The Nativity Story
New Line Cinema is releasing "The Nativity Story" today nationwide. I had heard that this movie was coming out, but this past weekend I saw the trailer for the film. The 60 second preview literally took my breath away and left me fighting tears.The story of Christ's birth is so rich, and there are so many aspects to study: the symbolism, the prophesy, the sheer wonder...and I very easily get so caught up in such things (and rightly so) that I forget about Mary and Joseph. Their story is absolutely incredible. I never really thought much about them in anything other than a logistical sense...as Jesus' mother and father...until I was a student at the Bible Institute, and we had an instructor come in for a week to speak almost exclusively about Mary. I won't lie, I don't remember many of the lecturers we had at WOLBI, but this particular week I remember like it was yesterday. He put everything into a cultural context and explained in great detail what she must have encountered as a result of her pregnancy.
Mary was the most common and most pure of Jewish girls, and she spent her pregnancy (and probably a significant amount of time thereafter) treated as an outcast (or, to be blunt, as a whore). But when she was first told the news that she, a virgin, would bear a child, her response to the angel was: I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true. Luke 1:38 NLT. I can't imagine that my own response would have been half as gracious, obedient or selfless. She literally gave up her honor (in man's eyes), any social status she had (which was likely very little anyways), and any semblance of a normal future, in blind obedience and true child-like faith.
I could pretty much go on and on about how beautiful this picture is, God selecting someone who thinks themself "unworthy" for the task he chooses them for, God doing something that is beyond our human comprehension, God asking someone to trust Him even though what He's proposing makes little to no sense in human terms...sounds familiar doesn't it? And look at the reward Mary was blessed with. The same goes for Joseph. Granted he didn't have to carry and give birth to Jesus, but he did go through much of the same ridicule and exercised the same faith and obedience Mary did.
Suffice it to say I am very anxious to see this movie. From what I've seen, the producers don't seem to be advertising any religious agenda, but have made every effort to preserve the cultural and historical accuracy of the account in the movie. That alone pretty much guarantees that it will be a powerful film. I'll let you know what I think when I see it!
posted by Libby @ 2:46 PM
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