may detract from bringing God glory. Make a conscious choice to reject the worldly idols of secular celebrations and embrace the truth, and doctrines set forth by God in the Bible. If parents spent as much time fostering the acquisition of God's Word and application of Biblical truth as they do thinking up ways to position this “Elf on the shelf,” they would be weaving a truly rich and life-preserving heritage in deed.

The bottom line is: people inevitably will carry the traditions of their childhood memories into adulthood, and these are the customs and conventions they bestow upon their own children. Parents, consider the words of Paul in Romans 12:2 as you take time to consider the traditions you are supporting and the meaning behind them. I suspect as you contemplate the “reason for the season” by seeking out activities that truly glorify and worship God, you'll leave that “elf” ON the shelf and choose to magnify the Messiah in the manger!

Walking by faith,
Angela Tomlinson

Romans 12:2 (NASB) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Angela and her husband are good friends of mine and she originally shared her thoughts about the “Elf on the self” with me in an email. I too was concerned about the promotion of this new trend especially among Christians and considered writing a similar article – Angela just beat me to the punch. This article is her email to me and is shared with her permission.
Blessings,
Rod
2 Comments

Certainties

12/4/2013

1 Comment

 
Just a few years ago my family and I experienced one of the most traumatic things a family can face – the threat of imminent death. This week’s blog is based on a sermon I delivered shortly after first being told my wife had a glioblastoma brain tumor, and according to her doctors she was going to die within a matter of months. 
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There are several things I’m reasonably certain of in life.

I’m reasonably certain that …
  1. Come April 15th of each year, unless it falls on a Sunday, “Uncle Sam” will want any money I may owe him without delay, and if he owes me anything then I won’t see a check until at least July or August. 
  2. My DirecTv will go out at least once during a Carolina basketball game due to heavy rain and cloud cover. I need to clarify this statement now that Teresa and I live in South Carolina. When we use the term “Carolina” we mean the Carolina Tar Heels.
  3. And when someone approaches me and asks, “Can you lend me a few dollars?” they actually mean, “Can I have a few dollars?”

There are also some things I am certain of beyond a shadow of a doubt.

I’m truly certain that …
  1. God is real because I've experienced His work first hand.
  2. The Bible is trustworthy and true concerning all facets of life.
  3. Eternity exists – heaven for those who trust Christ as Savior and hell for those who reject Him.
  4. And in order to get to heaven you first have to die. 

These last four “certainties” were many of my thoughts during the first week following Teresa’s surgery and diagnosis.  I spent hours thinking about our life together not just from a past perspective but also our present and future life together. My days were consumed with obtaining vast amounts of information concerning brain tumors, cancer, and of course prayer and the Word of God. Every day as I reflected upon the Scriptures and especially those connected to God’s promises, my hope grew that He would somehow intervene in our lives. I kept coming back to certain inescapable facts: “God is real, God is true, God is gracious and merciful, He loves me, He loves my wife, He does nothing without a purpose, and He has the final say in ALL THINGS.” As I reread the story of Lazarus from John 11 three things were driven home for me during those days.

First, God’s love never prevents us from experiencing the difficulties and pain of everyday life (John 11:3-7).  We live in a cruel and unforgiving world because of the corruption or curse of sin (Romans 8:18-25). All of creation waits with immense hope of Christ’s return and the establishment of His Kingdom; freedom will truly ring on that day when the curse of bondage we’re now under is lifted.

In regards to Lazarus and his sisters there is no doubt in my mind Christ Jesus loved them all deeply. Note the statements in verses 33-36 of the same chapter and how the Lord was moved emotionally. His weeping reveals in one sense how love and suffering often go hand in hand. Another great example of this fact is evidenced in the very words of Christ found in John 3:16. Who would know better than God the pain and loss associated with love.

For many, even some Christians, the presence of pain, suffering, and death is somehow equated with the idea that God must be absent during these specific times of difficulty. To say that God doesn't care about the pain and suffering within humanity is blatantly untrue. As created being we often limit our focus to the physical world and connect our wellness or sickness with being loved or unloved.  The truth is, by ignoring the spiritual the realm we also ignore the greatest element of healing offered by God which also conveys His great love (Romans 5:8). We need to remember also that a deficiency of healing never means one lacks enough faith to be healed (a false teaching of the prosperity movement). Note the words of Martha in John 11:20-22:
 John 11:20-22 (ESV) So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 
It’s as if Martha is saying this would have never happened had You been here on time, but now it’s too late. Some would say this is not what she’s saying at all and point to verse twenty-two in order to make their case. These folks might have a point if it weren't for verses 23-27 and her actions at the tomb.
John 11:39-40 (NASB) Jesus *said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus *said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"
Martha’s statement in John 11:22 most likely refers to her belief in some sort of general blessing God the Father bestows on and through His Son. She definitely believed in a future resurrection but not for her brother at this time in history. The bottom line is that Christ Jesus could have healed Lazarus from 1000 miles away if He chose to do so just by speaking the Word. Three days or four really isn't an issue for God. Just because healing doesn't take place within some sort of time-frame we've set doesn't mean God can’t heal or that He’s somehow missing in action. During the most trying times of Teresa’s sickness I was constantly reminded that no matter what happened God was still on His throne!

Secondly, God has called some to suffer for His glory (John 11:4)

I realize this statement may sound odd and even morbid to some individuals, but the Scriptures are filled with examples that illustrate this point. Remember a man named Saul in Acts 9 who hated and persecuted the Church? God would use him to bring glory to Himself through many trials and difficulties. Read again the Lord’s statement to Ananias in Acts 9:15-16 and the testimony of Paul’s life in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.

God is always purposeful in His actions and Lazarus’s case is no different. Again many might question God’s “methods” or the allowance of suffering for His glory, yet we need to remember that God is Sovereign and Holy and owes humanity nothing. Maybe we need to be reminded more often that without the suffering of Christ on the cross there would be no resurrection, no glorification, and no eternal life!
John 17:1 (ESV) When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 
If I’m certain of anything it’s that God has a reason for everything. Certainly the sickness and death of Lazarus didn’t catch God by surprise and neither did the rapidly growing tumor in my wife. Now I’m not equating Teresa’s illness with that of Lazarus, the Apostle Paul, or Christ Jesus upon the cross, but I do believe God had a greater plan for this event in her life. Without any doubt God’s purpose was to be glorified. I remember vividly clinging to the promise God made to those who brought an offering of thanksgiving on His behalf, the Psalmist wrote:
Psalm 50:15 (ESV) and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” 
The third and last point is simply this; when all is said and done the only words that matter are the ones which proceed from the mouth of God.
John 11:43-44 (ESV) When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 
God’s power is simply amazing. The God Who called Lazarus from the grave is the same God Who healed my wife and bewildered her doctors. Without any treatments after her surgery, and from a diagnosis of glioblastoma, to lymphoma, to an infection, and finally to “We can’t really explain what happened,” I’m certain of this one thing – it was all about God and His glorification!

When it comes to the question of “Why” I’m reminded of a C. S. Lewis’ quote; “The question for a Christian isn’t why me Lord, but why not me.”

Blessings,
Rod

P.S. I thank God daily not only for my wife Teresa but also our sons Joshua and Tanner. These two young men were solid when I was weak and needed support.  They bring me great pride and joy and I dedicate this blog to them.
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