Unexpected Christmas | Part 2 | An Unlikely Candidate | Jon Sprouse

An Unlikely Candidate
An Unexpected Christmas
December 5, 2021

He's making a list, checking it twice; gonna find out who's naughty or nice,
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake,
He knows if you've been bad or good. so be good for goodness sake!

The earliest known recording of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town was made in 1934. It was an immediate hit. Throughout the years it’s been recorded by more than 200 different artists spanning a wide variety of genres. From Bing Crosby, Neil Diamond and Bruce Springsteen to Mariah Carey, The Jackson 5 and Michael Bublé…the message has been repeated: He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice…so be good, for goodness sake!

In case you’re worried about whether or not you are on Santa’s ‘nice’ list, you can check online. We looked up the names of every Dayspring staff member and I’m happy to report that we have no one on the ‘naughty’ list this year! I’m not quite sure how Joaquin made it, but we double-checked and he’s definitely on the nice list.

We'd like to invite you to join us this Christmas season as we take a look at some of the unexpected names included in the genealogy of Jesus. I mean, some of these people would definitely be on Santa’s naughty list, so why does the gospel writer, Matthew, include them in his list of Jesus’ ancestors? That’s what we’ll discover this Sunday as we take a look at the stories of Judah and Tamar.

Naughty or nice may matter to Santa, but all are invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Bring your brokenness, your disappointment, your weariness, failure or fear. Come as you are. We look forward to welcoming you.