Father Christmas and the Child of Bethlehem

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19374, 24 December 1932, Page 13

Father Christmas and the Child of Bethlehem

Father Christmas is nowadays usually represented as a benevolent, jovial, rather bibulous looking old gentleman reminding us of Falstaff and Old King Cole. In fact, if we were to strip off some of his superfluous clothing, and replace the garland of holly leaves with a vine, he would pass muster for the old pagan God. Bacchus. The religious symbol for Christmas is the figure of the Madonna and the Infant Christ. So the world seems to have turned things upside down for where could we find a greater contrast than this between the Child of Bethlehem, and the rather dissipated old man, called Father Christmas. But I would be fair to Father Christmas, for after all there is something very likeable about the old fellow’. Like the boys with the boater hats, he did not always wear his crown of holly leaves at such a rakish angle. In fact, he began his history as a saint; he was Saint Nicholas and represented that goodwill amongst men which expressed itself in the making of gifts, especially to children and the poor. Let it be clearly understood that we have no complaint against St. Nicholas. We want happiness, and feasting and the family festivities, but we want them only if blessed by the Christ Child of Bethlehem and not by this modern Bacchus. Let me try and make clear where this distinction lies. Mr K. G. Wells wrote a story where a stranger found his way into a land where all men were blind. He remembered the proverb which says “In the country of the blind, the one eyed man is King,” and he was amazed to find that this did not work out. They would neither believe nor understand anything he told them. When he persisted they said he was mad. At last he said to one of them, “Has no one told you that in the country of the blind the one eyed man is king," and the blind man answered carelessly over his shoulder, “What is blind?” The preacher of the gospel of the Incarnation in the world to-day is faced with a similar difficulty. Jesus Christ was born to be a Saviour. He came to save men from the power of sin and the modem man, with a book on the new psychology tucked under his arm, answers over his shoulder, “What is sin? Who wants a Saviour, anyhow?” Unless we feel the need, the crying need, the need above all needs of a Saviour, we had better be honest and worship Father Christmas, alias Bacchus, and not the Infant Christ of Bethlehem. And yet, I fancy this talk of not wanting a Saviour is only a bluff: and in this distracted modem world, a pretty poor bluff at that. What the world needs to-day, more than anything else is to get back its faith in God. We are up against problems and difficulties on all sides and there is no one to show us the way out. Our scientists and philosophers are beginning to feel that there is no national explanation of the universe and no apparent purpose in human life, and mens’ hearts everywhere are failing them for fear of the things which are coming upon the earth. If only we could believe that there is a God who knows and cares: One who will still guide and control the destiny of the nations and the affairs of men. One whom we can trust, even in the face of all that perplexes and dismays. This, of course, is the very message which the church bells ring out every Christmas Day. The birth of Jesus Christ was God’s assurance to man that the affairs of men were His concern, and that it is His purpose to stand by us and save us. What we need is to regain a simple child-like trust in God above, and have humility enough to acknowledge ourselves His children. May the humility of the Christ Child be in your hearts this Christmastide. May the tenderness of Mary, His Mother, be in your thoughts and actions. May the love of God, His Father, give you faith and courage to meet the troubles of these days.. This is my wish for you. H. W. MONAGHAN, Archdeacon of Timaru.