Christmas Colonel

During the Christmas season, citizens in Japan begin envisioning the image of a man with white hair and a beard, inevitably smiling a mischievous grin. He has a ruddy complexion and always seems to be wearing the same outfit. 

While Christmas in America is oftentimes accompanied by pictures of Santa Claus, the images in Japan are a little different. Instead of Santa Claus, Christmas to them is represented by Colonel Sanders … yes, that Colonel Sanders.

In Ephesians, we are told that “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. … By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The story of how KFC became a staple of Japanese Christmases is a long and winding affair, but a part of the story entails some miscommunication and a little misinterpretation.

Paul, on the other hand, leaves us with no room for misinterpretation. We are all sinners, we are all lost, and there’s nothing we could ever do to earn our way to salvation. But due to God’s grace and His immeasurable love for us, Jesus paid our debt; not because of anything we’ve done, but because He’s is a loving God.

Support the Show.