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I want to take a minute or two to tell you about TWO CHRISTMAS SURPRISES. Surprises are one of the best things about Christmas. I mean, kids, it's not nearly as much fun, is it, when you're unwrapping your presents, if you already KNOW what's going to be inside them. That's why you'll notice DADS don't get very excited on Christmas morning - because they know it's always going to be a new pair of undies or socks.
But the Christmas surprises I want to give you tonight are DIFFFERENT to that sort of surprise. I want to TELL YOU two SURPRISING THINGS that I'll bet you didn't know about Christmas. But they're absolutely TRUE. And the first surprise is about SANTA.
Did you know, Santa didn't always wear a RED SUIT. I mean, everyone knows what Santa Claus looks like. The red hat; the red suit with white fluffy white stuff around the edges. But Santa didn't ALWAYS look that way. And here's the surprise. This is true. Santa has only been wearing a RED AND WHITE SUIT since they put him in a COCA COLA AD in 1931.
1931 is about the time your GRANDPARENTS were kids. And up til then, Santa sort of wore grey baggy clothes. Or whatever colour he felt like. But when they wanted to put him in a Coca Cola ad, he had to wear the COCA COLA COLOURS. Red and white. And he looked so good in Red and White that it stuck. And ever since 1931, that's what he's always worn - red and white. So whenever you see Santa, I guess you're meant to think I FEEL LIKE A CAN OF COKE. . I wonder if you're SURPRISED BY THAT? Maybe you though that all the way through the history of Christmas you had the guy with the Red suit and the Red nosed reindeer and the bag full of presents. When the reality is, he's really pretty NEW.
Here's another Christmas surprise. And this one's more important. Did you know that the Original CHRISTMAS PRESENT wasn't meant for GOOD PEOPLE. Which again, is the opposite to what you'd expect. Did you listen to the song a minute ago - Santa Claus is coming to town? Because when it comes to Santa, you know what he does, don't you. He only gives presents to GOOD PEOPLE. He keeps track of how good you've been, or how bad you've been - and it's only people who have been GOOD who get the good presents. So to get a Playstation 2, I guess you'd have to have been SENSATIONALLY GOOD for the last 365 days. Listen to the words of that song about Santa again.
Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry,
you better not pout, I'm telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town!
And it gets worse. Listen to this. Kids, if you're hoping Santa's going to turn up at your place with that Play Station, here's the next bit of the song. Because Santa is extremely ORGANISED as well.
He's making a list, He's checking it twice,
gonna find out who's naughty or nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town!
So have you been NAUGHTY? Or nice? Santa only comes for NICE PEOPLE. And the worst thing is, you can't TRICK HIM. He KNOWS exactly what you've been like. It says:
He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake.
He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!
Kind of scary, isn't it? And I reckon if Santa was SERIOUS about that stuff, if he didn't OVERLOOK a few of the things you might have SAID TO YOUR SISTER, or a few of the words you've said in the SCHOOL PLAYGROUND, or a few of the lies you've told and never been caught - if he didn't overlook a few things, hardly any kid in the world would get ANYTHING for Christmas. What do you think?
But here's the surprise. The surprise is, when Christmas STARTED, it was just the opposite to that. Christmas wasn't about presents FOR GOOD PEOPLE AT ALL. Just the opposite.
Christmas started out with the BIRTH OF JESUS. A little baby, WHO WAS THE SON OF GOD. Born in a cowshed. Who we've been singing about in a lot of the OTHER Christmas songs tonight.
And it's a terrible thing if you ever get JESUS and SANTA mixed up. Because when it comes to Christmas, they're OPPOSITES. See, Santa only comes to people who have been GOOD. But JESUS came especially to SAVE PEOPLE who HAVEN'T BEEN GOOD.
You can read about it in the Bible. Where an angel comes to Joseph and Mary; and says this baby Mary's going to have is going to be the SON OF GOD. They didn't have ULTRASOUND SCANS back then. But the angel says this. CONGRATULATIONS. It's going to be a BOY. It's going to be a VERY SPECIAL BOY. Look at these words from the bible. The words the angel said.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their SINS."
Every name has a meaning. The name JESUS means GOD SAVES. And that's what the angel says. Call him GOD SAVES. Because he's GOD'S SON. And that's what he's going to do. Call him GOD SAVES... because he will save his people from THEIR SINS.
A lot of people these days don't like the SIN word very much. Because they don' t like thinking that some things are right, some things are wrong. But it means more than that. Here's a definition. SIN is when you TURN YOUR BACK ON THE GOD WHO MADE YOU and DO THINGS YOUR OWN WAY - and get in an absolute MESS. And it's funny, the angels back then thought it was GREAT NEWS that someone would come to save people FROM THEIR SINS. And when you think about it a bit, isn't that WAY BETTER than a Santa who only comes for GOOD PEOPLE, and the rest of us miss out?
And so if you're a person who maybe has turned your back on God like that and made a mess of things, it means IT CAN ALL BE CLEANED UP. So even if you don't make it onto SANTA'S LIST OF GOOD PEOPLE, you know there's someone else who came at Christmas... who came for sinners as a Christmas baby. Grew up. And DIED FOR YOUR MESS on a cross. To take the punishment sinners deserve; there in our place.
Which is the ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS SURPRISE, isn't it?
This next song was written by Graeme Connors. It's a great song, that talks about that ONE CHILD... BORN FOR SINNERS. Have a listen to the words (30 sec. sample; 1.3MB).
One child born
One Child Born in Bethlehem
many years ago
in a humble stable
he lay cradled in his mother’s arms safe and warm
and shepherds came to share her joy
in the birth of this special boy
not knowing then
we would join with them
down through the years
to celebrate each Christmas morning—One Child Born
Hallelujah—One Child Born—Hallelujah
One Child Born in Bethlehem
grew to be a man
a carpenter in Nazareth
working at his father’s side he learned of life
and people came to hear him speak
while children gathered at his feet
not knowing then
we would join with them
down through the years
to celebrate each Christmas morning—One Child Born
Hallelujah—One Child Born—Hallelujah
Life begins again with One Child Born
One Child Born in Bethlehem
forever changed the world
when upon a cross
He offered up in sacrifice his own life
and wise men came to understand
God’s spirit through this simple man
knowing then
he would join with them
down through the years
to celebrate each Christmas morning—One Child Born
Hallelujah—One Child Born—Hallelujah
Life begins again with One Child Born
from One of the family by Graeme Connors.