I love Christmastime. It is without a doubt my favorite holiday season. I love the music, the weather, the food, and of course the presents (who doesn’t?). But I also love the movies. One of my favorite holiday movies is the 1983 classic “A Christmas Story.” If you haven’t seen it, one TV channel runs it continuously for 24 hours starting Christmas morning. The movie is the story of 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest to get his one Christmas wish – an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle... to which everyone (his parents, teacher, even Santa himself) replies... “No... you’ll shoot your eye out!”
There is a great scene in the movie when Ralphie’s dad (referred to as, “the old man”) receives a “major award.” See, the old man entered a newspaper trivia contest and won by answering the question: “What was the name of the Lone Ranger’s nephew’s horse?” After some time, a large wooden crate is delivered to the house and the old man immediately knows that it’s his award. He quickly pries open the crate, digs through the packing straw and pulls out... a leg. But it’s not just any leg, it’s a stocking and high-heel clad leg lamp... the definition of tacky. Ralphie, his mom, and his brother all stare at the lamp, jaws-dropped. To them it is bizarre (to say the least) and not at all the “major award” they had in mind. But not to the old man. To him, it’s... it’s... the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. He says, “Would you look at that? Isn’t that glorious? It’s indescribably beautiful!” With the greatest of pride, he positions it in front of the widow, plugs it in, and runs outside to admire his prize. Naturally, his neighbors gather around, curious about the glowing leg in the old man’s front window. They ask, “What is that?” The old man, with a tone of unconditional love, boasts, “...it’s a major award... I won it.”
This scene is a beautiful picture of our relationship with God. Our heavenly Father, much like Ralphie’s father, shows an unyielding sense of pride and unconditional love towards his prize. And we, as those redeemed by the blood of Christ, are our Father’s prize... His pride and joy. Though sin makes us ugly and undesirable, to God we are “indescribably beautiful.” This reminds me of the verse in Jeremiah that says, “I [the LORD] have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself...” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT). We are a prize, a major award, won by Christ’s death and loved unconditionally and undeservedly by our heavenly Father. I hope you’ll never look at that leg lamp the same way again.
Happy December and Merry Christmas!
There is a great scene in the movie when Ralphie’s dad (referred to as, “the old man”) receives a “major award.” See, the old man entered a newspaper trivia contest and won by answering the question: “What was the name of the Lone Ranger’s nephew’s horse?” After some time, a large wooden crate is delivered to the house and the old man immediately knows that it’s his award. He quickly pries open the crate, digs through the packing straw and pulls out... a leg. But it’s not just any leg, it’s a stocking and high-heel clad leg lamp... the definition of tacky. Ralphie, his mom, and his brother all stare at the lamp, jaws-dropped. To them it is bizarre (to say the least) and not at all the “major award” they had in mind. But not to the old man. To him, it’s... it’s... the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. He says, “Would you look at that? Isn’t that glorious? It’s indescribably beautiful!” With the greatest of pride, he positions it in front of the widow, plugs it in, and runs outside to admire his prize. Naturally, his neighbors gather around, curious about the glowing leg in the old man’s front window. They ask, “What is that?” The old man, with a tone of unconditional love, boasts, “...it’s a major award... I won it.”
This scene is a beautiful picture of our relationship with God. Our heavenly Father, much like Ralphie’s father, shows an unyielding sense of pride and unconditional love towards his prize. And we, as those redeemed by the blood of Christ, are our Father’s prize... His pride and joy. Though sin makes us ugly and undesirable, to God we are “indescribably beautiful.” This reminds me of the verse in Jeremiah that says, “I [the LORD] have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself...” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT). We are a prize, a major award, won by Christ’s death and loved unconditionally and undeservedly by our heavenly Father. I hope you’ll never look at that leg lamp the same way again.
Happy December and Merry Christmas!
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