“The Baker’s Dozen” – Advent 1
This is a picture of the original St Nicholas, whose feast day is this week. The Santa Claus we know of today comes from this real-life saint who was born in Greece in the 3rd century. But he doesn’t look like Santa Claus, does he? But some people remember Santa this way, including the Dutch. I am going to share with you an old story from when the Dutch came to America two centuries ago, and how they kept the traditions of St Nicholas alive. (Read The Baker’s Dozen, a Dutch folktale, retold by Aaron Shepard.)
“Why not give more?” The question, inspired by the generosity of St Nicholas, echoes in my heart each time I read this book. And it fits the legends of St Nicholas. The story goes that Nicholas was born to a wealthy family, but both of his parents died when he was a young man. A devout Christian, he decided to use his inheritance to help the poor and sick.
One famous story tells of how Nicholas helped three poor sisters. Their father didn’t have any money to pay for a wedding, and the daughters were destined to live a life of poverty. But Nicholas came in the middle of the night and left a bag of gold on the doorstep for each of the three daughters. Another story told of how St Nicolas miraculously provided for the people of Myra during a famine, by praying over the stores of grain on a ship in the harbor.
But the historical St Nicholas was generous in a different way: he devoted his life to defending the faith in a time it wasn’t safe to be a Christian. Nicholas was bishop during the Great Persecution of Christians in the early fourth century. It was illegal to be a Christian – Bibles were burned, priests were forced to renounce their faith or be executed. Nicholas, however, was fearless: he stood up for the faith despite the risks. He was imprisoned for years until Emperor Constantine came to power and made Christianity the official religion of the empire.
The scripture readings from the first Sunday of Advent always seem a bit confusing – the texts talk about the end of the world. Jesus tells of his second coming in our Gospel lessons in apocalyptic language, with the Son of Man coming in the clouds, and the angels gathering the faithful from the ends of earth.
But the purpose of these texts is to remind us that God isn’t finished yet. God sent Jesus to be among us, as a human being, as the first installment of God’s resurrection power. But Jesus will come again to usher in God’s kingdom of justice, mercy, and peace.
The original Santa, St Nicholas, wasn’t a jolly old elf, but his feast day is a good reminder of what Advent is about changing our ways to be in alignment with God’s purposes, holding fast to our faith in challenging times, trusting that God is working to make all things new through Jesus.