At a “breakfast with Santa” this morning, we overheard someone jokingly ask their child what they were going to say when Santa asked if they’ve been good this year. Moments later, Joleen and I discovered that we both were thinking about that exchange.
The lyrics of the song, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, warn …
You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town.
The basic idea is that if you’ve been good, you’ll be rewarded but if you’ve been bad, well, you’ll get nothing (or perhaps a chunk of coal).
In our brief individual reflection we both thought of a movie we watched while we were in Tennessee recently, Fred Claus. The movie tells the story of Fred, Santa’s older brother. One of the lessons Fred (who’s had a troubled life, in the shadow of his revered brother) teaches his brother in the end is that all children deserve a gift whether or not they’ve been good.
Romans 3.23 says …
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Thank God who has given us the gift of his Son, even though we don’t deserve it!