When Santa learned the gospel, he first heard it from an elf.
This tiny Santa’s helper had just learnt of it himself.
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A child had asked for Christmas to receive a Bible book.
This elf had made one in the shop, then paused to have a look.
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He read all about Jesus and the call to follow him.
He learned how Jesus lived and taught and died to pay for sin.
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He learned how Jesus rose again and how he will return
And then this elf read how he should respond to all he’d learned.
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He shut the book, put down his tools, then closed his eyes and prayed.
Right there and then this little elf trusted in Christ that day.
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The next day he told Santa. It was awkward, unprepared.
He knew he didn’t know that much, but what he knew he shared.
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He told Santa the gospel. It was simple. It was short.
But a seed was sown in Santa’s heart, which grew into a thought.
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Santa reflected on his life and the message he supported,
Then compared it to the gospel that the elf had just reported.
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He’d always thought that everyone was naughty or was nice.
He had them all on two big lists. He even checked it twice.
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He’d always thought that you got gifts only if you’d been good.
The naughty kids got lumps of coal. That’s what he understood.
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They’d all line up in shopping malls and sit upon his knee
And claim that they were always nice. As nice as nice can be.
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Of course, he saw them when they slept and knew when they awoke.
He also knew their nice attempts were pretty much a joke.
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Their heads were filled not with nice thoughts of kindness, peace and joy,
But with the never-ending list of their desired toys.
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He knew their hearts, but he had thought, “They’re trying to be good.
That’s good enough to make the list. Otherwise no one would!”
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So every year their “good enough” with toys would be rewarded.
And every year (he realised) this message he supported:
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THE “GOOD” WILL GET THE PRESENTS.
THE “BAD” WILL GET THE COAL.
AND TRYING TO BE GOOD ENOUGH
IS GOOD ENOUGH A GOAL.
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That was the message that he knew, but now he knew another.
He had just heard the gospel. So he compared them to each other.
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The message of the gospel turned his message upside down.
The good, the bad, naughty and nice, it switched it all around.
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“There’s no one good but God alone” he’d heard Jesus concluded.
And those who claim they’re “good enough” are simply just deluded.
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If there’s a list of who is “good”, the standard we’ve all missed.
And Santa saw that even he was on the naughty list.
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That shook his world. That rocked his boat. That gripped him in his soul.
To think that even Santa Claus deserved a lump of coal.
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But that was only half of what the gospel message said.
It also flipped what happened to the naughty on its head.
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Instead of being written off as just not good enough.
The message to the naughty list was one of grace and love.
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The gospel offered mercy to all those deserving coal.
The gospel offered forgiveness and cleansing of your soul.
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The gospel told how Jesus died our death to pay the price
To reconcile us all to God – both naughty and the nice.
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This offer was a real gift, unlike presents ‘neath the tree.
It was not earned by being good. It was offered for free.
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For all his life Santa had claimed that if you had been bad
Then you would not get presents and your Christmas would be sad.
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Santa compared his message with this new one he had learned.
His message said you get the presents your good deeds had earned.
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The message of the gospel offered something so much greater…
Jesus had come to reconcile the world to their Creator.
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When Santa grasped the gospel, he did not know what to do
And so the elf said nervously, “How ’bout I pray with you?”
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Then that night at the North Pole, by the fire in his den,
With a simple prayer led by an elf, Santa was born again.
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And now, in Christ, forgiven, free – his new life had begun
and Santa had a new message to share with everyone.
