Something I was thinking about earlier that I should’ve put in my original post…
One movie that has always touched me and I believe carries a spiritual message is found in the original Miracle on 34th Street (I like to pretend the two remakes don’t exist). There’s a scene where a woman comes to Kris Kringle (playing himself at the mall) with a little girl. She explains that the little girl was adopted and is originally from Holland, and doesn’t speak any English. She says that the girl knows Santa can’t speak to her, but just wanted a chance to see him. Suddenly, Kringle breaks out in fluent Dutch. The little girl’s eyes light up and she hops on Santa’s lap, talking to him, and they begin to sing a Dutch Christmas song together.
Although I know this example is kinda goofy because it’s Santa, and Santa Claus is kind of a secularized version of Saint Nicholas and the whole reason for the Nativity, I always felt touched by the scene because it talked about the rewards of faith. The little girl just wanted a chance to see Santa, even if she couldn’t understand a word he said, and she’s rewarded by the surprising fact that this “Santa” can speak Dutch. It reminds me very much of the woman who just wanted to touch Christ’s cloak, or the centurion who just wanted to hear Christ’s command, or even the Wise Thief who wanted nothing more than Christ to remember him. That little mustard seed of faith can bring a great amount of joy and reward to the believer.
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