Father Gary’s Sermon

Inspired from Matthew 3:1-12

Proclaimed on December 5, 2004

During this time of the year I have a fond remembrance of my favorite cartoon strip, which regrettably is no longer being produced. The strip was called Calvin & Hobbs that was about a very obnoxious little boy named Calvin who had a very lively and vivid imagination. A large part of his imagination brought a stuffed toy tiger of his to life, a tiger he called Hobbs. Not only was Hobbs his best friend, as well as his playful nemesis, but Hobbs was also his truth detector. In one comic strip a couple of years back Calvin is writing a letter to Santa Claus, one of many. He writes:

Dear Santa. Before I submit my life to your moral scrutiny, I demand to know who made you the master of my fate?” [At this point an angry scowl crosses his face] “Who are you to question my behavior? Huh??? What gives you the right?!”

Hobbs, reading the letter over Calvin’s shoulder, comments, “Santa makes the toys, so he gets to decide who to give them to.”

Calvin, looking resigned and pensive, responds “Oh, Oh. Time to prepare my appellate case.”

Calvin’s indignant questioning of who has the right to judge him is a very human one. I recently read of a note that was placed on a church’s bulletin board that read, “You must pay for your sins.” Underneath, some wag had scrawled, “If you have already paid, please disregard this notice.”

Somehow, in a free society such as our own, who has the right to judge us is almost always debatable. All we have to do is look at the headlines regarding our national politics to see the comedy of Calvin & Hobbs being played out in the most tragic of ways. The same was true during the time of Christ. The Romans had conquered Palestine and the Hebrew people--who viewed themselves as the children of God--questioned the right of the Romans to judge them.

Then on to this scene comes this most unusual person, dressed in the most unusual cloths, who also has a most unusual diet. His name was John the Baptizer, who could have been a priest in the Temple at Jerusalem, but who instead has come out of the Wilderness shouting a strange message. He is promising the coming of a new King. In so doing, he encourages the people to prepare the way by repenting of their sins. He was drawing large crowds of people, but his comments were also making the leaders angry, for instead of condemning their Roman enemies he was turning on the Hebrew religious authorities. He was threatening them with judgment. Like Calvin, questioning the right of Santa Claus to judge him, so these people questioned John’s right to judge them.

This question of who has the right to judge is played out not only with Calvin & Hobbs, as well as with those ancient Hebrew people, but it continues to be played out among us as well. While we do not have a strange looking character, such as John the Baptizer, to come out of the Wilderness to judge us, we do share with Calvin & Hobbs the coming of another strange character, the annual coming of Santa Claus. What a day to consider his being, for tomorrow the Church in much of the world is observing St. Nicholas Day.

For many of us, Saint Nicholas, otherwise known as Santa Claus, is a strange little obese figure dressed in funny red cloths who drives a flying sleigh, propelled by eight reindeer, sometimes nine when one with a very shiny nose is added. In his younger, more historical years, however, St. Nick was an equally controversial figure. He was a bishop who lived in an area that today is known as Turkey. He was a much-loved bishop who helped his people survive the terrible Roman persecutions under the emperor Diocletian. He was also one of the authors of the Nicene Creed, which we say together each Sunday morning. Nicholas is also alleged to have been a slight figure and carried the nickname Skinny. He was not only known for his tremendous compassion, but for his temper as well. Indeed, it is said that Constantine, the first Roman Emperor who claimed to be a Christian and who also made the bishops throughout the world gather at the town of Nicea in order to work out their theological differences, had Bishop Nicholas thrown in jail while attending this convention after he struck another man named Arius. Arius was then a popular teacher, and whose teachings were condemned at Nicea as heretical. Perhaps Calvin was right to question St. Nick’s character. After all, his behavior was not unlike Calvin’s when he would find himself at odds with Hobbs, or anyone else for that matter.

St. Nicholas was most known for his compassion when at Christmas time he would give gifts to poor. In one well-known story Nicholas is said to have helped a poor man provide a dowry for each one of his three daughters so that they would not have to be sold into slavery or prostitution. It is said that he would often place gold coins in the homes of poor children, throwing them down the chimney if the doors or windows were locked. At his death it is said that miracles occurred at his tomb, which became a very popular site for pilgrims. When his remains were being transported by sea to another location, probably Rome, a great storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship, but the sailors were saved when they prayed that St. Nick would intervene. Today he is known as the Patron Saint for Sailors, as well as the Patron Saint of Children.

It is at this point that his legend evolves, for later St. Nick is said to have showed up in Holland, dressed in his red fur-lined Bishop’s robes, continuing to dispense gifts to the children. Sometimes when he would throw gold coins down the chimneys of the poor, they fell into stockings that were hung near the fire to dry. From there his legend evolved to such an extent that we have all but forgotten his history and have made him into some sort of judge. Now, he’s one who “ . . . is making a list, and checking it twice, he’s gonna find out whose naughty or nice”; and “he knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you are awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” Today this strange jolly man dressed in red has sort of become the children’s John the Baptist, preparing their hearts for the coming of Christmas, while instilling fear into the hearts of children who happen to be a bit like Calvin.

However, for at least one person this jolly old elf became a matter of life or death. It was Christmas Eve in Clarksville, Tennessee, when Sara Marshall was relaxing in her home on Commerce Street. She was both elderly and crippled. Her husband had left to run to the market for some last minute groceries. He locked the door behind him for his wife’s safety, but he wasn’t gone long before the house started to fill with smoke. The house was on fire, but Sara couldn’t move to save herself. She was trapped. Soon, she saw the flames lapping toward her as the thick smoke burned her eyes and choked her lungs. She saw her demise fast approaching, and of all times on Christmas Eve. Then there was a terrible crash from the front door of the house. Someone had kicked the door in. Mrs. Marshall could scarcely make out a figure groping toward her through the thick smoke. As the figure shuffled closer, she could see he was dressed in red with a red cap and a bushy white beard. Grabbing Mrs. Marshall, he pulled her from the burning house, where he carried her across the street to safety, and wrapped her in a blanket. Then he disappeared. Soon the fire department arrived, along with the police. The latter began to interview witnesses. They all testified that “Santa Claus saved her!” but Santa was nowhere to be found. He was last seen driving away in a . . . , well you guessed it, . . . a red car filled with Christmas presents.

Soon the town’s radio and TV stations were a buzz. Who was that bearded man? Later, a woman telephoned the police. It was Santa’s wife, who shared that this Santa was the 27 year old David Rodriguez, a husband, father, and high school teacher, who was out delivering toys to kids on behalf of his home parish.

While this story may not resolve Calvin’s question, as well as questions of our own, of who has the right to judge us; we are always in need of these strange figures, whether it be a John the Baptist or a Santa Claus, to help us evaluate our own behavior and determine whether it is life-giving or life-diminishing. In many ways these strange figures are our salvation. These figures call out to us this morning to prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of the King, lest we, like little Calvin, be left with merely the preparation of our appellate cases.