The Nativity Story

It is worth seeing. Prepare to be humbled. My heart was stirred. I walked away satisfied, not just by the work of art on screen, but by the deeper story I found myself a part of. "What kind of tale might this be?" (to echo someone else's question) "...and where might I fit in this story?" I say humbled because I was shocked by the aura of a young Jewish woman. She wasn't a mature, white, American. She wasn't a beautiful, white, angel either. She was a woman oppressed by her surroundings, but a woman strong in her faith, and worn by her hope. Joseph was a man of quiet passion. He was a middle eastern man, barely acceptable in our country as he appeared. Their culture was foreign, and far from rosey. There's so much I don't understand about them, so much we don't understand. Still, this portrayal screams of God's mysterious faithfulness in a way I can't describe by words, nor through a blog. You must see it for yourselves. He chose to send His Son to this woman, and honor her we must. She suffered. Was it she who chose this lot? No. It was Yahweh, the God who was silent for so long, yet drew near. It was the God who chooses.

The movie captures the intense struggle of a honorable man fighting for survival, and a quiet woman who had little, as they merely began an endless journey. What happens to a girl who turns up pregnant? The Law screamed, but God's quiet voice screamed louder. It was ironic, but vividly portrayed. The Pure arrived in scandal. The Holy in the filthy. If all the scripture that was quoted in this movie were truly prophetic of this Baby, then I am eternally awed by what he came to offer. Why us? Why would he give us proud Americans, gentiles, a chance to know and live. Why would he entrust His gift to people who outright deny the Jews their rightful place in their story--people who would deny Yahweh ever had a plan in the first place, but a riddle solved by the greatest of learned men. How pitiful we are with such little faith. Even still, He chose the most humble to be His mommy and daddy. How he chose the most humble to receive their gift.

What if it really were true though? What if he really were a King? And what if he really asked us to prepare the Way? Maybe then we wouldn't walk away from this movie critiquing the arrival of the wise men, but instead, marveling at its meaning.

(Re) The Nativity Story. 2006. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, Produced by New Line Cinema