The Nativity Story
Just watched The Nativity Story with our seven-year-old son (the girls have seen it). Bawled my eyes out at many points, particularly now that I have a better understanding of the typological significance of many of the events since I last saw it.
Not too many gripes with this one, and it is great for the kids to see other children being taught the Word of God. How many times do they see that on-screen?
The way Mary, her family and Joseph had to work through the implications of her pregnancy are both touching and gutsy.
Herod the Great is less dramatic than Peter Ustinov’s wonderful portrayal, but all the more believable. He is a master strategist, also not sparing his own sons for the glory of his kingdom.
The wise men did put their gifts down in an order backwards to what it perhaps should have been (see Were There Twenty-Four Wise Men?) But I loved these wonderful wise men, anyhow.
The use of Mary’s Song at the end is powerful.
