The Man in the Red Suit

Sunday night a group of ladies in town met for a new ladies small group Bible study. Started by the amazing, Maegwen Salley, we got together for a Pinterest craft, some fellowship, and to talk about the greatest man ever, Jesus.

I was a little late cause I had to stop by the PIMC, my church, to drop off some decorations, so by the time I got to Maegwen’s, the other ladies had already made their pinterest strawberry Santas. When I walked in to her fabulous girltastic aqua and baby pink painted house, I felt right at home. She offered me a lovely coffee mug complete with custom name tag, and we began our first lesson.

Let me tell you, I have known Maegwen, quite literally since she was born. (I hear Mrs. Gwen, her mom, recently found a picture of me in all my mid80s permullet {a permed mullet} glory holding brand new baby Maegwen when we all lived out in Kingsburg many lifetimes ago that I cannot wait to see.) Anyway, Maegwen blew me away with how well and eloquently she spoke. She told us God had been talking with her about starting this group for quite sometime, and after much prayer, she picked 11 women from different ages (with her that makes 12, get it ) she thought would get along together well and form a strong foundation for a new group where women could get together, discuss their lives, and our love of God.

As the lesson she prepared began I had no idea where we would end up. We talked about Santa and how in our day and age, he has become the universal symbol for Christmas. As Christians, we have all heard the lament of “Jesus is the reason for the season,” and we know this. However, the point she made, is that we shouldn’t be so quick to immediately disregard the idea of Santa and his role in Christmas.

Let me ask you as she asked us, “If Santa is the new symbol of Christmas, then what is the symbol of Santa?” Obviously it is the bright red suit. Think about it. You see anyone, any build, any gender, and age dressed in red from head to toe, and what do you tell them? “You look like Santa!”

Here’s my favorite part. Remember Jesus has a sense of humor and is far wiser than all of us. Here we all are mad that Santa is getting the glory. Here is the devil and his sophomoric self thinking, “Look, I have pulled their attention away from God,” as he pats himself on the back. And all the while Jesus sits in Heaven chuckling to Himself thinking, “They think they have taken me out of Christmas. They think the man in the red suit has taken my place, but don’t they know, I invented the red suit? I wore the real red suit on the cross when I died on Calvary, covered in my red blood to give man the best, most joyous, only eternal gift.”

The lesson of all of this being, don’t begrudge the world Santa. Santa is a manifestation of the love and selfless giving God wants us to show each other. Yes, most of the world, Christians included, do put more emphasis on the jolly, fat man in the fury red suit, than the son of God who was covered in the true red suit first, but we have to use Santa for us not fight him.

Everyone knows Santa, so use him. When talking to others about Santa and Christmas, use him as a way to guide others to talk about Jesus. You know something like, “Yeah, Santa’s great and I love what he stands for, but let me tell you about the eternal, joyous gifts of my man in the red suit, a red suit made of his own blood, a red suit that he eventually died in while hanging on a cross so those who believe in Him and live His word never have to die.”

And as my preacher said Sunday, in a great sermon, “It is only by getting behind the blood can we find our way home, our way to comfort and safety with Jesus and our Heavenly Father.”

So tonight I am thankful for the man in the red suit whose love for me led him to bear his tragic, horrific, brutal death so I may never die, so I may now eternal joy, even when my burdens are heavy and many, even when I have no faith in myself, I know I have faith that if I put my hand in His and get behind the blood, He will take me home.

Thanks be to God