Bethel 12/13/20 Service

Who doesn’t love a love story, especially at Christmas?

And, okay, I’ll admit it. We enjoy watching Hallmark Christmas movies at our house—sometimes non-stop—especially during the holidays and special marathons.

Some people may tease us for indulging in these Christmas happily-ever-after films where we can pretty much guess the ending from the beginning, saying, “How can you sit for hours and watch movies with such predicable endings?”

Although we basically know how the storyline is going to go before it begins, there’s comfort in knowing, while watching from the start, all the twists and turns will be happily resolved in the end. It’s satisfying to know true love will prevail.

I could go on, but really, who doesn’t love a happy ending? And what’s wrong with starting out a story with the reassurance of true love’s strength to overcome all odds?

As the years progress, Hallmark Christmas movies have been adding more and more storylines, from time-traveling to finding true love, marrying into Santa’s family, rekindling lost loves, discovering love after a broken heart, royal weddings, and more.

Like many, I have my favorites, too. Such as “The Christmas Card”, “A Season for Miracles", “Write Before Christmas” just to name a few.

Yet Hallmark Christmas movies are still missing the mark.

How Is Hallmark Missing the Mark?

Although Hallmark has it right that Christmas is a time to fall in love, it’s mistaken in its focal point of love during this special holiday.

Because God loves a happy ending, too, He has written the most epic Christmas love story of all time, of a happily-ever-life that will never end. His story has all the ingredients, too, which viewers seem to love watching during the holidays. Just like Matthew 18:11 explains, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”

As a Hallmark Christmas movie, God’s love story might have a film synopsis something like this: “In ‘A Christmas Rescue,’ a Prince from a faraway land is sent by His Father, to save His Bride-to-be from the evil one. Viewers follow the Prince of Peace as He saves Her, traveling through all time and ages to free His lost love from eternal captivity.”

In God’s Christmas love story, one day soon all who believe in Jesus will be presented to Him as His Bride (the Church), radiant without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, holy and blameless, (Ephesians 5:27) loved by Him and washed clean in His own blood (Revelation 1:5).

As John 3:16 explains, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And in Hallmark Christmas movie fashion, everlasting love is realized in the happy ending to come. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.”(Revelation 19:7).

What Draws Us to Hallmark Christmas Movies?
So what makes Hallmark Christmas movies so popular? And what draws us to watch them?

Growing up in church, I often heard people say how everyone has a spiritual hole in their heart that only God can fill. Hearing it as a child in reference to a spiritual heart condition, it surprised me to discover as an adult how every person born enters into the world with a physical hole in their heart.

Medically speaking, all of us are born with a broken heart. Although most holes close after birth unless there is an issue, maybe being born with a hole in the heart represents in the natural, what is true in the spiritual, of everyone having a spiritual hole in their heart at birth.

Spiritually speaking, we are all born in sin, which has created the hole in our heart that only God can fill. As Psalm 51:5, describes, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Every person is looking for love to fill this spiritual hole. Is it possible that Hallmark Christmas movies give us hope that there is someone to fill this hole in our hearts?

If so, we don’t have to worry because God sent Jesus into the world to fill that hole with His love. Psalm 147:3, explains how, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Why Do We Watch Hallmark Christmas Movies?

So why do we watch Hallmark Christmas movies? Are they offering us something we’re longing for in life?

A common story thread in Hallmark Christmas movies is a person, usually a woman, looks to find someone who will say all the right words to her, give her thoughtful, meaningful gifts; and who despite all her shortcomings, loves her all the more.

Intuitively most individuals believe and hope there is someone out there who will meet their deepest needs, but so many don’t realize they will find all of this and more in knowing and loving Jesus.

He is who we are looking for in life whether we know it or not. As Philippians 4:19, explains, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”

Like a Hallmark Christmas movie leading character, Jesus longs to meet our every heart’s desire. As Psalm 145:19 explains, He fulfills our desires.

Is It Okay to Watch Hallmark Christmas Movies?
So is it wrong for us to enjoy watching Hallmark Christmas movies?

Not at all, but it is good for us to be aware of how movies without Jesus may be shaping our thoughts about Christmas.

Although the Hallmark Christmas atmosphere is usually bright, colorful, and warm, it offers a worldly view of what Christmas is all about rather than the biblical truth of the origin of Christmas. A Jesus-less Christmas story leaves us with an emptiness that cannot be filled with Santa, colorful lights, romance, Christmas cookies, or hot cocoa.

It’s wise to realize that instead of following God’s Christmas story narrative, Hallmark programming is following its own ideas on what a Merry Christmas involves. Whereas God’s plan is to give us Jesus, for the most part, Hallmark leaves even the mention of Him out of their Christmas movies.

Recognizing how holiday glitz and glitter have the potential to lead us astray to the point where we start focusing more on how, where, and who we are celebrating Christmas with rather than Whom we are celebrating, is good to keep in mind.

It’s also important for us to guard our hearts from feeding on the holiday extras and missing out on experiencing the true joy found in Christ. It’s good for us to not lose sight of the angel’s proclamation to the shepherds of the good news which brought great joy for all people (Luke 2:10).

The joy found in Jesus far surpasses any temporary form of joy the world has to offer us. Like Jesus told us in John 15:11, He wants His joy to be in us because His joy is full and satisfying.

How Do We Stay on Mark at Christmas?

When watching Hallmark Christmas movies, it’s good for us to keep in mind how Christmas is really about falling in love with Jesus.

It is also a time to check our hearts to make sure we are purposefully looking to Him to meet and satisfy our needs rather than getting caught up in the holiday’s trimmings.

God’s matchless Christmas love story is everlasting. He sent Jesus to us because He loves us. “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9).

During the Holiday Season and every day of the year, it’s important to keep Jesus as the bright Morning Star of our Christmas (Revelations 22:16), and focus on Him as God’s amazing Christmas gift to us. As 1 John 4:19 explains, “We love because He first loved us.”

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.