The most wonderful time of the year. That’s what the Christmas season is, isn’t it? I’ve watched three Hallmark Christmas movies (Yes, I watch some of them. So what?) and so far five couples have fallen in love, two parent/adult child relationships have been healed, a couple of miserly hearts have been softened, and two small town Christmases have been “saved”. You can’t get much more wonderful than that, can you? Here is the thing: I knew it was going to happen. That’s what happens in those movies. I watched the first fifteen minutes of one and turned to Angie and said “She is going to fall in love with that guy, he is going to start getting along with his dad, she will quit her city job, buy that store for sale, and move to the little town. There will be a misunderstanding between them but it will be OK. Oh, and the church bells will ring again”. That’s exactly what happened.

 

      So why do I watch them? They don’t generally speak much about Jesus or proclaim the real message of that wonderful event that changed the course of history. But those simplistic movies do speak of family values, compassion, forgiveness, and the goodness in people. They do it without pushing an agenda on me, whether it is transgender rights, homosexual marriages, racial stereotypes, sexual promiscuity, or violence. No one is trying too indoctrinate me or tell me that I’m a horrible, bigoted person because of my religious beliefs.

 

     So, yes, they may be formulaic and simple but they are still better than most of the trash that passes for entertainment. They all have religious carols sung without apology and will generally involve a church choir at some point. They may not point right at Jesus but neither do they take time to deny Him. And I guess in this age of humanism and Christophobia that’s a refreshing thing.

 

Say good things about your church and about your Savior. It’s His birthday we are celebrating.

Bro. Tony