“He’s making
a list/he’s checking it twice/gonna find out who’s naughty or nice/Santa Claus
is coming to town.”
“So,” Santa
asked, “what do you want for Christmas?”
I listed all the toys I’d been circling in the Sears catalog. “Well, have you been a good boy this year?”
How do you
answer that when you’re 6 years old? I
knew the answer wasn't always yes. I’d
disobeyed my folks, I’d made my little sister’s life miserable as much as I
could…a whole year is an awfully long time to be good. But if I told the truth, I knew I wouldn't get any presents. So I lied to Santa
about how good I’d been.
To my
6-year-old mind, that’s what Santa was about – be good if you want good
things. How easy is it to think that God
works the same way? If you live right,
you get God’s blessings. If you don’t,
then watch out.
But the two
names given in the Christmas narrative tell another story. In Matthew 1:23, we find His name is
Emmanuel, God With Us. It’s not Us With
God, but God With Us. He takes the
initiative – He comes to us. In verse 21
we find His name is Jesus, “because He will save His people from their sins.”
These names
tell me that the work is His, not mine.
He comes, He saves. Not once in
these verses does it ask if I've been good.
Instead, it assumes I haven’t, which is why He has to come in the first
place.
This
Christmas, I’m thankful for a God who steps into my messy world, and does for
me what I cannot do for myself. No,
Jesus, I can’t say I've been good. But
I’m so thankful that You are.
