“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” -Acts 20:35

Merry Christmas!

It is that time of year when Santa Claus brings gifts to well behaved children, and you see the jolly old elf in a bright red suit sitting in malls and children lining up to talk to him.  However, we have lost sight on the original person on whom Santa Claus is based.

Santa painting used to illustrate
Clement C. Moore’s poem “The Night Before Christmas”

The name Santa Claus (Sinterklaas) is Dutch for Saint Nicholas, Claus being the nickname of Nicholas in Dutch speaking countries much like Nick is in America.

The saint on whom the modern Santa Claus is based, Saint Nicholas, lived in the late 3^rd to the mid 4^th Century during times of both persecution of Christians and later, in peaceful times.  He was the bishop of a city called Myra in Asia Minor.

One event from his life that was recorded is that in the city where he was bishop, there was a rich man who had three daughters.  This man lost his wealth, and his daughters had grown past the prime age for marriage, so he worried and thought about how to support them, so he had thoughts of prostituting his daughters in order to create income for them.

God revealed to Saint Nicholas what this man was thinking, so Nicholas, who had inherited great wealth from his parents, took some of that money and put it in a sack, and walking by the house of this man, threw the sack of money through the window and continued walking.  The money was enough to support the man, and he was able to marry his oldest daughter off.  The man did not see who did this kind and charitable act. Nicholas repeated the same act again, and the man was able to marry off his second daughter.  Again, the man did not see who did this.  Nicholas did the same act again a third time, and this time the man was able to see Nicholas and went out and thanked him, but Nicholas directed the man not to thank him, but to thank God who revealed his thoughts to him.

From this story, we learn to do three things.

1. Take Action

The first thing we learn to do is to take action when we know someone is in distress.  Saint Nicholas found out what had happened to the man and what the man was thinking.  He did not simply sit aside and feel bad for the man, but he took action the best way he could by coming up with a solution for the family, and he made sure to carry out that solution himself.

2. Give

Part of that taking action was giving.  Nicholas had wealth, but he did not store it up in greed or find some other way to make himself unbelievably rich, but he used it to help people in serious need.  While he could have invested his money in some venture that could have made him much more money, he decided to invest it in souls, and the healing the man’s family experienced and the families that the daughters built after marrying spanned generations of spiritual returns for him.  These returns are his treasure, treasure in heaven, not on earth.[1]

3. Do good deeds in secret

The final thing we learn from this event is to do good deeds in secret.  Celebrities, businessmen, and other popular people do good deeds publicly.  They do this for show and for staying popular (now some celebrities, businessmen, and other popular people do good deeds sincerely).  What if you do good deeds in secret?  It becomes clear you are doing the good deeds to help people and not to gain glory.  Often, it is the people who do good deeds in secret who have the biggest impact on those around them.  An example of this is Mother Teresa of recent memory, who did not conduct her service with the intent of recognition but eventually became recognized.

How will you give today?

There are many churches, charities, and social relief organizations that immensely help people who are struggling.  If we all give a little, then what we give together becomes a lot that can go a long way to helping those who are struggling.

Who do you give to? How can you take action today to help someone who is struggling in a way other than giving?  What good deed can you do in secret?

Have a Merry Christmas!

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[1] Jesus said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20).