The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

So I watched “The greatest Christmas pageant ever,” and was honestly really impressed. I saw one of the cast of “The Chosen” in one of the trailers, along with its creator directing it and honestly I got a little nervous. I know that may sound like a highly “anti-Christian” thing to say, but I’m not one to blindly accept a Christian story because it’s a Christian story. I often feel like the quality of Christian movies gets sacrificed so that they can turn their movie into a sermon and I don’t like that.

All that to say, I was holding my breath for a movie to turn things around. And I am happy to announce that this was that movie. I noticed immediately how much of the style was inspired by  “A Christmas Story,” which, honestly, felt pretty right. They got a narrator to play an adult version of the main character, which just brought a fun, nostalgic touch to the table. And the scenes felt very realistic. The main character’s house felt like the house of someone I might know. Poor neighborhoods felt like ones I had seen before, and the church setting definitely felt like one I had visited at some point. It all drove the whole thing home. 

But the other big thing I was curious about was how well were they going to portray the Herdmans. I mean, PG is a pretty clean rating to portray some kids who are rowdy, obnoxious, and all-around not your church average. But that’s exactly how they did it: by showing the contrast between the well-dressed, picture-perfect churchgoers, and the dirty-rascal Herdmans. That contrast is where the movie really shines. 

But what I wasn’t expecting was how much of the focus of the movie was shifted onto the churchgoers, who are painted as the real villains. I know that part was in the trailer and all, I just wasn’t expecting how much of the focus would go there. I thought the story would be more about taming the shrews that were the Herdmans. 

But, you know what? This wasn’t really a problem for me. The whole thing got me thinking about love, and how the brightest stars shine on the darkest nights. I had idea after idea of how we ought to infiltrate different areas of life to be just a little twinkle for others. Not so that we can make ourselves perfectly squeaky-clean all the time, but so that we can go be out there in the world, making a difference by making the one good choice at the right moment. 

I thought about my own life, and how people don’t always know that I’m a Christian right off the bat. Honestly, I’m pretty happy about that. It means that I’m not a squeaky-clean robot that spits bible verses and generic responses at people. It gives me hope that I can still live up to the ideal of letting people be themselves, even in the presence of a Christian. 

And isn’t that, in a way, the Christmas story? That we can be ourselves, just as we are, around God without fear of being zapped by lightning? Isn’t it knowing that wherever we are-poor and starving or drenched in pride-that our story with God can truly begin? Isn’t that what Christmas is really all about? 

It doesn’t mean that we suddenly become any less us. I mean, I snapped at a couple talking three rows back in the middle of the movie. We’re still people. But we have the power of fingers that point in the direction of Him who is a whole lot better than we could ever be. And it’s Him that everyone should get excited about. Not you, not me, but Him. No mere mortal will ever do. Just Him. 

So I pray that He finds you this day, and that your journey begins, if it hasn’t already. If it hasn’t begun, all you need to do is pray to the King, and let Him know that you want Him to be a part of your life. It’s all plain and simple, as it should be.

Until Next Time

May Peace be your Guide.