THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Father Christmas or the father of Christmas?

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests. — Luke 2:14.

Seven more sleeps until we are awakened by angels singing (if you are a shepherd), or is it seven more sleeps until the Christmas sales are over (then come the Boxing Day sales), or seven more sleeps until we need to find a new reason to party, (thank goodness for New Year’s Eve).

A couple of weeks ago in Nelson an interesting issue raised its head. Can you have a Santa parade without a properly dressed Santa?

You could also ask the question. Can you have a Christmas parade with hardly a mention of the reason for the season, Jesus Christ?

Actually if you take the real meaning of Christmas, then you are really being politically incorrect. In the Latin “Christ” means messiah or saviour, and “mass” is the idea of meeting or being together in communion. So Christ-mass means meeting with the Christ.

Add to that the word merry and you get “May your meeting with the Christ of God (Jesus) be a joyful moment.

Sometimes I think that we get so correct, we become wrong and end up chasing the wrong reason for the season, so that we miss the declaration of the angels “Peace on earth” because we are chasing “Father Christmas” and forgetting the “Father of Christmas”.

So who is he, this Father of Christmas?

— Rev Kevin Tarry (Rev Kev)

assistant priest, Anglican