Some children might conflate Santa and God - Becky Peacock helps us and our families see how very different they are
Every school child knows that Christmas has something to do with God. Despite the obsession with presents and decorations, twinkling lights and fancy food, every shopper knows that fundamentally Christmas is about God. And so, it’s therefore not much of a leap to picture that friendly white bearded old chap who sits in garden centres welcoming all, giving gifts, and jollying his way through this stressful season as an image of what God looks like. So, are we right? Does God look like Santa? And if not, then what does God look like?
Arthur Christmas describes Santa as a “figurehead” who relies on his elves to do all of the real work. Santa is not like our wise, almighty, majestic God
Isaiah describes him in red clothes (Isaiah 63:2), Jesus teaches that he gives gifts to his children (Luke 11:13), and he supernaturally distributes the appropriate gift to each person (1 Corinthians 12:4). So maybe it isn’t such a leap to assume that the old man in the red suit is an image of God the Father after all. When our children are buzzing with excitement and chattering about Father Christmas this week, how much can we really say he looks like God? Let’s explore……
The armchair
When we visit Santa in his grotto, we usually find him sitting in a comfy chair in a cosy living room, but when the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of God, he describes seeing the shape of a man sitting on a sapphire throne. Sapphires are a deep blue, and probably not very comfortable! They are associated with royalty, belonging to Kings and Queens. Traditions tend to link sapphires with wisdom and knowledge, and they are a symbol of faithfulness, love and trust. Don’t you think this chair is far more fitting for Almighty God than the old, battered cushions that we find Santa sat on in grottos?
Santa isn’t committed to you, he’s flakey and disappears for 11 months of the year!
Santa isn’t a king, but God is the King of kings. Santa isn’t committed to you, he’s flakey and disappears for 11 months of the year! God is faithful and loyal; he loves you and you can trust him. Despite his apparent age, Santa isn’t deeply wise and full of knowledge, he keeps lists to remember and even then, has to check them twice! Arthur Christmas describes him as a “figurehead” who relies on his elves to do all of the real work. Santa is not like our wise, almighty, majestic God.
The glowing fireplace
But what about that cosy scene with the fireplace? Does the sapphire throne at least have that next to it? Well in Ezekiel’s vision he does see a fire, and a man, however, whilst we expect a smiley, slightly podgy, lazy old man, what he sees instead sounds quite scary. “He looked like glowing metal with fire inside it. All around him was a bright light which looked like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day” (Ezekiel 1:27).
Read more:
The case against Christian parents telling their children Santa is real
The case for Christian parents telling their children Santa is real
So instead of lounging around in a cosy armchair next to a crackling fire, we can picture God as Ezekiel did, sitting on a majestic throne with the glowing fire coming from inside of him, radiating directly from him as the source of all of the glorious, beautiful light of the world. And just like a rainbow on a rainy day or a glowing fire on a cold December afternoon, when we look at God we can expect a warm welcome, a comforting peace, and hope regardless of our circumstances.
where Santa’s fluffy white beard and long untamed hair assure us that he is old and grandfatherly, God’s pure white reflects his perfection and holiness
The fluffy white beard
When John sees a vision of God in Revelation chapter 1, he finds him in “a long robe with a gold band around his chest”. Well this is beginning to sound a little closer to the Christmas mascot and his red cloak and belt. John describes “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow”. It’s no wonder that the Christmas character gets associated with God once we start talking about snow! But where Santa’s fluffy white beard and long untamed hair assure us that he is old and grandfatherly, God’s pure white reflects his perfection and holiness.
The prophet Daniel calls God “the ancient of days” (Daniel 7:9) so perhaps like Father Christmas the white beard can speak to us of his eternal nature. When your kids chat with you about Santa’s timeless care for people throughout the ages then why not use that as a springboard to get excited about the God who actually is, was and will be there at the beginning and the end (Revelation 1:8)!
Our God is gentle and loving like Santa, but he speaks with power and strength, authority and might
The ho ho ho
We can’t talk about Father Christmas without including his famous catchphrase. No shopping mall Santa visit is complete without a little Ho Ho Ho from the man in red. Is that why talking with God is like? John’s description of God in revelation describes, “His voice was like the noise of flooding water.” There is a scene in Home Alone where the Wet Bandits have left the taps running and Kevin McAlistair stomps through the flooded basement as water cascades down the stairs. The sound is deafening and very frightening! The crash of the water drowns out any jolly Christmas music. This feels a long way from the deep jolly Ho Ho Ho that Father Christmas whispers into the night as he flies off in his sleigh.
If you want to know what God is like, then look at Christ! Jesus is the exact representation of Father God!
Our God is gentle and loving like Santa, but he speaks with power and strength, authority and might. Like Aslan silencing the witch with his roar. Like Lucy and her big love for Aslan, we don’t have to be scared of speaking to God, we can come to him for comfort and because we know that however small and weak we feel he is mighty powerful and strong.
If you’ve read this hoping for a definitive answer of what God looks like, and you’ve been disappointed by the metaphors then let me leave you with the most definitive of descriptions of God’s appearance in Scripture: “No one has seen God, but Jesus is exactly like him” (Colossians 1:15). If you want to know what God is like, then look at Christ! Jesus is the exact representation of Father God!
This Christmas enjoy the metaphors and the silly jolly man in red if you want to, but don’t miss the opportunity that these comparisons bring to talk about the real hero of Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
