My elementary school class (the children are between six and seven) has just seen a little play about the Nativity at the local parish. Since this is Sweden, they only describe the account and don’t claim that this is the truth or anything. Most people in Sweden aren’t religious, so we have to teach the children what the Christians believe.
Priest: “…so, that is the story that we tell about the birth of the man that we call Jesus. It probably didn’t happen that way, but this is an old, old story that inspired the people in the before-times to invent Christmas. There were older celebrations before Christianity, but this is the old stor—”
A boy raises his hand.
Boy #1: “Is Jesus real?”
Priest: “Some people think that; others don’t. The important part is to help each other be good people.”
Boy #1: “But is he real?”
Priest: “I know he was a real person that lived two thousand years ago, if that answers your question.”
Boy #1: “But is he real right now?”
Priest: “I can’t tell you. That is something you decide for yourself.”
The boy is obviously not satisfied, so a girl pipes up.
Girl: “My mom says Jesus is as real as Santa.”
Boy #1: “Oh! Good, because I have seen Santa. He came to my home last year!”
Boy #2: “My older brother says Santa isn’t real, and it’s just a grandparent or a dad!”
The discussion quickly spirals from here as the children get lost in a deep discussion about whether Santa and Jesus are real. The priest makes eye contact with me, and since we both know a little sign, I sign the word “F-I-K-A”. The priest quickly raises his voice over the increasingly heated argument of confused children.
Priest: “I think that [Parish Assistant] is done setting up Fika in the next room! Let’s go there, and I’ll tell you a story about a little gnome and how he invented the Christmas tree!”
And so, the children stampeded away toward the red fruit drinks, the cinnamon buns, and the little jam-filled sandwich cookies (which is what this Fika is). Verily, the musings on the divine are fleeting compared to the gospel of Fika; may its sugary blessing be upon us.
