To get in a Christmas state of mind, I watched The Nativity movie last night. Love the way Mary and Joseph seem like normal people—with questions, doubts, and fears just like the rest of us.
Why are Jesus, Mary, Moses, and other Bible characters usually depicted as hyper-spiritual glow-in-the-dark white-robed weirdos in Hollywood movies?
I don’t think real spirituality looks anything like those movies. I think it’s more like The Nativity. Here’s one of my favorite scenes:
Mary: You’ve never really told me of your dream.
Joseph: My dream?
[pause, he is teasing her and also contemplating his response]
Joseph: No.
Mary: Please, tell me.
Joseph: An angel came to me. He told me the child within you had been conceived by the Holy Spirit and that I should not be afraid.
Mary: Are you afraid?
Joseph: Yes. [laughing]
Joseph: Are you?
Mary: Yes. Do you ever wonder when we’ll know?
Joseph: Know what?
Mary: When he is more than just a child. Will it be something he says? A look in his eyes?
Joseph: I wonder if I will even be able to teach him anything.
Sometimes, maybe all times, God’s will is kinda scary. How about you; ever been afraid of God’s will?
