By Rob Buzza
Contributor
We’ve dedicated this month’s articles to recalling Christmas movie moments.
Another one of my favourites is from Miracle on 34th Street.
While some of us may no longer believe in Santa Claus, this classic scene still provokes a discussion about faith and common sense.
The movie ends with a lawyer successfully defending Kris Kringle as the real Santa Claus in a New York court.
Unfortunately, little Susan, the child star of the story, still has trouble believing in him because her request for a house with a backyard swing set is left unanswered.
The explanation given by her mom is that “faith is believing in things even when common sense tells you not to.”
Susan begins to believe against all odds and, as in most Christmas movies, is rewarded for her simple faith.
Churches don’t often talk positively about Santa, perhaps thinking he is a distraction from the real Christmas story and the true reason for the season.
If you’ve been around a while, you might remember “the church lady”, Dana Carvey’s famous character on SNL, reminding us that if you rearrange the letters of Santa – “could it be … Satan?”
Our church has a less suspicious view of Santa.
In fact, we had about 700 kids and their parents from the community at our annual Breakfast with Santa event earlier this month.
Saint Nicholas, the real source behind the mythical Santa, was actually a great example of the spirit of giving.
He tragically lost both his parents to an epidemic when he was a young boy.
A committed Christian, Nicholas dedicated his inheritance to helping the poor, especially children.
He would at times secretly drop bags of money down chimneys or put money in shoes left outside, and our mythical traditions developed from there.
If we have faith in Jesus, then some common sense may be required.
According to a large majority of the population, belief in intelligent design seems more sensible than random chance.
If there is a God, then it also makes sense that He had a reason for creating us. If He had a reason, He would no doubt reveal that purpose to us.
The hard evidence for the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is overwhelmingly obvious to those who are open to the truth.
We will be hearing the story from every corner of the world over the next few days.
Whatever you believe will require faith, whether you put your trust in random chance, Santa Claus, or Jesus.
Might I suggest that if you want a real miracle on your street this Christmas, use your common sense and put your faith in Jesus.
Rob Buzza is lead pastor at NorthRidge Church.
