Dear Santa, Take Me With You
"Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you." – 2 Samuel 7:3
Dear Santa,
For Christmas, I made a list of what you should give to places that don’t have stuff that are life essentials. I am going to start with asking you to give homes and mountains of food to the people that need them and the war in Ukraine. Next you and I also got to start cleaning the world that we are destroying. Because Santa, if you and your elves don’t know this, humanity is destroying the ice caps and in like a 100 years your workshop might be in the ocean. Last, I know I have asked for a lot, but I promise this is the last one but maybe we could try helping kids who are being abused. And Santa, could please bring me with you on this ride, on our mission to do all that I told you about? Thank you Santa.
Paul, age 9
Our fourth grader responded to a journal prompt about what he would ask Santa to bring the world. While I was impressed by the variety of people and issues that concerned him, I was most touched by his final request, “Could you please bring me with you on this ride?” What if we could ride along with Santa in a magical sleigh, bringing not just presents but hope and healing to the world? Many of his requests are far outside the purview of that jolly guy in a red suit. But what if there was someone who could make all these dreams a reality?
The readings of these past three weeks of Advent have been slowly opening our eyes to the very suffering and need that led God to send his own Son down to earth. On this climactic Sunday, God invites Mary, “Will you come with me?” That invitation extends to each one of us. “Will you come with me? Will you be that gift to others in the world?” Our kids have spent weeks rehearsing and assuming the roles of today’s Scripture to enact the nativity story at Mass. They will become, if only for a short time, Mary, Joseph, the angels and shepherds. They will ask the question “what do you want” and seek comfort and shelter from a stranger. While the whole story can feel like a game of make-believe, there is something special about seeing our own kids and their friends bring creativity and joy to the words of Scripture. When the angel Gabriel appears and announces “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you," each one of us is reminded that God is with us.
On the night before Christmas, the stockings are hung by the chimney and the cookies plated for Santa. The most important visitor we await doesn’t just want to sneak into our homes for a moment, but to come and live in our hearts. And once He comes, he does not ONLY want us to enjoy him in a picture-perfect greeting card or singing sweet Christmas carols in our Churches. He wants us to go along with him for a wild ride with the people of God.
Mary, take me with you.
Jesus, take me with you.
Jen Coito