Methodist Youth Fellowship
MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of Trinity MYF is to provide a safe harbor where God's people will see the face of Christ through fellowship and worship, become His hands through service to His community and gratify His heart by igniting faith in His children.
MYF is open to all youth in 7th-12th grade and meets year-round, usually on Sunday evenings. Activities range from Bible Study and discussion groups, mission workdays, dinners, and miscellaneous concerts and trips.
December Note from the Youth Director:
I Wonder What Santa Feels... About What Christmas Has Become
Have you ever wondered how Santa feels about Christmas? Has it ever crossed your mind that he would be unhappy about a day where a lot of people like to dress up and pretend to be him for others?
The fact is, that today, very few people seem to even know anything about the real Santa Claus. He was a very real man that lived about 1700 years ago, and wanted recognition of his works of love least of all.
Santa, also known as St. Nicholas, devoted his life to Christ at a young age. After his parents passed away from an epidemic while he was young, he responded to the Jesus’ words, “sell what you own and give the money to the poor”, found in Matthew 19 and Mark 10. Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.
In the country where he lived, which is now part of modern Turkey, Saint Nicholas was known for anonymously leaving a gift of gold in the shoes of young ladies so that their fathers would have a decent dowry to give to a potential suitor. The better the dowry a father had to offer, the better chance a father had of his daughter not only getting married, but also that she would have a good husband.
Knowing who Santa really was is great, but the question still remains. For all of the great and wonderful deeds that St. Nicholas did, how do you think he would feel about how Christmas is celebrated today? It seems that Christmas, today is marked by people rushing the stores, beginning the day after Thanksgiving, to get the best deals in an effort to outdo the gifts they gave the years before. Some parents have gone almost as far as to turn Christmas into a time of child worship and appeasement. They find they have to be one of the first to get the latest gaming system, or whatever. Some people even go as far as to hurt and even kill others to get the best gift. I ask you, is this the true spirit and meaning of Christmas, or would St. Nicholas be ashamed of what his gestures to show God’s love have become. Is Santa crying?
God Bless,
Don Hart
