Dear Friends
If my seminary had a patron saint, a good
choice would be St. Nicholas, whose feast is today.
Let me explain. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra (now Turkey). He died on December
6th, 342. Very little is known about his life, but he became a patron saint of
seafarers, sailors and most of all, children. Many churches in England bear his
name.
This is the connection to General
Seminary, my home in New York City for three years.
Clement Clarke Moore, who donated the land for the Episcopal Church's first
seminary and was a professor there for 25 years, is known as the author of the
poem describing a secularized version of St. Nicholas---Santa Claus. (Some
scholars debate his authorship, but the poem has always been attributed to
Moore). An annual tradition for decades was for the dean to read "A Visit
from St. Nicholas" to the entire seminary community. The library had many
editions of the beloved bit of whimsical fantasy. Moore is said to have written
it for his children on Christmas Eve,1822.
A line from one of our hymns for Compline (#42, Now
the Day is Over) and the collect for his feast day, help us focus on the
original Nicholas and his witness to Jesus' love.
"Grant
to little children, visions bright of thee;
guard
the sailors tossing, on the deep blue sea"
The photo above, of Santa and Jesus side by side, is from
the Episcopal Ad Project and it includes this quote:
“The
important news at Christmas is not who came down the chimney,
but
who came down from heaven”
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