I know we hear that song during Christmas where Santa has a list and checks it twice to see who is naughty and nice like a capricious sky fairy waiting to give away all of his left over coal to those who are bad. But seriously, have you ever thought about what that really means?
 
We see the cartoons about elves making all kinds of presents for all the “good” kids, but if all the “bad” kids get lumps of coal, where does it come from? Does Santa own his own coal mine where he forces the “bad” elves to work away long hours of the day and night to mine the black rocks to give to bad kids? Do those elves ever get out of the mines, or are they lost "Lord of the Rings" Dwarves who begin to go insane for lack of sunshine? Is there an organized movement for better working conditions? Do they get free parakeets to tell when the air becomes toxic? There are so many questions, and I have never seen the cartoon that would explain it, so I do not know the answers.
 
Also, I think coal might even be worth more money in today’s economy then some of the other gifts those elves make. It almost seems like it would be better to be bad so I can get the coal…for free.
 
I am thinking of so many new ways to get Christmas animated classics to out TV screens to answer the hard questions: Rudolph the Black Nosed Reindeer, Black Christmas, It’s a Charlie Black Christmas…I think we could redo any classic to reflect the coal giving of the season.
 
Our lives become ludicrous when we start basing our worth on the naughty and nice list, on presents verses coal. If we make Santa into our God, then he is a very legalistic God indeed (with some very questionable business practices). This is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the real Christmas hope is completely different from our man-centered view of Christmas. The real Christmas is based solely upon God’s mercy and grace.
 
Titus 3:4-6 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
 
We don’t get coal, we get the gift of grace. This gift of grace is supposed to change us, from the inside out, into Children of God who reflect Jesus to the world. This Christmas, don’t be about the presents or the coal, be about the grace and truth of a God who tossed the list aside at the cross and extended to us the gift of relationship and grace.