I Hate to Break It to You, Virginia

December 7, 2010

Dear Advent Pilgrims,

The time is soon approaching when both our girls will drop their belief in Santa Claus.

Honestly, my wife and I wrestled when the girls were born with whether even to tell them about the white-bearded man in the red jumpsuit. We were troubled by the prospect of informing them that only the good children received toys, while the bad children received none. True, it was a convenient way to get them to be “nice” rather than “naughty.” But what do we tell them about the poor kids in town who don’t get gifts for Christmas? Wouldn’t the Santa myth suggest that those are “naughty” kids?

Eventually, we cowered to culture, and have been playing the Santa game for years: stuffing their stockings the night before Christmas, munching on the cookies and milk they set out for him, and even forging his signature when they left handwritten questions for him to answer. But I think those days are coming to an end.

Madelyn was the first to suspect the reuse, and it started with the Tooth Fairy. About two months ago, she lost one of her teeth at school and didn’t tell us. Instead, our clever gal tucked it under her pillow and wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy asking some personal questions (How do you know when I’ve lost a tooth? What do you do with all of them, anyway? And what’s your favorite food?)

Naturally, she woke up the next morning and found the tooth still packed in its plastic bag and her questions unanswered. Perhaps the Tooth Fairy was busy last night, she thought. So, once again without telling us, she tried it again the next night. (You’d have thought we would have noticed she was missing a tooth, but that’s another story.)

Suffice it to say, the whole experiment convinced her that maybe there’s something sketchy about the whole Tooth Fairy story. And if that’s true of the Tooth Fairy, then what about the Easter Bunny? And while we’re at it, what about….what about….

Well, they’re not quite ready to give up on Santa yet, but we know it’s coming. The closest they’ve come this year was when Grace said recently, “Well, we’re not sure if Santa is real. But we really like the idea of Santa.”

Her statement impressed me as a highly nuanced, post-modern meta-narrative to the Santa story. Child geniuses, these two. But then I thought: Heck, who am I kidding? They’re too smart to believe in Santa, but not dumb enough to lose out on the free loot.

When that time comes, I will mourn the moment our kids lose their belief in Santa. It will be a rite of passage, yet another reminder that our girls are growing up. More importantly, it will mark the departure of significant child-like wonder and imagination, essential companions on the Advent journey.

Without that sense of wonder, they will become like many of us, caught up in holiday duties and December deadlines. Lest we forget, Advent is less about what we can see and touch, and more about promise and expectation. It’s about discovering a surprising gift, in places where we least expect to find it. And it’s about realizing qualities in others that we might otherwise overlook. Archbishop Oscar Romero captures it well:

Advent should admonish us to discover in each brother or sister that we greet, in each friend whose hand we shake, in each beggar who asks for bread, in each worker who wants to use the right to join a union, in each peasant who looks for work in the coffee groves, the face of Christ. Then it would not be possible to rob them, to cheat them, to deny them their rights. They are Christ, and whatever is done to them Christ will take as done to himself. This is what Advent is: Christ living among us.

Yes, there is more to Advent than meets the eye. It is not found in a jolly old man from the North Pole, but in the arrival of Christ in the midst of those who are hurting and hopeless. Unlike Santa Claus, who rewards only those who are “nice” and implicitly indicts those who are poor, Jesus Christ comes to those who are the least likely to be blessed.

You might have lost your belief in Santa. But don’t lose your capacity for a Christmas surprise. Try finding Jesus where you’d least expect to find him: in the face of the hungry or impoverished, in the soul of someone who is grieving a loss, and in the heart of someone who needs to see the light of hope in their lives.

To that end, let me share with you two new additions to our Advent journey this year.

SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE AND HOPE TONIGHT

In partnership with Bethlehem Lutheran, Memorial Presbyterian, and Greenwood Funeral Home, we will be hosting the first ever Service of Remembrance and Hope tonight at 7:00pm in our sanctuary. It will be a chance for anyone who, for any reason, does not feel the light of Christmas in their lives. Perhaps you or someone you know is burdened by a year filled with personal tragedy, broken relationships, divorce, illness, the loss of a job, caring for a family member, the death of a loved one, or a sense of separation from God. This special service honors people’s darkness and provides each person the opportunity to meet their suffering in a safe place and to access some much needed hope.

ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Stop the madness of buying needless presents for people who have everything and give a gift that truly matters. For the first time, the Missions Committee is sponsoring an Alternative Christmas Gift Guide, which you can use to donate money to some worthy organizations in honor of someone else. Guides will be distributed during worship this Sunday, which contain detailed descriptions of the following agencies and programs: Heifer Project, Self-Help International, The Wilmot Wells Project (Iowa-Nigeria Partnership), Church World Service’s Blankets Program, and Stan Sitzman’s Cherokee Needy Children Project. You will be able to donate to these agencies and give an acknowledgment of your contribution as a gift to someone on your Christmas list.

It’s time recapture a sense of surprise this Christmas. In the words of Archbishop Romero, let’s remember what Advent really is: Christ living among us. Let’s look into the faces of those who are in need, and bear witness to Immanuel, a God who is with us.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY: CHILDREN’S PROGRAM!
Join us for a fun, meaningful worship service led by our children’s ministry. They will offer a program called, “Operation Baby King.” Afterwards, we’ll gather in the Fellowship Hall for a soup and hot dog luncheon.

CHRISTMAS COOKIE SALE
Attention St. Paul’s bakers! Save a plate or two of your holiday cookie creations and bring them to church Saturday or Sunday morning before 9am. The Adult Class will be assembling plates to sell before and after worship. Proceeds will support the Next Generation Fund and other opportunities in the church.

PLEDGE CARDS
Thank you for the great response we have had so far to our “Together in Faith” stewardship campaign. Your pledges to both the General Budget and the Building Renovation will help advance our mission of putting God’s love into action well into 2011 and beyond. If you have not yet turned in your pledge card, please do so as soon as possible. Starting next week, members of the Campaign Leadership Team will be following up with personal phone calls to those who have not turned one in. Pledge cards are available in the church office or in the sanctuary this Sunday.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN VIDEO
Did you miss viewing our fun campaign video at a home group gathering or in worship last Sunday? Do you want to show it to a family member or friend? Check it out on YouTube by going to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4w8-kiCEN8.