Yes, Virginia, There is a God
With every Christmas season, a whole series of classic and new Holiday specials hit the air waves. Among the stories, few are as well known (at least in the US) as “Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus”. In the late 1800′s, New York resident Dr. Philip O’Hanlon was distressed over his daughter, Virginia’s doubt in the exsistence of Santa Claus, having heard rumours from friends. He encouraged her to write a letter to the editor of the New York Sun, asking if he was, indeed, real. The reply was an instant classic:
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
As touching as this story is, it got me wondering how often we treat God with same kind of patronizing mythology. Too often we equate God as nothing more the sum total of human goodwill and morality. While it embraces the mystery of a spirituality that surpasses our intellectual capacity to understand God in His fullness, it reduces Him to novel idea.
As the emerging church conversation explores faith, recognizing the mystery and infinite nature of Truth, we must never embrace an ambiguity that reduces what we know to be true, especially during Christmas:
Somewhere in my youth/teenage years (and probably much to the fault of my own), I really lost the idea that Jesus was as human as I am; once I gained that back, his work and his mission become more real in my own head and more inspiring. It”s a good reminder!
And in an episode of South Park the other night (an episode I still don”t know that I think about), Jesus died for everyone- even Santa Claus. Hmmm…
As well, when we promote belief in Santa, who kids later find out is not real, does it not allow them to classify our "myths" about Jesus the same way?
Lukas,Very similar to my experience. Reading Anne Rice”s new novel about Jesus has been a gift in this regard, making Jesus more real than He has been for some time.Peace,Jamie
Corey,Very interesting point. While I think it is possible (though tricky) to have fun "myths" without damaging the truth about Jesus. However, you are right that is an easy and common trap to slip into.Against popular opinion, this why I have concerns about any fictionalizing of Scripture, such as Veggie Tales. But that is a different post for another time.Peace,Jamie
So many Christians that I know treat Jesus as a set of ideals. It is very much the way Gandhi or Martin Luther King Junior are treated. By extracting the ideals from the men, we think we are elevating the men, since ones ideals are often bigger than one”s self. Except that this doesn”t work in the case of Jesus. Jesus is the embodiment of God. Very God of very God. When we lift the ideals of Jesus and try to elevate them above Jesus, we are left with an anemic shadow, and we begin to disregard the radical nature of the Incarnation.
Mark,
So true. I recently finished reading "Jesus and the Problem of Adam" by C. Baxter Kruger. Excellent in this regard.
Peace,
Jamie
I remember seeing that manger pic on a bus stop in scotland. they are ads for church. really bizaar. there are a few others too.
Kristina,
Really? How odd.
Peace,
Jamie
hi jamie – drop me an email!
adrian
http://www.emergingchurch.info
Hey jamie,
Great post! I really like that story; it reminds me of that Puddleglum quote you had a couple of months ago. Which post was that on?
Grey Owl
Adrian,
Done!
Peace,
Jamie
Grey Owl,
Not sure what you are referring to. Help me out.
Peace,
Jamie
Uhhh… wasn”t that here? Didn”t you have a quote from C.S. Lewis” "The Silver Chair," about how one character was going to stand for Narnia even if there was no Narnia to stand for?
LOL! No, that wasn”t here. Sorry!
Peace,
Jamie
I think this is one of the reasons why you see so many arguments and infighting amongst Christians. Having basically forgotten the concept that Jesus was real, we have the equivalent of a giant book club, each person arguing that only they know what the author meant, and nobody being able to ask him what he really meant because he is dead. Oh, wait a minute, the author isn”t dead in this case is he? I wonder why nobody seems to want to ask him?
Great point, Wanderer.
Peace,
Jamie