How to Share Your Faith Using A Christmas Story
It's a Christmas tradition that almost never was, a low-budget movie that was supposed to be more of a go-nowhere spoof than a holiday classic.
Now, every year around Christmas it is shown on the networks almost as much as Charlie Brown and that green Grinch guy.
I'm talking about A Christmas Story. It's a narrated flashback to the 1940's childhood of Ralphie, a little elementary school boy with a huge imagination. It's Christmas time, and there is only one thing on his mind: a Red Ryder Carbine Action, 200 Shot, Range Model Air Rifle. (For all you gun-challenged folks out there -- translation: a REALLY cool BB gun) Along the way, Ralphie drops ever so subtle, not-so-subtle, and downright so obvious hints to let his mom, dad, teacher, and even Santa know that he wants that gun! Unfortunately, he continually gets the same response from everyone.
"You'll shoot your eye out!"
This becomes the theme that haunts poor little Ralphie throughout the movie.
The tagline for the 1983 movie is: A Tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred-Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All-American Christmas...
That's just the family that Ralphie is a part of. His dad is a die-hard American salesman who can fix anything (or at least try to) and can string together a line of obscenities longer than a Miami Dolphins losing streak. Thankfully for the audience, they are muffled mumblings rather than actual cussing. Ralphie has to deal with a rough 'n' tough dad, a slightly spastic mother, and a whining little brother. Something I'm sure many kids and teens of today can relate to.
Ralphie also deals with the typical school yard trials found in your typical school. No, he isn't offered a hit of marijuana or tempted by the lure of sex, but he and his friends do deal with peer pressure, bullies, and trying to have the things that "everyone" has at their age (like a TRIPLE dog dare!).
Can you relate?
As a teen, are you faced with peer pressure? If not, then you apparently haven't left the house since you turned six. It's something that all of us face, from pre-school to grad-school and beyond.
How about bullies? Well, maybe no one demands your school money, but there are probably those people who don't like you too much and bad-mouth you to others. In a way, it's the same thing, and it causes us to be a little self-conscious of who we are, and a little afraid to be ourselves.
And don't try to deny the fact that the temptation and pressure is there to have the best of the best when it comes to clothes, cars, and gadgets. You've got to have the latest style car, truck, or SUV. You've got to have the coolest cell phone with the most functions, which you can't even use unless you're a computer technician. Your clothes have got to be something from Gap, Abercrombie, or Express to be "cool." I mean, like, if a plain white t-shirt doesn't cost $20, it's like, totally not worth having, right?
It may seem I've digressed, so let's get back to the movie. What does any of this have to do with A Christmas Story?
Well, Ralphie dealt with these things, you deal with them, and your unsaved friends deal with them. Most of your friends go day in and day out succumbing to the pressures they face because they don't see a way out. But there is one!!! Ralphie finally got tired of being bullied, so he did something about it. He beat the fire out of the bully! Now, I'm not advocating violence. I'm just saying do something about it! Realize that God is on your side. When it comes down to it, it's only going to matter what Jesus thinks about you and how you responded to his offer of grace in life. It's the same for your friends. What ultimately matters is how they respond to Jesus and if they lived their lives for him. As you watch this movie with them this Christmas, bring that fact out. You can say something like: You know, Ralphie dealt with a lot of stuff we have to deal with. Thankfully we can do something about it, just like he did. Instead of attacking the person, we can find our comfort and acceptance in Jesus Christ. Can I tell you about him?
You could also lead in to the Gospel by talking about Ralphie and his family. Ralphie's dad is not abusive to any in the family, but he is a rough guy. Many of your friends have to deal with a rough home life, and they can probably relate to a father who cusses like a sailor and isn't the greatest dad in the world. If you know that your friend has to deal with this kind of home, make the parallel to Ralphie's dad in the movie. Then you can say something like: I know you have a tough life at home. In the Bible, it talks about God being "our Father." The difference is that He is a loving father who never harms his children in any way. He loves us so much that he would do anything for us, even come to earth and die for us so that we could spend eternity with him. Can I tell you about that?
WARNING: ENDING SPOILER!! A third option is a good one, but it's a little more tricky. On Christmas Day, after opening all of his gifts and being humiliated by having to wear his deranged bunny outfit, Ralphie and his family are sitting around the living room reveling in Christmas bliss. Ralphie's dad asks him if he got everything he wanted, and Ralphie tells him "almost." All of a sudden, Ralphie's dad says, "Hey, what is that over there? I think you missed one." Ralphie goes over to the corner of the room, reaches back and pulls out...a long wrapped something. You guessed it! It's the Red Ryder Carbine Action, 200 Shot, Range Model Air Rifle in all its bad-guy popping glory. How does this work in sharing the Gospel? Simple: God wants to give us what we truly desire. God wants to bless us. No, this doesn't mean that he will give us whatever we want, but he does want us to be blessed. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." The catch to that giving is the first part. If you are delighting in the Lord, then you are following him and seeking his will and purposes for your life. If his will is what you desire, then he will most certainly give it to you! In relating this to the movie make sure you separate the rest of the dad's actions earlier in the movie from this single point, and then you can say something like: Just like Ralphie's dad was happy to give Ralphie what his heart desired, God wants to do the same for us. He won't give us anything and everything, but his plan is for us to seek after him and his will. In fact, what he wants most for us is to experience forgiveness and enter into a relationship with Him. Then, he can bless us with everything that we truly need, because we will desire what he desires. He will bless you more than you could ever imagine if you will trust in him. Can I tell you how to do that?
Well, I hope this little review about Ralphie and A Christmas Story will help you to introduce your friends to Jesus, who is after all the very reason for CHRISTmas in the first place.
Merry Christmas from your brothers and sisters at Dare 2 Share Ministries!
