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BTV: Redeeming the Season

Album: 48: Moment of Truth

Episode: 434

Lesson/Theme: Where did all those Christmas traditions come from?

Bible Verse: .

Characters: Mandy, Bernard, Connie, Eugene

Writer: Jim Ware

Sound Designer:

Original Air Date: December 11, 1999

Last Air Date: December 18, 2009

Description:
B-TV is broadcasting live from the Odyssey Mall, where Bernard Walton wants to acquaint people with the real the ways Christians through the centuries have taken secular celebrations and shown the true meaning of the season through those celebrations. Many traditional holiday celebrations have their root in early pagan and pre-Christmas winter holidays, and this episode shows the background of some Christmas traditions and celebrations. Bernard explains what Saint Nick has to do with the real story of Christmas. In 270 A.D. in Patras, Asia Minor, a boy named Nicholas was born to an influential, wealthy bishop of the church. From an early age, Nicholas displayed remarkable devotion, and as he grew up, he questioned his father's version of Christianity. He wanted to see the outside world. Eventually he had a desire to live a simple, humble life as a true disciple of Jesus, so he caught a ship headed for Palestine. While there he traveled many places where Christ had walked, but his journey culminated at Golgotha. While he was meditating there, he heard God telling him he was supposed to go home to do a special work God had planned for him. He was puzzled, and when he arrived in Asia Minor, he found out his parents had both died, and now he was rich. He became very depressed and left the church, not seeing where his new mission was. One night he was walking through the town and heard a girl inside a house wailing because she wanted to marry but there wasn't enough money for a dowry. Nicholas got a clever idea: to throw a bag of gold coins in the house to provide for the need. The same happened with the other two daughters in the family, and finally when the girls' father asked him why he was doing this, he replied that he had never wanted to be rich, but he would like to share God's generosity with others that need it.

Questions:
Why did Nicholas go on his journey? What made him come back? What did Nicholas learn while he was gone? Do you have any Christmas traditions in your family? What is your favorite?