Would the Real St. Nicholas Please Stand Up?
4 December 2024
Trivia Question #1: If there really was a Saint Nicholas, he
a. Worked in the reindeer ministry
b. Didn’t grow up in Europe
c. Attended services only on Christmas
d. Didn’t trust organized religion but loved to pray while sledding on snowy days
Trivia Question #2: If there really was a Saint Nicholas, he was Lutheran.
a. True
b. False
Please scroll down for your answers
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Answers:
Congrats! YOU knew that yes, Saint Nicholas, was a real person. You also might have known that December 6—this Friday– is the day when legend holds Saint Nicholas died, or we might say, was welcomed to heaven. So, December 6 is recognized in the Lutheran Church along with many other liturgical churches as the Feast of Saint Nicholas. While Lutherans understand the saints a bit different than our Roman Catholic cousins, we do turn for inspiration to various Christians who lived before us and demonstrated courage, faith, and impact. Therefore, on page 17 of our red worship hymnal, you can find Saint Nicholas in the list of saints whose faithful lives we celebrate.
Well, with Saint Nicholas Day on December 6, let’s celebrate by sharing 6 engaging aspects of Nicholas’ life.
(Thanks to Joseph Pronechen of the National Catholic Register).
1. The saint’s name Nicholas is of Greek origin and means “victor of people.”
2. Nicholas was born not in the North Pole, but in Patara in A.D. 270. He lived here and in Myra, both seaport towns off Turkey’s southern coast all his life (and died in 345). In Acts 27.4-5, we read that St. Paul passed through Myra on his way to stand trial in Rome.
3. Legend holds that his parents were serving the needs of the sick when Nicholas was born. They contracted the same disease as the sick and died. Being the only child, he inherited everything.
4. St. Nicholas’s anonymous gift-giving originated in his hometown of Patara in Turkey. According to ancient tradition, to deliver a destitute family of a widower father and his three daughters, who their father was considering to sell into slavery, out of dire poverty, the young Nicholas secretly threw three bags of gold coins through their window on three consecutive nights. Such sneaky nocturnal gift-giving certainly is a hallmark of Santa Claus, as Nicholas’ legend morphed far beyond his home country of Turkey. Throughout the centuries, oranges have been popular gifts or stocking fillers. The oranges recall the three round purses containing gold coins St. Nicholas threw into the window of the destitute family on those three consecutive nights.
5. Generous gift-giving in support of others flows from Nicholas’ Christian faith. In fact, Nicholas was elected the Bishop of Myra. He was one of the 318 bishops participating in the Council of Nicaea, the First Ecumenical Council of the Church, in A.D. 325. The main purpose was to resolve confusion over the nature of the Son in his relationship to the Father caused by the Arian heresy. The Council of Nicaea—which we still use today in the ELCA– formulated the Nicene Creed which outlines basic Christian belief that the Son is “consubstantial” with the Father. Also, some say the candy cane’s shape models the shepherd’s crook that Nicholas carried in his role as bishop, in honor of the Great Shepherd.
6. Some suggest Nicholas got to be known as Santa Claus thanks to a corruption of the Dutch way of referring to him as “Sinterklaas.” The Dutch brought “Sinterklaas” with them to North America in 1621 when they founded New Amsterdam on the tip of Manhattan. English speaking settlers later corrupted the name, which evolved into “Santa Claus.”
Appreciating Advent-waiting and calendar-window-opening with you,
Pastor Fritz
Questions:
1. How does Saint Nicholas’ story inspire your own?
2. Have you ever had fun giving a gift anonymously, like Saint Nicholas?
3. How is our use of Santa Claus the same and/or different than the original story of Saint Nicholas?
Prayer:
Let us pray. Dear God, thanks for holy ones like Nicholas. Perhaps Nicholas knew that while he couldn’t help directly baby Jesus, he could help the three young girls in his village who needed support. Bless us, like Nicholas, with observant eyes and hearts, to see opportunities to give to Jesus by giving to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.