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SERMON 3 |
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article appeared in the Sun Journal, the local news paper for New Bern, North
Carolina, December 6, 1997 -- the Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra.
Devotional article title: Will the real St. Nicholas please stand up! By Father John Joshua Anna, Priest & Pastor, Holy Cross Orthodox Mission, New Bern, North Carolina Phone: (919) 634-9445 or E-mail: holycross@cconnect.net Date: November 30, 1997 Article proper:
"Friend, may you have a holy and blessed St. Nicholas day!" used to be the typical greeting of the vast majority of Christians to each other on December 6th -- the great and holy Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra (now known as "Santa Claus"). The vast majority of Orthodox Christians and Mediterranean Roman Catholics still keep this traditional feast day and in some places, the greeting I previously mentioned, is still used.
The Feast of St. Nicholas, traditionally, was a very special day in Christianity. Some remember it as a day that was marked by special Church services, sweet goodies, numerous hugs from grandma and visits from that favorite aunt, we all seem to have one, who would affectionately squeezes your cheeks until they were numb! It seemed as if everyone everywhere, without exception, enjoyed family singing, visits with friends and neighbors and catching up on the latest news. Many children, however, looked forward to the Feast of St. Nicholas with special delight because it began at sunset (Dec. 5th) with the giving of a special gift! Gift giving was traditionally done, in Christianity, on the eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas and on the Feast of the Theophany (Epiphany) on January 6 when the Wise Men brought gifts to the Christ Child. Giving gifts on Christmas day is a relatively "new thing" and is only a few hundred years old and comes from Northern Europe. Does some of this "stuff" sound vaguely familiar? Can you remember the elders of your family talking about some traditions like these?
Who was St. Nicholas? Well, St. Nicholas was born in 245 A.D. of very wealthy parents in a prosperous Greek town called Patara (what is now the southern part of Turkey) on the beautiful Mediterranean coast. Sadly, Nicholas’ father and mother died of the plague while Nicholas was still quite young. Nicholas, having had a sincere and genuine love of the poor and the abused from a very early age, immediately began to give away, anonymously, his whole inheritance! Please understand, his inheritance was an enormous amount of both money and property! Imagine Donald Trump or Bill Gates giving their entire fortunes to the poor and the abused! Anonymously, to boot! Giving everything one has to the poor and the abused is, indeed, a remarkable event!
St. Nicholas was considered holy even when he was a teenager. Now, some of you moms and dads who have teens might not believe me, but all things are possible for those who love the Lord! Teens are full of high ideals and Nicholas is a very good example for young people to learn from. The young Nicholas gave his Christian ideals practical and tangible life because Nicholas said "Yes!" to Jesus! St. Nicholas made Jesus Christ his personal Master and personal Savior -- in the Holy Church and not outside of it! There is nothing more dynamic on the face of the earth than to see a young man or a young woman genuinely afire for Christ! Nicholas really loved the sick, the poor and the abused. He loved purely and completely because he genuinely loved the Savior of the world -- Jesus Christ! Friends, this tidbit will really shock you! Nicholas was ordained to the holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ at the ripe old age of 17! I don’t even think I, Father Joshua, could grow a whisker at the age of 17 and here Saint Nicholas is already living the life of a saint! This is what we Orthodox Christians call "holy virtue," "synergism" and "Christ centered living!" Furthermore, Nicholas, a little later in life, was consecrated a bishop and was subsequently sent to prison and made to suffer pain and torture because he refused to turn away from Christ and worship the Roman Emperor (Diocletian) as a "god." Imagine that! Nicholas didn’t give in to immoral peer pressure! Nicholas gave up everything for his principles! Sounds cool to me! And these are just some of the reasons us Christians love and honor venerable St. Nicholas. He is still, to this day, our "hero!" Friends, St. Nicholas is, for whatever reason, our present day "Santa Claus." Unfortunately, seldom is the "Santa Claus" of today associated with anything other than the "Christmas rush." Sadly, it seems that there has been a radical shift away from the very Christian and very holy St. Nicholas to a mere shadow of the man called "Santa Claus." The marketing techniques that utilize "Santa Claus" have very little to do with the historical St. Nicholas who dearly loved Jesus Christ. So, folks, let it be known -- the real St. Nicholas stood up for Jesus Christ and the real St. Nicholas did not count the cost!
Father Joshua,
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