Dr. Mike Murphy
December 21, 2022
From his lap, you could see how the town had grown, how the world had progressed, and how our society had changed. For twenty-six years he had filled Santa’s chair each Christmas season at the local department store. He had watched as the faces had grown, and how so many of those faces now placed children in his lap that had similar faces.
He loved every chance he got to don the familiar red suit. To get into character, and watch as the children’s eyes would light up, and a smile would come to their face. To listen to each of their words as they told him what they wanted under their Christmas tree. And to bellow in the deepest of laughs, as he wished each a very Merry Christmas.
To him, Christmas was about so much more than just the gifts that Santa would bring, it was about the hope that only One could bring. Each Christmas, he saw the “red suit” as the greatest of opportunities. A chance to show the kids that the season was not about the toys they wanted, but was about the One they needed. Several times each night, he would stop, and ask the children to gather around. And as the children sat at his feet, he would hand each a candy cane, and ask them if they knew what the candy cane represented. He would point out to them its’ shape, and show them how it looked like a shepherd’s staff. Then pulling out his Bible, and turn it to John 10:11, reminding each that Christ is our Good Shepherd. He would then point out the colors of the candy cane, the red and white stripes that spun down each. He would explain to them that the red represented the blood of Christ, blood He shed so that each of us might live. And he also told them about the white stripes that covered the cane, showing each how that represented us, as Christ washed away all our sins, and made us pure. He would then look into the eyes of each, and let them know that as they enjoyed the gift of the candy he had given them, to remember Christ, and to never forget just how sweet of a gift God gave each of us that first Christmas. And with a tear that he made to look like a twinkle in his eye, he would pray for each of those children.
Through all of his twenty-six years, those moments each Christmas that he spent with the kids, became more than just a tradition, it became a way of life. A way of life that not only filled his life so many nights during the Christmas season, but filled his vision each Sunday morning. See, it was not just from Santa’s chair that he saw their faces, but he saw so many of them from the pulpit he called home. So many faces that had come to fill the church the Lord had blessed him to be able to lead. So many faces that had not just heard the words he spoke as children gathering at his feet, but had taken those words out of that department store, and into a world that desperately needed to hear them. And it was in those moments that he realized how he did not sit in Santa’s chair alone, because the Holy Spirit was firmly sitting in that chair with him.
But as the twenty-six years had passed, he had watch as growth had changed the town. And with each spurt of growth, the changes became even greater. Growth that looked to the world more for progress, than it placed value on tradition. And in the past year, he had also watched that change come to the department store.
The store had been purchased, bought out by a conglomerate who controlled a chain of stores. Cashiers soon became replaced with self-check kiosks, and "hellos" as you entered, soon became nothing more than offers of a new store credit card. The personal touch of the mom and pop store, soon became replaced with the lure of lower prices and greater selections. And as he watched the store change, he learned that his role would have to change too.
Management pulled him into their office, letting him know that they wanted him to continue to be their Santa each Christmas, but that his role as Santa was going to have to change. They made it very clear, no longer was he to step out of his chair, and gather the children around. No longer was he to hand out candy canes, and tell them the story of how they represented Christ. And under no circumstances, was he to ever pray over the children. They explained to him how some might be offended, and how others might choose to shop elsewhere. They went on to tell him how Christmas was about meeting retail goals, not about fulfilling any religious purpose. They also made it very clear how past traditions carried risks that they were just not legally willing to take. In the end they made their point well known to him, he was welcome in Santa’s chair, just as long as he did not try to bring Christ to that chair with him.
As he heard their words, he could hear the words of Christ speaking to him even louder. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age."(Matthew 28:20). As these words echoed through him, he began to speak. “I thank you for each year that I have been allowed to be your Santa, but I am afraid I have sat in the chair for my very last time. You see, if Christ is not allowed to sit in your chair, then that leaves no room in your chair for me. If Christ is not aloud to speak in your store, then your store does not wish to hear my voice. And if Christ is not a part of your plans, then your plans have no place for me. Where I go, Christ always goes. When I speak, I pray Christ is always heard. And I cannot imagine a day without Christ being at the center of my plans. Without Christ, no plan can have a future. Because without Christ, there is no future. I could no more leave Christ at the door as I entered your store, than I could leave myself there. Christ is a part of me, and where I am, Christ will always be.”
As he exited the store for one last time, he reached into his pocket for his keys. But as he did so, he instead pulled out a candy cane. And as he looked at it, he could not help but smile. He remembered back to all the candy canes the Lord had blessed him to be able to hand out through the years. He remembered each time he had been blessed to share his candy cane story, and the lives each of those candy canes had touched. And he know that this was not an opportunity lost, but an opportunity gained. Knowing that in the faith and willingness he had shown in standing up for Christ, the Lord would find other even more amazing ways to use him. And as he started to bring the candy cane to his mouth, he looked down, seeing the face of a small girl as her family entered the store. Smiling at her, he reached the candy cane out to her, and with the biggest of smiles, he began to ask her. “Sweetheart, has anyone ever told you the story of the candy cane?”
Praying that Christ fills your stockings with more than just a few candy canes this Christmas!
