Jesus Has Come to Town!

There is a popular song that is often sung around Christmas time called “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” The lyrics are as follows:

You better watch out/ You better not cry/ Better not pout/ I’m telling you why/ Santa Claus is coming to town

He’s making a list/ And checking it twice;/ Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice/ Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you’re sleeping/ He knows when you’re awake/ He knows if you’ve been bad or good/ So be good for goodness sake!

O! You better watch out!/ You better not cry/ Better not pout/ I’m telling you why/ Santa Claus is coming to town/ Santa Claus is coming to town

If we’re going to be honest with ourselves, this is an incredibly depressing song!  How much better to know that instead of Santa, Jesus has come to town!

The song starts out by telling us “You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout.”  How many of us can say that we never have a bad day where we have complained about our circumstances, or the people that we have come in contact with?  Perhaps you are in a difficult financial situation, or are in/have recently been in a bad relationship?  Unlike Santa, Jesus doesn’t expect us to be emotional zombies.  He knows that we are going to weep and cry, and yes, sometimes even pout!  Instead of telling us not to do that, he invites us to come to him with our difficulties.  In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus gives the invitation:  ”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”(NIV)

In the second stanza, we are warned that Santa is “making a list” and he’ll use it to see if we’ve been “naughty or nice”.  Let’s be honest here!  We can probably all think of a dozen times in the last week alone when we’ve said or done something hurtful to somebody else.  Even if we’ve felt bad about it, the damage is already done.  If we’re being judged by Santa to see if we’ve been “naughty or nice”, I’m afraid we’re all doomed!  Yes, the Bible speaks of a “list” of sorts…it’s called the “Book of Life”.  If your name is in it, you will be saved.  Unlike Santa’s list, however, getting your name on this list doesn’t depend on your works…

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.  He [Jesus] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:9-13, NIV)

The first part of stanza 3 warns us that Santa sees us when we’re sleeping and knows when we’re awake.  In the song, it almost seems to come across as a threat.  According to Psalm 121, God is watching us too!  But when I read this psalm, there is nothing threatening about it:

 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. (NIV)

The second half of the 3rd stanza tells us that Santa “knows if we’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.”  Again, we face a dilemma – how many of us are truly “good”?  How good do we have to be to make the “nice list”?  According to the Bible, it is impossible, on our own, to appear “good” before God.  Romans 3:10 tells us: “…There is no one righteous, not even one.” and again in Romans 3:23 we hear “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Fortunately, though, that’s not the end of it!  No, we can’t on our own appear good before God, but…

and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:24-26)

Basically, this passage is telling us that even though we can’t possibly be good before God on our own, God has provided a way for us to be good:  He sent Jesus to be a sacrifice for us…and that sacrifice washes clean those who put their faith in Jesus!

So even though we all “cry and pout”; even though we’ve all been bad and can’t get ourselves on the nice list through our own effort, we can be thankful that Santa is not the way of Salvation – we can rejoice instead that Jesus Christ has come to town.  Hallelujah!  Jesus Christ has come to town!!