One Christmas when I was a local church pastor, I was giving the children’s sermon. I sat on the steps leading up to the altar and asked the children to gather around me. “What is the difference between Jesus and Santa Claus?” I asked.
My own son, Bill, who was then four years old, piped up, “Jesus will forgive you, but Santa Claus never will!”
And that’s the truth. Santa Claus keeps a list and checks it twice and tries to find out who’s naughty or nice, but Jesus just loves you. I have truly never heard a better description of what Christmas is really about, and perhaps even what all religion is about.
You can’t go wrong with ‘God is love.’ It may sound simple, but it has been my pastoral, personal and academic experience that ‘God is love’ is the most profound religious doctrine of all.
‘God is love’ is so profound a concept, in fact, that people have a hard time deeply understanding it and certainly have a very difficult time accepting it. Self-blame and even self-loathing are the dirty little secrets that so many of us carry around, unable to forgive ourselves and believe ourselves worthy of love. This lack of self-love is responsible for so much of what is broken in human relationships and human community.
This holiday season, give this gift to your children and to yourself: You are loved, unconditionally. Believe me when I tell you that everything else in religion is commentary.
Please e-mail On Faith if you'd like to receive an email notification when On Faith sends out a new question.
Email Me | Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook
