Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse. Mama show prescribing Hope for healthy families. Here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there friends and welcome to my favorite time of day at my favorite time of the year. Friends, I believe it is the most wonderful time of the year. You know, all year I'm so restrained in trying to not celebrate Christmas and in the middle of July, but you know, Christmas in July, it kind of goes. But we are in the last days before Christmas and before we get to our guests, we have a really fun show for you today. I do have a quick announcement that I want to share with you, many of you if you're if you listen regularly, you will know about Hannah's Heart, which is a podcast that is shared by American Family Radio on the weekends. We have had the host of Hannah's Heart on our show before and it helps walk alongside creating a community and support for families who are struggling with child loss, with infertility, with miscarriage. And we have some great news for you. Hannah's Heart is actually going to have their very first conference in 2026 and that's going to happen in January. Next month is right around the corner. January 30th and 31st, this conference will be happening in Tupelo, Mississippi. And the guest speaker is going to be Jane Johnson, who is author of a book called Mercy Like Morning. They're going to have worship, they'll have testimony, fellowship and of course, food. And for they're having a Christmas sale this week, 50% off of the registration. So you can go to afr.net and look for, ah, Hannah's Heart. If you want the whole website, it's afr.net/hhc2026 that's Hannah's Heart Conference 2026. Or feel free to call American Family association and they will definitely be happy to get you started there. All right. So as we begin our show today here in this week before Christma to acknowledge something important. And from time to time we advise you on what we are addressing on the show. And today may be one of those topics that you want to have some discernment for your family depending on how you handle this particular Christmas tradition. And now many of you are probably wondering what in the world is she talking about? What could be so controversial? But believe me, having worked with children my whole life, I know this topic can be polarizing. You may want to adjust your listening audience in modern Christmas culture. We are talking about the One, the only Santa Claus. We know that Santa has become a central and familiar figure, appearing in movies. My favorite would be the Original Miracle on 34th Street. Decorations, store displays, and sometimes even depicted alongside the Nativity itself, maybe praying at the side of a manger. And families we know approach Santa in many different ways. Some fully embrace the tradition, some adapted, some set it aside. But our conversation today is not about debating Santa's role in Christmas or prescribing how families handle that tradition. We know there's a wide range of convictions represented in Christian homes, and we recognize that parents are making intentional, prayerful choices about how they celebrate the season with their children. But we are doing something different, really inspiring. I, find this very inspiring. We are exploring the origins in going back before the Red Suit, before the North Pole, before the commercial imagery, to look at the real historical figure who inspired the tradition. We're talking about a real man who lived, named Nicholas. Now, this is an invitation to understand where the story came from and really why it's endured for centuries. And I have an author here today. Now, if you are watching on video, you will see that this man has come dressed for the occasion. I am. I was really laughing to see he is taking, taking his holiday, joy seriously.
Matt Mikalatos explores the life of St Nicholas in his new book
We have Matt Mikalatos and he is dressed as Santa here, but he is sharing in his own journey and the exploration about discovering a man whose life was unexpectedly compelling. And he's written a book about this. And one of the quotes in the book is, he says, as I researched St Nicholas, the history, I found myself deeply moved by a story that was completely foreign to me. I'd heard little bits before, but. But seeing it all together painted the portrait of a man I found not just interesting, but inspiring. My respect grew from he's the guy who loves Christmas to how can I be more like Nicholas in my daily life? And what Matt encountered was not a caricature, but we are talking about a faithful servant of God, a man hungry for miracles, attentive to the people around him, willing to become God's answer for their needs if someone needed money, protection, prayer. Nicholas offered what he had in obedience to Christ. And in many cases, he was part of facilitating a miracle from God for them. And it's also important to remember that Christmas as we know it, this formal celebration didn't exist until the final years of Nicholas life. But as Matt discovered, it becomes very clear very quickly why Nicholas is so closely associated with Christmas. This is a man who loved children, loved giving gifts, lived for a time near Bethlehem, who was a, very devout Christian. And again and again, turning his attention to children, to single women, to poor, to those who need. And over time, legends grew, stories expanded. Cultural imagination did what cultural imagination does. It markets everything. But eventually, those layers led to the familiar image that we know today. And at the center of it all is a single, powerful seed of truth. A man who loved Jesus, a man who loved people. A man who dedicated his life to bringing gifts to those in need. So we're not trying to reshape tradition here. We're just going to give you a richer story to deepen our understanding of generosity, compassion, and faithful presence during the Christmas season, whatever that looks like in your home. But we can talk about Christ being at the center of it all. So, Matt, that was a very long introduction for a conversation I'm really looking forward to. Merry Christmas and welcome to the show. There you are. Hello. We have you. Okay, good. All of that buildup, and then it was like, womp, womp. No, but you're here. Welcome, Matt. First things first. Did I get. Did I say your last name right?
Matt Mikalatos: Absolutely. Well, as far as I know, it's Greek. My grandfather was from Greece, but he passed away when my dad was very young. So it's kind of the American how we say it. but I'm guessing Greek people will write in to correct us.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Okay, well, that would be. That would be just fine. We would welcome that. And fun fact, Nicholas was Greek as well. And you and I were talking how.
Matt Mikalatos: That's right.
Dr. Jessica Peck: You wrote in your book, you don't think of. You don't think of that tradition. You don't think of the Santa tradition. And think of him swimming in the Mediterranean, eating olives and cheese. But here we are.
Matt Mikalatos explores the history of St. Nicholas in his new book
Well, Matt, start with your story. Tell us a little bit about you and your testimony of faith and how you came to be intrigued by exploring the history of St. Nicholas.
Matt Mikalatos: Sure. So I come from a Christian family, much like Nicholas did. I converted at a very young age. But I would say it was probably after college that I really internalized, following Christ as my own thing. Not just a thing done out of tradition or obligation. my wife, who I met, wouldn't go on a date with me unless I was willing to live on the mission field for the rest of my life, which she's an incredible person who you would enjoy a great deal. But, yeah, I said, sure, I'll do that if it gets me a date. And.
Matt Mikalatos: And, then we got married and went on the mission field. So we. Yeah, so we've been married a couple decades. We were missionaries for a little over 20, 20 some years. and then as far as Nicholas goes, I've always loved Christmas. I've written a number of books. I was talking to one of my editors, Sarah Atkinson, and I said, what about St. Nicholas? And she said, that'd be great. And I said, well, I'll do some research. And I started doing research, and I said, I thought I loved Christmas. I thought I loved St. Nicholas. But I had not heard almost. I think I had heard a version of two of the stories I found about him, and they weren't even the original, oldest versions. So it was a delightful experience to dig in and realize that there were some really powerful, amazing stories about this early follower of Jesus.
Your book about St Nicholas is centered around prayer
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, and the beautiful thing about your book is that it's all centered around prayer. And you want to inspire us to pray like Nicholas. And as I was looking at the. At the table of contents, you don't expect a book about St Nicholas to be about prayer. And yet that is what you have. You have Nicholas in different stages of his life. But it's a prayer for the future, A, prayer for light in times of darkness, a prayer in times of loss, a prayer for when we are defenseless, a prayer for strength to follow wholeheartedly. That's a beautiful thing. How did this book, this journey to learn about this man, St. Nicholas, end up in really this expression of prayer?
Matt Mikalatos: Well, two things. One, I had written a previous book, Praying with St Patrick, so there was some pressure to see if we could replicate that. Secondly, I think when we start talking about Christmas, what we don't always acknowledge is that Christmas, at least for a Christian, is set up. It's designed as a season of prayer, right? God hears the great calling in the darkness, asking for light, and sends light into the darkness that we see. one of the most fame, the first Christian hymn, right? That was a prayer from Mary, this beautiful, which, by the way, this is so fascinating. Punk rock music loves the Virgin Mary because she. Her prayer is all about. God has seen me and I'm in a bad place. And God sees the rich and they have everything, and he's taken it from them and given it to us, the poor. So you'll see punk rock bands with, like, pictures of Virgin Mary on their. On their drum sets, you know, things like that. But all that to say prayer is a constant part of the Christmas story. And for the years when Nicholas was alive, it's hard not to imagine that the Christian emphasis on prayer would not have been very strong because he lived through a time of intense persecution, disease, war, all going on. The types of things that push us to prayer, even if it's not something we would consistently do otherwise.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, one of the things that made me smile was in your book. You dedicated this, presumably, to your children, and you dedicate it to them. And you say they had to listen to me share new things. I was learning about Nicholas for over a year. It was so often that you started saying hashtag, or as my husband would say, pound sign, hashtag Santa facts whenever I shared a new one. I'm deeply thankful for the blessing you are in my life. And so I appreciate that you dedicated that to your kids. But you know what, Matt? Take us back to the begin of Nicholas's life. And we may have to do this in two parts because we're getting close to, a break here. But start to tell us about his life, because I found this. This history very fascinating.
Matt Mikalatos: Well, you might think of Santa or not Santa, St. Nicholas, and you might imagine him living in medieval Europe, and that's what I thought. But St. Nicholas was actually born in 270 A.D. the Roman Empire. it's starting to fracture. So there's three different emperors, and he's born in a little town on the coast of what is in modern day Turkey. He's Greek. His family is Greek. They are wealthy, and he and his parents live on the coast. probably as traders, they were sending things across into Egypt. Is why, it's a time of incredible, difficulty in the empire. As I mentioned before, disease is coming through. because of the fracturing in the empire, trade is being impacted, and very wealthy people are becoming poor, and a lot of poor people are dying. so this is a really intense, difficult time. And Christianity is still seen as sort of a Jewish cult. So when you met a Christian person, you probably feel bad for them. Oh, these are those Jewish people, or they converted to Judaism, but they think that their God was the criminal. They got killed by the empire. It's all very confusing. So he and church buildings weren't quite a thing yet. They were just starting to become things. So it was a really different picture than what you might have in your head at first of where St. Nicholas lived. his parents died probably when he was in his teens, and probably because of some of these diseases going through. So at a very young age, he ends up being a wealthy orphan. but because of his love of Jesus, and again, coming from a Christian family, he decides he's going to become a minister, a priest, and he gives up all his money to the poor in a couple of dramatic ways. he gives up his, the place where they live, likely their family had slaves, he gave them their freedom and instead becomes a priest and starts to travel around that area, serving God in the midst of it all.
Dr. Jessica Peck: It's fascinating to think about that in the, in the historical context because I do think we think so much about the commercialized version, but that when we dig down and look at the faith themes that are there and the courage that he must have had in living out his faith in a time that was certainly hostile to it, which although we can probably relate to that today, it really is inspiring. When we come back, we'll talk some more about these themes and how they can inspire us to pray as they've inspired Matt to think, how can I pray more like St. Nicholas. We'll talk about his care for the children and more of the work that he did in his life and what we can learn from it. So stay tuned. We'll be right back with more. I'm looking at my checks, notes Matt Mikalatos So I want to make sure I say that right. That is his name. His book is Saint Nicholas A Christian Devotional. We'll be right back.
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The Manger by Anne Wilson and Josh Turner: They'Re putting decorations up in Front of my old church the shepherds and the wise men in the hay There's Joseph and his Mary looking down at heaven's birth and the angels saying, don't you be afraid. It makes me stop and think about how you showed up down here in a humble bed made of nails and wood. You could have picked a palace somethin' more fit for a king but then the story wouldn't be as good. From the highest of the high to the lowest of the low that stable tells a story of the distance you will go for the lonely and the lost there's no sinner too far gone to find a savior. I am in the manger.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is the Manger by Anne Wilson and Chris Tomlin Oh, I know I stopped it right before. I'm sorry. And Josh Turner. And Josh Turner. I. I got distracted by that beautiful voice. I stopped it right before it got really good, but that's okay. I encourage you to listen to Christian Christmas music just to remind you of the real reason for the season. And today we're talking about a, Christmas tradition, but we're talking about the origins of the tradition. And a real man named St. Nicholas, who lived in about the 200s, was born in where modern day Turkey is. And a man who became a bishop and a symbol of Christmas. He was a young believer shaped by loss, uncertainty, and deep compassion for the vulnerable. In praying with St Nicholas, which is the book that we're talking about Today, praying with St Nicholas a Christmas Devotional, author Matt Mikalatos begins not with miracles, but with prayers, because Nicholas's life of generosity and courage grew out of a life of prayer. And in the first section of the book, he Mac tells us about Nicholas's early life and where. Where he learned what it meant to trust God in the darkness, to defend those who couldn't defend themselves, to live as a blessing in a broken world. And really, these prayers are something that speak directly to families today, especially those who are carrying fears for the future. You might be carrying grief. You might be concerned about children growing up in a world that just feel hostile, especially hostile to their faith. And some of those things that we are encouraged to pray for in this devotional journey are praying for the future, praying for light in times of darkness, praying in times of loss when we're defenseless, praying for the children of the world, praying to be a blessing. And that is what Nicholas did. And, Matt, let's talk now about the part of Nicholas life that really inspired a lot of the Christmas traditions that we have now. Around gift giving. All right, hang. All right, hang in there with us. We are having some technical troubles. Welcome to the Joy of live radio. If this feels like this is just matching your Christmas season friend, you are not alone. I definitely feel the same way. But we are talking about the life of a man named Nicholas who lived as a Greek man in and was born in what was modern day Turkey. And really, Matt has shared some of his story, and it is really amazing to see the life of what he did. Let me share with you some of how Nicholas, some of how Matt framed this story for Nicholas. And, we'll just be standing by and waiting to see if we can get Matt back from those storms. Matt shares with us. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I know, I know. It's too commercial. And the pressure of making it perfect can be stressful. And yes, so and so was never satisfied with their gifts. And candy canes look better than they taste. But I love, have always loved Christmas, not only because of the carefully wrapped presents and the jolly lights, the loving family, the parties, the singing. I love Christmas because I'm hungry for miracles. I want angels appearing in the dark, visions and dreams and a star in the east that tells the wise a great king is born. I want to see Jesus wrapped in cloths, lying in his mother's arms, the newborn who existed before creation choosing to pitch a tent next to ours for a while. And I want the simpler miracles, too. Armies putting down their guns on Christmas Eve, or a stranger helping someone find shelter, or just adults tucking kids into bed and saying, tomorrow something wonderful is going to happen and then working hard to create that. But as I researched St Nicholas, the history, I found myself deeply moved by a story. And I think, Matt, we have you back. It is completely fine. We're glad that you're, you're bearing through those storms to bring us a Christmas tree story. But we were right where I want you to tell our listeners the story of what Nicholas did in his life. So we have to catch everybody up. We have a, man who was born to wealthy parents, who grew up in a Christian household, grew up with a strong representation of the Christian faith, living that out in their life. But his parents died and left him a very wealthy young man in his teens. And he started to do some really extraordinary things that involved him giving up his wealth. Tell us about what he did. That really resonates with us still in the Christmas story today and how we get it. It impacts how we give gifts today.
Matt Mikalatos: Okay, so there was a wealthy man in the town where Nicholas lived, who had three daughters, and he had lost everything in the recent turmoil in the Roman Empire. Now, in those days, the way a marriage worked was, especially for wealthy people, is that you would a dowry to the family that your daughter married into. Because what it was, it was a way of saying, this isn't going to be a financial burden for you. It's going to be a financial gain to get my daughter. so it was a way of proving that this was a match between equals, really. But because he didn't have enough money for dowries, none of his daughters could marry into a wealthy family. in fact, he didn't even have enough food to continue to feed his household. And he had begun to debate that perhaps it would be best if he sold his children into slavery, thinking that maybe if they got a good master, at least they would have food. It would be something. It'd be better than death. At least that's his thinking. Nicholas heard about this, and this is probably after his parents have died and before he becomes a priest because he has some money. And what happens is, in the middle of the night, he sneaks to this man's house, and he throws a bag of gold in through the window. And the man wakes in the morning, he's astonished. It's enough for his oldest daughter to be married. And the second night, the same thing happens. Another bag of gold. So he thinks maybe the third night, this will happen again. And the third night, he wakes up, and when he sees the bag of gold come in, he runs outside. Nicholas tries to escape, but he literally chases him down and tackles him and says, who are you? Why are you doing this? And Nicholas says, I'm, Nicholas, but please, please don't think this comes from me. This comes from God. To care for you, for your children and their need. but please don't tell anyone what I've done here. And the man, of course, must not have listened, because we are talking about the story now. But in the medieval times, as the story moved into Europe, the way the story started to be told years later in colder places was, oh, he dropped money down chimneys or in socks that were hanging by the fire to dry, right? He might drop little gifts in there or shoes that were sitting outside on the porch that he dropped money in. So some of our tradition of gift giving, like around the chimney, around stockings, comes from this true story about a man who saw three young women who were in danger, and he provided money to give them a better life. Which is pretty amazing, you know, even.
Dr. Jessica Peck: In listening to this story, I think, you and I were talking during the break even about how much the Roman Empire, its influence just continues to extend. And for those who aren't aware, maybe you don't have teenagers in your house. There was a trend that happened on social media, talking about the Roman Empire and asking people, how often do you think about the Roman Empire? And you know, all of these men saying they basically think about it every day, even if they didn't realize that they were thinking about it. But, you know, Matt, I think what happens is sometimes as. As parents, as grandparents, and today's world, we're looking at raising Gen Z, Gen Alpha, the new generation coming up already behind them. And we think, how can we learn? Like this book is called praying with St. Nicholas. And you talked about wanting to learn to pray like Saint Nicholas. We're talking about a man who grew up in Greece who, you, know many years ago. And it's easy for us to think, oh, we're facing things that, you know, just nobody's ever faced before. And you can feel so lost and alone and overwhelmed. So many of these themes you presented in the story of Nicholas life, of spiritual persecution, of poverty, of just trying to be a. Live out your Christian faith in a very countercultural, cultural world. We can see how there's so much in common. And I think about. I shared with you that I got to walk some Ancient paths, this summer for the very first time. And I realized that ancient people are not so different from modern people. How did you see that truth as you started to research the life of Nicholas? How did you see that? What he faced then and the way that he stayed strong in his Christian faith? How does that inspire you? Being a dad, a husband father today?
Matt Mikalatos: I think that's a really good insight because what we see Nicholas dealing with are things like, imagine if today we had political turmoil. We do, wars happening in distant places that are affecting us locally. That's happening. diseases coming through like rampant global diseases. They were dealing with at this time, vaguely familiar. It's not right. And in the midst of all that, we, financial turmoil. Right. And families being broken apart for a variety of reasons, some of them cultural, some of them financial, some of them, just pressure from what's going on in the world. And Nicholas, in the midst of this, what we see him doing over and over is that he focuses his attention on the vulnerable, whoever that may be, which is why he gets this reputation for loving children, because children are uniquely vulnerable in the world. They always have been and they still are today. And Nicholas always, always saw them in their needs. He also is well known as caring for women, especially, single women, which at that time meant women who had no one to protect them or care for them or make sure they had what they need. He was well known, he's become in the, in the modern church, as you look at, especially in Orthodox and Catholic traditions, where saints are kind of given things to be in charge of. He is the saint of so many things. It is amazing, Nicholas. They, they list them out and it's 40 or 50 different people groups. It's anyone who thinks they've ever been marginalized, that that's who Nicholas looks at and sees and says, let me take care of you. So it's an amazing thing. And I think what it encourages me to, not just in the holiday season, but throughout the years, I've been thinking, how do I train my spirit, my life, so that I am looking for and aware of the needs of my wife, of my children, of my co workers, of my neighbors, of anyone I cross paths with? Because that's what we see Nicholas doing. He was someone that went out into the world looking for things to fix, which is kind of beautiful, kind of.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Amazing, and not for his own glorification, but for the glorification of God. Much m. Like you said, you know, when, when Nicholas was discovered, he said, no, this money isn't for me. This is money that God, you know, has. Has used me to deliver to you. And as Nicholas becomes a bishop in his life, Matt, his faith was really tested and it wasn't a comfortable.
This book explores a lot of themes that Christians don't associate with Christmas
These aren't themes that you would typ with Christmas. You're talking about conflict and all of the global unrest that you just described, which when you described it, it's remarkably similar. And that you have a section of the book that moves into and explores a lot of those themes that Christians don't associate with Christmas. We're talking about persecution and how do you deal with false teaching and forgiveness and being bold in your faith? But in a world that resisted truth, Nicholas stood, stood firm in his faith. And his leadership was really shaped by praying for others. He prayed for fellow believers. He prayed for leaders, even for those who opposed him or harmed him. And even his presence at the Council of Nicaea, placed him at one of the most pivotal moments in Christian history, where the truth of who Jesus is was fiercely defended. How do you see those themes relating and speaking into us at Christmas? Because it certainly is a different view than what we would see presented as, you know, jolly old St. Nicholas.
Matt Mikalatos: Right. Well, so on the early side of. So when Nicholas is 30, he becomes a bishop, which just means an overseer. So other churches kind of report to him and come to him for advice and wisdom. Right. And also he can choose who else becomes ministers. That's part of what a bishop does. Official ministers of the church. And at the same time, within three years of becoming a bishop, he is arrested by an emperor named Diocletian, who's decided that the Roman Empire is failing because people aren't worshipping the Roman gods. And he wants to make an example out of the Christians by having ministers deny Christ. And if they deny Christ, he lets them go. He even lets them go back and run their churches. That's fine, because they've proven that Jesus is not the only God. And Nicholas refuses to do this. So he's thrown into prison for, we think about five years, which is pretty amazing. And that's where he stays. And when he comes out, Diocletian is actually still alive, although he retires. And Nicholas continues to minister as if nothing happened, really, as near as we can tell, which is pretty. It becomes a major piece of the church. It actually leads us to the Council of Nicaea eventually, which is what we call the first Ecumenical council of the Church. Ecumenical just means, most of the church leadership was there together because of, the response to what's been happening in the world as far as persecution goes.
Dr. Jessica Peck: I'm going to hold you right there because I have a lot more questions. Again, this is not something that you think about. I don't think about miracle on 34th Street. Oh, that reminds me of the Council of Mass Nicaea. But it's so great to look at the Christian origins of so many of these traditions and how there are messages pointing us back to the message of the greatest story that was ever told and the greatest hope that we will ever have that is found in the birth of Jesus Christ. And it's so inspiring to hear about a Christian who lived out his faith even when it was difficult to do so. We'll have more with Matt Mikalatos when we come.
Buddy Smith Jeff Chamblee: We live in a day when America's families are under attack like never before. Buddy Smith, senior vice president of the American Family Association. The war against biblical principles rages on numerous fronts. The Internet, Hollywood, Washington, D.C. america's corporate boardrooms. And the list goes on. At American Family Association. We're committed to standing against the enemies of God, the enemies of your family, and we recognize it's an impossible task without God's favor and your partnership. Thank you for being faithful to pray for this ministry, to give financially and to respond to our calls for activism. What you do on the home front is crucial to what we do on the battlefront. We praise God for your faithfulness, and may he give us many victories in the battles ahead as we work together to restore our nation's biblical foundations.
All the World Awaits: Hosanna by Chris Tomlin: up the gate heaven come to earth A host of angels sing Our Savior here to dwell the King of every king Our Emmanuel Hosanna, Hosanna Hosanna Hosanna in the highest Hosanna to.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Our God welcome back, friends. That is all the world awaits Hosanna by Chris Tomlin. And I'm sorry I tried to say that earlier song was Chris Tomlin, but I was just sharing that if any of you listen to Spotify, they have this feature at the end of the year called Spotify Wrapped, and it tells you who you listen to. And my family predicted with 100% accuracy that the person at the top of my Spotify list was indeed, and it is true, Chris Tomlin. I. I can't help it. I love his music, although Phil Wickham gave him a run for his money. But I hope that whatever you're listening to, it is edifying and encouraging to you in these days before Christmas. And today, we are talking to author Matt Mikalatos We're talking about his book. It's called praying with St. Nicholas, a, Christmas devotional. And when we talk about this book, we're talking about a real man who lived, who had a real Christian faith, who faced real persecution. And this really causes m us to be deeply reflective because Nicholas's story intersects with the place where Christ entered the world. And now we can do the same. We are still at that intersection, and we can meet Emmanuel, who is God with us. And as we move through this devotional, they're all framed by prayer. When we talk about praying with St. Nicholas, we're talking about all the ways in which St. Nicholas might have prayed, all of the things that he needed to pray for. And we still have those same things that we need to pray for today. And some of those prayers focus on God's presence. And we're not here today to place Nicholas on a pedestal, but really by just learning to be more like some of those virtues that he shared as being a Christian and a hostile, hostile world.
Matt invites readers to be like Bethlehem in his new book
So, Matt, in this book, you invite readers to, and I'm quoting, be like Bethlehem. What does that phrase mean and how can we live it out during adventures?
Matt Mikalatos: So I think a lot of us forget that Bethlehem was not a famous town when Jesus was born or even by the time of Nicholas. It was not a famous, well known place. It wasn't a destination. It was just this tiny, tiny, humble little town. And what it became famous for was what God did in it, right? It became famous because that's where Jesus was born. It became famous because that's where God came into the world, which is incredible. And so when I think about becoming like Bethlehem, what I'm saying to myself, right to all of us, is how do we become the kind of people where God allows us to be humble, to be small, to not be about ourselves and not be the big city, but to be famous because of what God has done in us and through us. So that's, that's what we're targeting when we think how can we be like Bethlehem?
Dr. Jessica Peck: And again, when you're looking at things that happened 2,000 years ago, somehow it doesn't seem so far away. And when you were researching the life of Nicholas Matt and, and learning about all of the ways in which he lived out his faith, what was the most surprising to you or maybe the most convicting? What stood out the most to you, maybe that you, didn't expect to find but found unexpectedly?
Matt Mikalatos: One thing that's interesting about Nicholas is in the beginning of his life, Christianity is still this little cult not many people have heard of. That's a scapegoat in the empire and there's all of this persecution, right? But by the end of his life, Constantine has come to power, who we would call the first Christian emperor. And he invents actually the idea of the Christian empire, the Christian nation, and conflates politics and Christianity for really the first time ever. Because up until this point, Christians have been on the receiving end of governmental, persecution, but never been in power in the government. So we see in Nicholas's life him doing well during a time when he went through persecution. He did not deny Christ. And then also doing well during this really, opposite temptation that as we receive political power, it is very tempting to rely on political power instead of rely on Christ or even to deny Christ for the sake of political power. And we wrestle with that today in the United States, in my opinion. But Nicholas did not. He is someone who through all of those things stayed focused, focused, on two things, right? Loving God and seeing the needs of people around him and caring for them. And he did it whether he had power or no power, whether he had wealth or nothing, he just stayed focused. And I think it's an incredible reminder to me that I keep saying, okay, where am I? I may be in the middle of those two things, those extremes, but how do I stay focused on Jesus and stay focused on the people around me and not get worried about persecutions, and not get worried about the political realities of the world and instead take care of my community around me?
Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, it reminds me when Jesus says the greatest commandment, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul. And the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. He didn't. He didn't give instruction for political power in that moment, but it can be so hard. And we see that right now. I'm doing a Bible study through the Old Testament, and I've just finished. We've gone through 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, and you just. Just see over and over and over again, when the kings rely on God, then they're successful and they prosper. And when they start to rely on themselves, things never go well. And we had kind of left Nicholas and things not going well. Going back as a recap of his life. Born to wealthy parents. Actually, I was interested to see that parents, who thought maybe they would never have children, but. And invested their lives into the lives of children even before Nicholas was born. So that legacy was there. Born into a heritage of faith. Born to a very wealthy family who were very strong Christians. Parents die very early, and then he starts to give his wealth away. And we kind of left his life story when he was in prison, as you said, for five years. What. What happened? What else do we know about the life of Nicholas?
Matt Mikalatos: Well, we do know he goes to Bethlehem, actually. So after Diocletian dies, that emperor that was causing all the trouble, probably Nicholas goes to Egypt first and then to Bethlehem, because Egypt was a central place for getting scriptures copied. And, many of the scriptures in his area had been destroyed. So probably he's sent by the church to go get some new Bibles, basically. And he says to them, hey, we need a bunch of Bibles. And they said, see you in two to three years. And he went and lived outside of Bethlehem for a couple of years, in a cave there and just walked where Jesus had walked. And again, there was no religious tourism at this time. There weren't churches everywhere. there were just other people from the community of faith who showed him where things might have happened or had happened with Jesus. So we know that we know he goes to the Council of Nicaea, which is this moment where the church is deciding what do you have to believe to follow Jesus? Well, do you have to say that Jesus is God, yes or no? And Nicholas, of course, says yes. And so does the church in that moment. it's an incredible. There's some incredible stories related to that. And then we know Nicholas lives until he's 72 years old. There are no scandals associated with him, no problems, no issues. And throughout that time, he is well regarded and well loved by the people around him because he shows care to them. And then the last thing we know about him, is that in the Middle Ages, as religious tourism is on the rise, some Italian sailors come to Turkey and stay the night at the Church of St Nicholas and ask the priest there, do you happen to have anything that would be, you know, religious tourism kind of stuff? And they said, I don't know, maybe St. Nicholas is in the bones or something. And that night the Italians break in, steal the bones, run from the ship, take them to Italy and build their own church, which is still there. That's where his bones are today. so you can go to wild story.
Dr. Jessica Peck: That's wild.
Matt Mikalatos: So that's how the medieval story, becomes, the inspiration for this idea of Santa Claus. the tradition, right, is that Santa means Saint Klaus is another way of saying Nicholas. And, the story kind of grows into this European medieval story. And from there we get all so many of these wonderful traditions that we have. And so the many of our beautiful Santa Claus stories are inspired by the story of St. Nicholas.
Matt, what do you see in Nicholas that inspires your children about Christmas
Dr. Jessica Peck: What were the character traits and attributes that most stood out to you about Nicholas? And how did doing all of this research into his life inspire you to communicate that to your kids?
Matt Mikalatos: I think what we see in Nicholas over and over is a person who is passionate about human beings. You might, if you're putting it in some theological terms, you might say, like Christian humanism, right? That he's. It's all because of his deep love of Jesus. It's all because human beings are made in the image of God. But over and over, what he sees is people and he wants to make their lives better. I think of it, like, think of it when Christmas is coming, right? You're like, okay, maybe I could not fight with this one relative this year. Maybe I'm going to try and do things a little different. I'm gonna make sure there's gluten free food for my cousin. I'm gonna do all these things that Maybe I wouldn't on a regular Tuesday, but on Christmas, yes, we're gonna be extra careful not to fight. We're gonna have the best relationships. We're gonna be thoughtful and give each other gifts they want. And the idea of Nicholas is sort of what Scrooge says at the end of his story. Right. from now on, I'm going to live the Christmas story year round. And that's what Nicholas is. He's a guy that every day was thinking of the people around him and saying, okay, how do I go the extra mile to care for them and make sure they have what they need? And it's a. It's a discipline that. That takes work to get to that place and then to be transformed by that, I think. So that's what I'm thinking. How many days out of the year can I actually celebrate Christmas? Like you were saying earlier, you want to celebrate Christmas in July?
Dr. Jessica Peck: Do it.
Matt Mikalatos: Be kind. Be loving. Do the extra thing for those loved ones. You know what? You can fill someone's stockings on July 17th. It's okay. go for it.
Dr. Jessica Peck: I really am gonna take your permission to heart Matt. I really just might do that. And then when my family says, why in the world are you putting out the stockings in July, Mom? I'm gonna say, because I want the Christmas spirit to live year round. But you're so right. That is one of. That is such a great, story for us to learn from, too, as well, the Christmas Carol. And thinking about that, it reminds me of one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time, it's a Wonderful Life. You know, where George Bailey. Of course, it's theologically problematic, but inspiring nonetheless to look back and see what kind of legacy did you have? And I'm sure that Nicholas did not live his life thinking, maybe I will be immortalized in global Christmas tradition and people will, you know, I'm sure he didn't live like that at all. And yet, one man's impact, it's really inspiring to me because I think about, you know, he lived about 200 times, 200 years after the birth of Christ. And I think right now we're living about 200 years after the birth of our nation. That history doesn't seem so distant. I mean, there are a lot of people in NewSong England who live in houses that were built during the revolution during that time. So kind of putting myself in those cultural context, in those cultural shoes of Nicholas walking in those faith, in those traditions and leading in the early believers. You know, he faced a lot of hardship. And a lot of the prayers that you have in this book, Matt, are not like, oh, let's. Let's play for Christmas peace. And, you know, just like all of these beautiful, picture perfect, you know, little. Like, let's just have a little remembrance, a little moment. We're talking about deep suffering, about trials and traumas and pains and tragedies. How can we learn from Nicholas, who faced being an orphan at an early age, who faced religious persecution, who faced all kinds of other trials? I'm sure. What can we learn about praying those things even in a. In a Christmas that seems anything but picture perfect?
Matt Mikalatos: We cannot celebrate Christmas by closing our eyes to the needs of the world. It's not what Christmas is designed for. I took an Uber ride this week with a man who's been in the United States for less than a year. He's from Ukraine, and he started telling me about what his family has been going through in Ukraine. That's a Christmas moment, right? Where we have this opportunity to connect as human beings, to talk about his family, his needs, the cares. And he's here now with his wife and his two young children, you know, or, the Christmas story itself. The Roman Empire is doing terrible things, and even in the story of Jesus, we have the story of, Herod trying to. To stop Jesus from killing the young children, right? That tragedy is bound up. The tragedy of the world is bound up in the Christmas story, because the Christmas story is the promise and the hope of the peace that comes from Jesus. And so if we just emphasize the hope that comes from Jesus without acknowledging the darkness that the light has entered into, what are we talking about at that point? That's when it becomes this empty tradition instead of this beautiful promise, not just to us and not even just to Christians, but to humanity, that there's a light in the darkness, that God has come to give us a way out of these things and into a place of peace in his presence.
Dr. Jessica Peck: And you know what's beautiful is that Nicholas, as a believer, he inspired people so much. The Italians stole his bones to make a church. Learn something new today, for sure. But the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that there's no bones to steal for Jesus because he is living and we are waiting for his return. We are in that season of Advent. I hope you've been inspired by the life of Nicholas and that you're inspired to pray like Nicholas prayed. This devotional book is called Praying with Saint Nicholas A Christmas Devotional by Matt Mikalatos And wherever you are in your Christmas preparation preparations and your traditions and your preparing. Listen, I pray the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. And we are going to have a great time saying Merry Christmas all week long. See you tomorrow.
Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
