During the last years of the Roman Empire, in the city of Myra, the regional bishop died. A local man, Nicholas, who was known by all to be a very holy person and a devoted follower of Christ, was elected as the new bishop with little or no opposition. Nicholas' first act as bishop was to give away all his wealth, for he was a very rich man. He started giving all of his possessions and money away, but before he was able to give it all away he had a dream one night. An angel appeared to him in his dream and said, "Nicholas, you must not give all of your wealth away. Save some of it." Nicholas protested, "But the poor, they need the money." The angel interrupted him, "Save three bags of gold until I tell you what to do with it." Nicholas did what the angel commanded and hid three bags of gold under his bed. Every night he waited for a message as to what to do with the money.
Bishop Nicholas waited a long time, but one night the angel returned in a dream. The angel said, "Nicholas, tonight you must take one of your bags of gold and go to the pawnbroker who has three daughters. He is very poor and his daughters will not be able to marry without a dowry. Otherwise they will be sold into slavery." Nicholas woke from his dream, got dressed and took one bag of gold from under his bed. He went to the pawnbroker's home and was ready to knock on the door when he stopped. He decided he would leave the bag at the door. Before leaving, however, he peaked through the window and saw that the pawnbroker and his daughters were weeping and obviously dejected. Thus, he quietly pushed opened the window, dropped the bag of gold inside, and quickly fled. In the bag was sufficient gold for a dowry for the eldest daughter, allowing her to wed. She was full of joy and her father as well; but not the two younger sisters.
The next evening the angel returned to Nicholas in a dream and said, "Nicholas, take another bag of gold and go to the pawnbroker's home for his younger two daughters are in jeopardy of being sold into slavery." Nicholas immediately woke and went to the home. He did not try to knock on the door, but immediately went to the window, but it was locked. Thus, he went to another window, slowly and quietly opened it, dropped the bag of gold inside, and again left hastily. Now two sisters were happy, but not the youngest.
The next evening Nicholas had another dream, as he knew he would, for all good things come in threes. The angel came and repeated the story from the previous two evenings. Thus, Nicholas got up and went to the pawnbroker's home. Meanwhile the pawnbroker was very curious who was leaving these bags of gold. Like Nicholas, he knew good things come in threes and thus he locked the door and all the windows, forcing, he hoped, the generous benefactor to go to the back of the house where he could be discovered. The youngest daughter asked her father to keep the windows open, but he would not hear of it. Bishop Nicholas arrived and tried a window, then another, and another, but all were locked. But instead of going to the back of the house, he climbed up the side and reached the roof. From there he dropped the gold down the chimney. The bag broke open as it dropped and all the coins fell into the fire. The pawnbroker raked them from the fire, allowed them to cool, and found there was sufficient money for a dowry for his youngest daughter. The pawnbroker never knew of the bishop's kindness, but others did and later told the story of Nicholas. Over time, the story of Nicholas' goodness reached central Europe. To this day, people remember the man who became known in legend as Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus), as a man who gave gifts imitating God's gift of himself to the world.
Christians may wonder why a story about the precursor of Santa Claus is related on Christmas when we celebrate Jesus' birth and the religious significance of this holy day. Obviously, the story of Jesus' birth, as related by Saint Luke in today's Gospel Reading is vitally important, but the story of Bishop Nicholas and Jesus are integrally related, for in each case a promise was made and a gift given. This idea certainly lies at the heart of the Christian message.
The Hebrew Scriptures provide ample evidence of God's promise to the world. The Pentateuch tells us that God made a promise with the Jews, establishing a covenant with his chosen people. Moses spoke to the people, "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you — for you were the fewest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations" (Deuteronomy 7:6-9). God's promise to the Hebrews to make them a great nation reached its apex in David, the great king of the united Israel. Peace was present and Israel stood above other nations.
Unfortunately Israel's position was short-lived due to the faithlessness of its people. Immediately after Solomon's death the nation divided and antagonism reigned between Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Despite this situation God's promise to the Hebrews continued to be fulfilled. As rulers in both nations transgressed God's Law, prophets were sent to warn the people. Even when Israel was overrun by the Assyrians and Judah was sent into exile in Babylon, God continued to be present and fulfill his promise. Ezekiel was sent to the Hebrews in exile with a message of Israel's return. God would breathe new life into the dead bones of Israel and give them another change (Ezekiel 37:1-14). Isaiah was sent to proclaim a new day for Israel: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61:1-2). In a similar way Zechariah (8:2-3) proclaimed the rise of Jerusalem: "Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain."
Undoubtedly the greatest fulfillment of God's fealty to the Hebrews was the promise of a Messiah. Isaiah (7:13-14) wrote, "Hear then O house of David! It is too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." Jeremiah (23:5-6) and Micah (5:2-5) prophesied a warrior king, an image that was highly attractive to the persecuted Jewish people. But Isaiah (9:2, 6-7) proclaimed another message concerning who Immanuel would be:
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in the land of darkness — on them light has shined.... For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
God's faithfulness to the Hebrews should, of course, be no surprise to the Christian community. We recall the Pauline author in 2 Timothy (2:11-13): "If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself."
The apex of God's plan of salvation is found in Jesus, the ultimate manifestation of God's promise to his people. As we heard last Sunday the Angel Gabriel came to Mary with a remarkable claim, that she, a virgin, would conceive and bear a son. Today the angel's promise is fulfilled in Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. The Son of God, sent by the Father, takes on the human condition, save sin, in an act of ultimate love for all of us. The familiar Christmas story, like the familiar story of Saint Nicholas, presents both a promise fulfilled and a gift given. Nicholas sought to divest himself from all wealth and his wish was fulfilled but only by giving a gift to those most in need. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise of Isaiah and the other prophets, but the Lord's presence is a great gift as well. It is through Jesus' presence among us that God's plan for our salvation reaches its final act.
Jesus' birth in history is the beginning of the final chapter in God's loving plan to save the world. Saint Paul expresses this powerfully in his letter to the Romans (5:18-19): "Just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many were made righteous." Jesus is the second Adam who enters the world as a defenseless child, yet at the same time is King and Lord. The key to human salvation has come. Jesus will announce the kingdom, be rejected and crucified, but he will rise. The final chapter of God's plan begins today. The world must rejoice that our salvation is so near at hand.
Jesus' birth into human history, the event for which we have waited during our Advent journey, must be a source of great rejoicing for it initiates the goal for which we were created, our return to God. But what does this event that happened 2,000 years ago mean for us today? It must be much more than a remembrance of a historical event, but what should it be?
Jesus is the greatest gift God ever gave to the world, but since we celebrate Jesus' birthday should we not be contemplating what gift we can give to the newborn King of the Jews? After all, in our society we celebrate one's birthday by giving that person a gift. Possibly the gift we can give is greater and more fervent commitment to God in prayer. Prayer, our communication with God, is absolutely essential to our lives, as vital as the food and drink we consume and the air that we breathe, but somehow it often does not hold such priority in our lives. Saint Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:17) tells us that we must "pray without ceasing." Too often we make excuses why we don't pray: "I'm too busy," "It's not my style," "I feel awkward." Maybe our gift to the Lord today could be a commitment to pray and to stop making excuses for our failures. Our gift of Jesus might be a renewal of a relationship gone sour. The complexity of contemporary life often strains relationships and often we are too proud or do not possess the strength or will to mend those that are frayed. It may be with a family member, a friend down the street, or a colleague at work. What a wonderful gift for the baby Jesus to know we had made a significant effort to right a relationship gone wrong. Renewing our attitudes and opinions that are inconsistent with our Christian lives would be another great gift to consider. All of us hold hurts and grudges that sour us on individuals and groups. Can we do our best to wipe the slate clean and begin anew? Maybe we can consider modifying or even eliminating habits that are troublesome for others or ourselves. Addictive behavior of any mode is destructive and hurtful to all. Can we right our personal ship and get it sailing in safer waters? If we are open to changing long-held ways of doing things, ways that might not be the best, this is a gift to the Lord. Possibly our gift to Jesus can be greater involvement in building his kingdom through ministry in the church. Certainly God's people have many needs. Can we use some of the time, talent, and treasure we have been given and return same for the betterment of others, as did Bishop Nicholas, as did Jesus of Nazareth? Certainly the Lord would be pleased with any of these gifts and many more besides.
The Christian tradition of Bishop Nicholas' actions on behalf of others continues to bring a smile to all people of faith. Nicholas promised that he would divest himself of riches, but he was able to do so in a way that brought gifts and great joy to others. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise, initiated originally with Abraham, but Jesus is the greatest gift as well. What can we do for Jesus; what can we provide to make his kingdom come in our world? The challenge is great and our response is awaited.