Daily Advent Devotional

December 4, 2024
Silent Night, Holy Night
By Kevin Hale

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:15-17

There are images of Christmas that stand out to me, and have stuck with me for all these years. I grew up on the old Christmas television shows like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Charlie Brown, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. These animated kids shows were early inspirations for me as an artist. I always wanted to draw my Christmas images with the light-hearted and uplifting attitudes found in those classic shows. I still love to go back to those childhood memories during this time of year. 
   I remember visiting Twitty City one Christmas with my family in the 1980s. Twitty City was located in Hendersonville (where the Trinity Broadcasting Network is now). I can remember seeing the Christmas lights and tree displays. One statue stands out in my mind, and I remember it clearly to this day. It was a large scale statue of Santa Claus kneeling next to the baby Jesus in the manger. It remained in my memory all these years. It reminded me of the real reason we celebrate Christmas and what is important during this time of year. 
   I thought it would be fun to create an image that might make you smile a little. I do believe Santa would be relaxing and reading the Bible in his spare time. He was a Saint after all.