Miracle On 34th Street Series

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

Today we are starting a new series called Christmas at the movies. For the next 4 weeks leading up to Christmas we are going to be looking at 4 classic Christmas films and asking if there is anything we can learn from them in terms of lining up with the biblical account of the birth of Jesus. As you have already seen, the first film we will be looking at is Miracle on 34th Street.

The movie Miracle on 34th street was released in 1947. It starred Maureen O’Hara and John Payne. The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City. It is about a department store Santa who claims to be the real Santa Claus. It won three Academy Awards and was recently selected for preservation by the Library of Congress for being a film of cultural and historical significance. In 1994 the film was remade by director John Hughes and starred Richard Attenborough

So what can we learn from this film today?

Luke 2:8-14 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.

The shepherds were told that the long awaited Messiah had been born. They are told where He was born and how they could go and see for themselves that everything that they had been told was true. They went and saw baby Jesus and then began to tell others about what had happened. In their mind they had no doubt that what the angel had told them was true. They knew who Jesus was.

In the world today, most people do not know who Jesus is. Most think that He was another historical figure or a religious leader. Many think He was just a hoax, that He never lived at all. Certainly not that He is alive and with us today. Christmas reminds us of 3 things;

1. Jesus is who He claimed to be

In the story, a man named Kris Kringle is shocked to find that the man assigned to play Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade is intoxicated. When he complains to the event director named Doris, she persuades Kris to take his place. He does such a good job of it that he is hired to be the Santa at the Macy’s store on 34th street. Doris has a neighbor named Fred who is an attorney. When Fred meets Kris he invites him to stay with him. In the following weeks, people see that Kris is different. He is kinder and more generous than others. Eventually people who are jealous try to remove Kris by having him committed to a mental asylum. At a hearing before a judge the District Attorney gets Kris into admitting that he really believes that he is the real Santa. Saying that this proved that he was insane, he rests his case. Fred then argues that Kris is not insane, because he actually is who he claimed to be.

Have you ever had to prove that you were who you said you were? Years ago in Kuwait I left my passport in my pocket and it got washed and destroyed. It was very difficult to replace, but the worst part was that, because it was reported ‘lost’ it made coming in and out of the country more difficult. I had to ‘prove’ that I was the real Steve Sheane every time I went through customs.

I remember hearing a talk show where Rowan Atkinson was being interviewed. He told the story of going to the local garage to have his car worked on. As he was sitting there in the waiting area there was a man that kept looking at him. Finally the man came over and said “has anyone ever told you that you look just like that guy from television called Mr. Bean.” He replied saying that he was in fact Rowan Atkinson, the actor who played that character.

The man just laughed and said “Yes, I bet you WISH you were him! I bet you WISH you were that rich and famous.” The more he tried to convince the man the more the guy just dismissed it as being a joke. At the end the man said “seriously though, you do look a LOT like him. You should hire yourself out as a celebrity double – you know, those people who do birthday parties and that sort of thing. You could make some money out of it.” Here was Rowan Atkinson trying to convince someone that he really was Rowan Atkinson. He really was who he claimed to be.