Year B Advent 1 Wed St Nicholas Day 2017

Year B, Advent 1 Wednesday, 6 December 2017

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

St. Nicholas Day

This is a special day of so many people’s favorite saint, even though they do not think of him that way. Who could not love Santa Claus?

A true bishop of the Church in Myra, Turkey. Little is known and can be affirmed as factual, but so many stories abound of his faith and generosity. Known as the patron saint of sailors and seafarers from his early travels, but his love of children and their welfare is well known.

The story that lives on and affects our traditions is that of the three daughters of a poor man who were destined for slavery to pay the family’s debts. All wanted to be free and have a life of wedded bliss, but their meager income could not afford for them to have the requisite dowries to enable their marriages.

Having inherited great wealth as a young man when his parents died, Nicholas snuck into the family’s house and left a sack of gold in the stockings left drying on the hearth. Some versions of this tale say he did it once, or three different times for the three daughters and was caught doing good by the father the third night. Whatever the truth may be, Nicholas’ love and care for those in his diocese were legendary.

He may have been a part of the Council of Nicaea in 325, and was known to have been persecuted by the Emperor Diocletian for his faith.

Every country has its own tradition following Nicholas, and Dutch immigrants to New York brought Saint Claus, or Santa Claus, to American shores. The legends began to expound from there.

In light of his love of children and all the children of the world according to our legends, I would love to share with the lyrics of one of my favorite carols, about children and how they come to Christ, as Christ encouraged in today’s reading.

Some Children See Him by Songwriters A. Burt / W. Hutson

Some children see Him lily white,
The baby Jesus born this night.
Some children see Him lily white,
With tresses soft and fair.

Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
The Lord of heav'n to earth come down.
Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
With dark and heavy hair.

Some children see Him almond-eyed,
This Savior whom we kneel beside.
Some children see Him almond-eyed,
With skin of yellow hue.

Some children see Him dark as they,
Sweet Mary's Son to whom we pray.
Some children see him dark as they,
And, ah! they love Him, too!

The children in each different place
Will see the baby Jesus' face
Like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace,
And filled with holy light.

O lay aside each earthly thing
And with thy heart as offering,
Come worship now the infant King.
'Tis love that's born tonight!