December 11
Miracle on 34thStreet
One of the older films from our Christmas collection is Miracle on 34thStreet, a 1947 release. It’s a grand movie, where Kris Kringle takes over for a drunken Santa Claus in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and then becomes the regular Santa at the iconic department store. Mr. Kringle believes he is the authentic Santa Claus, and because some do not believe him, he is hospitalized and then taken to court to determine if he is correct or not.
As those around him attempted to determine his true identity, one of my favorite quotes from the movie was uttered by Fred Shellhammer, the head of the toy department. His comment still rings true: “But . . . but maybe he’s only a little crazy, like painters or composers or . . . or some of those men in Washington.”
Kris Kringle speaks wisely: “Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind and that’s what’s been changing. That’s why I’m glad I’m here, maybe I can do something about it.” Much of life depends upon a frame of mind, and for much of 2020, that frame has been warping, bending, and disintegrating. We’ve wrestled mightily with truth, judged each other harshly, and diminished the pain of others as our frame of mind has become overwhelmed by fear rather than crafted by love. In some ways, we are the drunken Santa in the parade, the cynical lawyer, the unbelieving child. How our frame of mind needs to be aligned with that of Jesus, for as Paul reminded us in Philippians 2, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. . . .He gave up his divine privilege, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.”
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Isaiah 59:11
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