Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, isn’t it?
After all, the angel who brought the first news of Christ’s birth to the shepherds
was proclaiming “good news of great joy.” And when the wise men saw the star
over Bethlehem they were “overwhelmed with joy.”
If you’re like me, sometimes you feel a bit overwhelmed around
Christmas time, but not necessarily with joy. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed
with all the busyness and all the things we want to get done and places we need
to go and cards and presents and events. Often at Christmas the absence of a
loved one is felt more keenly than at other times of year. Sometimes family
gatherings are not exactly the times of love and peace that we would like them
to be.
Some of this we might be able to change, and some of it
we can’t. Remembering that the first Christmas occurred in a very humble and
simple setting should remind us that the joy of Christmas does not depend on how
spectacular our decorations are, or howperfect our presents are, or how wonderful our Christmas meals are. Mary,
Joseph, and the Shepherds had none of these things, but they did have the joy
of Christmas.
We should also remember that the joy experienced by Mary,
Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men occurred in a setting of difficulties
and dangers. Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem because of the edict of a foreign
power that occupied and ruled over their land. They were in a very humble
setting where animals were kept and fed because there was no room for them in
the more comfortable guest room. And the wise men had to sneak away from
Bethlehem to avoid an evil local King intent on killing the newborn baby that
they were worshiping and celebrating.
Thinking about that first Christmas, I realize that the
deep joy they felt did not depend on their circumstances or an absence of
difficulties and dangers. This was a type of joy that was deeper than whatever
fears, anxieties, and stress they felt.
So, maybe we can’t totally avoid feeling overwhelmed by sorrows
or disappointments or drama or busyness during the Christmas season. But that
doesn’t have to rob us of Christmas joy. Christmas joy is rooted in the
glorious good news that the Son of God came into our world to save us. He is
Immanuel – God with us. It’s the good news that God’s King is going to rule
over our world one day. All the evil and darkness and sickness and pain will then
be gone. The incarnation is shining evidence that God cares about us and loves
us.
Take some time to read the Christmas story in Matthew and
Luke. Listen to some Christmas music. Worship with other Christians at a local
church and listen to a message about Christmas. Let the wonder and joy of the
good news of Christmas wash over your tired soul and anxious mind. Let the joy of
knowing we have a Savior and King bubble up like a fountain from a place deeper
than your tiredness and disappointments.
For now, like Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and wise men,
you still have to live in this dark, scary world. Thank God, the joy of
Christmas is precisely the type of joy that shines in dark places.
Prayer:Heavenly
Father, this Christmas I pray that Your Holy Spirit will work in our hearts and
minds and produce the wonderful, valuable fruit of joy. May our joy in Christ
revive our tired souls, strengthening us and healing us from within. And may our
joy in Christ cause our lives to shine like the star the wise men followed so
that others are drawn to come and join us in worshipping Jesus.
Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .
Yesterday I watched Frozen 2 with my wife and 21-year old
daughter (yes, she still likes Frozen, but then again Hope and I are in our
mid-50s and we still like it!). While to me Frozen 2 didn’t have quite as
powerful a story as Frozen, we enjoyed the movie and I suspect that most people
who liked Frozen while like Frozen 2.
In this blog post I want to share a few positive lessons
and a couple of concerns about the Frozen 2 from a biblical, Christian point of
view. In order to write about these, I will have to include some spoilers, but
I will try not to share more than necessary. I don’t think reading an article
like this one would have spoiled the movie for me, but if you haven’t seen it
yet and you don’t want any plot content revealed ahead of time you should stop
reading now and come back after you’ve seen the film. For the rest of you . . .
Three Big Positive Lessons from Frozen 2:
Positive Lesson #1: God often calls us to new ministries
and places which are difficult, challenging, and scary
Elsa’s life in Arendelle is wonderful. She’s surrounded
by people she loves and lives in a beautiful, happy setting. She’s a good queen
and is doing well where she is. But she has been hearing a mystical calling to leave
her comfort zone and explore a new, dangerous place where she, and the special
gifts she has been given, are needed. Leaving her comfort zone to go to a scary
and dangerous new place is not an easy decision for Elsa, and the movie shows
her struggle with this. In fact, one of the movie’s songs is based on this
theme. If you haven’t heard it yet, here it is:
In the movie, the voice calling to Elsa is mystical and
spiritual but not identified (more about this below). If we supply some
biblical truth and substitute the guidance of the Holy Spirit for undefined
mystical guidance, then Elsa’s experience and struggle is one many Christians will
be able to relate to at some point in their life.
Like Elsa, we all have special gifts. The Holy Spirit
gives us each spiritual gifts according to God’s wisdom. These gifts are not meant
to be used merely for our own personal enjoyment. They are meant to be used to
serve others and build up the Body of Christ, His Church.
Also, like Elsa, we often find ourselves living in a relatively
safe-feeling comfort zone. And like Elsa, we may find a quiet voice in our
heart and mind calling and nudging us to leave our comfort zone to go to some
new location, or get involved in some new ministry. And this sometimes involves
facing many unknowns and dangers. It may very well lead us into facing
opposition and experiencing suffering for the sake of God’s Kingdom. Like Elsa,
many struggle with the call to leave our comfort zones, even when we sense that
God wants to use us, and the gifts He has given us, to do bigger things and
help more people as part of His big plan. Like Elsa, that quiet voice isn’t going
to go away or leave us alone. God loves us far too much to leave us in our cozy
comfort zones. He wants to bear eternal fruit through us that will bring Him
glory and us joy. Even if it means for a little while we have to face dark,
scary places and unknown dangers. God knows it will be worth it.
Once we’ve decided to follow the Spirit’s call to a new
location or ministry it is often not easy to get there. Let Elsa, we face
terrible waves of opposition that threaten to drown us even near the beginning
of our new journey. It is tempting to give up at this point and conclude that
the calling was just a crazy and unrealistic idea. But if, with God’s help, we
press on and persevere, God will make a way for us to get through the waves and
reach the destination He has planned for us.
That destination may include some scary things. There may
be painful surprises that we did not expect when we answered the call. But
again (Christianizing this story), it will all be worth it if we stay true to
God’s calling.
Positive Lesson #2: When we are in a deep, dark place
and so much has been lost, we should keep doing the next right thing.
Princess Anna provides us with another important life
lesson. Anna comes to a point in the story where she is alone in a deep, dark
place and it appears that she has lost everything and everyone she loves. Her
whole world has been demolished by circumstances and events beyond her control.
What can she do in a place like that? She can find courage to do the next right
thing. She can find strength to take one more step. To face one more scary
challenge. This lesson is very clear and explicit in the film. It is an
important lesson that should resonate with all of us who live in this dark age
full of evil and disappointment.
Long before Frozen was produced, we were going through
some really, difficult times while serving the Lord in a foreign nation among a
Muslim unreached people group. A good friend wrote us at one of our lowest
points with this improved version of Anna’s lesson: she told us that when we
get in a really hard place, sometimes all we can do, and all we need to do, is
to “Trust God and do the next thing.” Without God, the whole thing doesn’t
work. But with God in the picture, doing the next right thing when we’re in a
dark, painful place is really good advice.
Positive Lesson #3: A Happy Ending
Frozen 2 is a Disney movie made for kids. Of course, it
has a happy ending! I like happy endings. The best fairy tales end with “And
they lived happily ever after.” This fairy tale ending reflects the great,
glorious truth that the same God who created the world we live in and Who demonstrated
His love by sending His Son to die for our sins has promised us that if we
trust in Him we will live happily ever after.
This reminds me of a dream that a dear Christian friend
shared with me. In his dream he was in a room in Heaven filled with people. All
of a sudden, they all happily shouted, “It sure was worth it, following Jesus!”
Following Jesus in this current world will sometimes involve leaving your
comfort zone. Sometimes following Jesus will take you to dark, scary places.
You may face painful losses and deep disappointments along the way. But if you
stay true to His calling, in the end it will be worth it. You will really,
truly, literally live happily ever after!
Two Concerns about the Frozen 2’s Worldview
Frozen 2 is not a Christian movie and so it is not
surprising that despite having some good lessons (which are far more meaningful
when interpreted in the light of biblical truth!) the movie also has some significant
world view problems. In Frozen 2 there are elemental spirits that can be
interacted with and tamed and can cause either good or harm. This is a pagan
world view and reflects animistic and new age thinking. While most people who
watch the movie aren’t likely to be influenced to join a pagan cult or dive
into new age beliefs, we should not dismiss the dangers of such a world view
lightly. A movie like this could have a subtle influence on unguarded minds and
lead them into spiritually dangerous beliefs and practices. The best way to
avoid this is for you and your children to be immersed in biblical truth and
grounded in Christian faith.
More important than what the movie has is what it does
not have. Elsa and Anna do not know the one true God who is our Creator, Lord,
and Savior. Without Him, none of the positive lessons will ultimately work or produce
good fruit.
Conclusion
So, enjoy the movie. Be on guard, and help your children
be on guard, against the world view problems in the film. If you combine the
positive lessons in the film with Christian truth, then you and your kids will
get some powerful, helpful, and relevant life lessons from Frozen 2. Enjoy
going into the unknown with Elsa and Anna, but make sure you take biblical
truth and your Christian faith with you.
Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .
