To Tell the Truth
To tell the truth, I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with the grand deception that happens this time of the year. Its not that I don’t love the mystery and wonder of the whole North Pole story, or that I don’t love the excitement on the faces of our wee ones on Christmas morning, or even the thrill of finding the one thing that I know will make the difference. I’m uncomfortable with the undoing of the big Santa story. I’ve always wondered if there is a parallel between no longer believing in Santa and questioning other grand stories we tell. The idea of a virgin birth seems almost as unbelievable as a man in a red suit with toys for everyone. Until, that is, you put some context around what we do as story tellers.
The art of storytelling is as old as humanity. We have woven life’s experiences into story to make meaning since we learned the art of communicating. Stories of creation, and stories of journey are a part of every culture and religion. If we are good story tellers, we create our own family stories in a way that they can be passed on from one generation to the next. Over time, the story takes on a life of its own. The story of St Nicholas, is a perfect example, now co-opted by commercialization and Coca-cola.
The danger through, lies in how we see truth. All stories begin with in a cultural and historical context and are told for a particular reason. Our wonderful Christmas story is told in four very different ways, depending on which gospel you read. Matthew has travelling Magi and a flight to Egypt. Luke has shepherds and angels, and Mark begins the story about the messiah with his baptism by John. John’s gospel sticks to the more philosophical ideas of word and light present in creation from the very beginning. None tell exactly the same version of the story, but each of them holds the deep and abiding truth of God’s presence in the lives of those who experienced Jesus. When we dissect each detail and try to make it match our scientific or historical understandings, the truth of the story is harder to see.
So along with our wonderful, expanded version of St Nicholas, perhaps we need to teach some skills of storytelling. That way, when the child matures and curiosity aligns with intellect, they don’t have to stop believing, they just believe in a new way. I remember the time my young son explained to the clerk that Santa was a spirit. She didn’t quite know how to respond, and I’m not sure exactly how he got there, but it satisfied me that his 10-year-old heart understood enough to know that truth and story may live together. May that be something we remember as we experience the joy and delight of all our Christmas stories this year, in a faith for today.
Rev Donna Tourneur ministers alongside the folks of Trinity, New Glasgow.