I’m no Grinch when it comes to Christmas and the many traditions that people incorporate into their celebrations, but when you know the story of Saint Nicholas (you know, jolly old Saint Nick), the myth of Santa Claus loses its draw. Yes he was a real man that (unbeknownst to him) later became Santa Clause. By all accounts, he was a truly amazing man. And it is right and good to remember saints whose lives serve as a telescope that magnify the glory and worth of Christ. What was so praise-worthy about this man’s life? Here are a few things:

Nicholas was a godly and generous man. Nicholas was born into a wealthy family, but the untimely death of his parents left him in the care of an uncle. Because of the considerable wealth of his parents, at the appropriate age, Nicholas received a very large inheritance. Though Nicholas instantly had this large sum of money plopped in his lap, he didn’t keep it for himself. Instead, he used his fortune to help those who were suffering and had little to nothing. One story of his generosity is definitely worth noting. Nicholas heard of a man in town with three daughters who had his fortune stolen and therefore had nothing to give for his daughters’ dowry. In the third and fourth century Roman Empire, a girl with no family dowry had very little options for survival and would often resort to slavery or prostitution. Knowing their desperate situation, Nicholas, over time, would secretly drop a bag of money in a window of this family’s home at night – one for each of the daughters’ dowry. After the second time, the father, bewildered as to where this money was coming from, was determined to find out who was behind it all. So eventually when the third bag of money was plopped into the window, the father ran out of the house and chased Nicholas down. Moved by the compassion of this Bishop, the father wanted to let others know who had been so generous with his family. However, Nicholas made the father promise to never say a word about it while he was still alive. It reminds me of the words of Jesus who said, “… [let] your giving be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Nicholas was a man who supremely treasured Christ. Nicholas was more than just a “do-gooder”. He had a robust faith in Christ and trusted him with his life! Nicholas was a Bishop in Myra which is located in present day Turkey. But he was far from a fair-weather bishop in Christ’s church. His faith was tested in the flames of persecution and proven to be of pure gold when he was called to suffer for the sake of the name of Christ. Nicholas was bishop during the reign of Emperor Diocletian who brutally persecuted Christians. During his vicious tirade against Christians in AD 303, Diocletian had many Christians put to death in the most heinous ways and many, many more imprisoned, including Nicholas. The Lord was merciful, however, in sparing Nicholas’ life as he was released when Emperor Constantine came to power. And what did Nicholas do upon his release? He went back to the work God had given him, preaching and teaching the truth of God’s word. This would prove him to be instrumental as a weapon in the hands of the Lord in future battles Nicholas would find himself in.

Nicholas was a man who loved the truth. Bishop Nicholas would later serve God at a time when the church was embroiled in a major conflict. Another church leader named Arius was spreading a poisonous teaching saying that Jesus Christ was not truly and fully God, but that he was a created being. This of course called into question the deity of Christ and also (by consequence) the incarnation of Christ – the central truth we celebrate at Christmas. Today, this is rightly referred to as the Arian heresy but during the fourth century, this teaching severely threatened the church. So faithful to the truth of Christ was Nicholas, that one biographer 500 years later said, “Thanks to the teaching of St. Nicholas, the metropolis of Myra alone was untouched by the filth of the Arian heresy, which it firmly rejected as a death-dealing poison.” Later Bishop Nicholas was summoned by Emperor Constantine along with several other bishops, to be part of the first Council of Nicaea in AD 325. At this council, the Nicene Creed was crafted and signed by Nicholas and others which affirmed the truth of Christ and utterly rejected Arian’s teaching as heresy. A legend surrounding him says, (and it may be only that) that Nicholas was so vehement and passionate in his rejection of Arius’s teaching that at one time during the Council of Nicaea, he punched Arius in the face.  He loved the truth about Jesus Christ and hated lies that detracted from his Messiah’s glory.

Saint Nicholas is worthy of our remembrance and appreciation, but let's worship the one he worshipped.  This Christmas, forget about Santa Claus, but remember Bishop [Saint] Nicholas. If your kids ask about Santa Clause, tell them the true story about the real Saint Nicholas instead. This godly, generous, Christ-treasuring, truth-loving man. And most importantly, worship Jesus - who Nicholas preached with his sermons and showed with his life. Worship Jesus, our self-giving Messiah and King who came to “give his life as a ransom for many.”