Peoria Times
20 RELIGION
December 23, 2021
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A Christmas Story: What God reveals to us CHURCH-COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Pastor Ed Delph Peoria Times Columnist
Let me introduce you to a friend of mine, Dr. Ted Baehr. He is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Movieguide and a respected movie critic. Dr. Baehr comes from a Hollywood family. Both his father and his grandfather starred in major movies and television series. Last November, I heard Dr. Baehr speak about the elements required in every great movie or book. Here’s a summary of some of what he shared with the audience. Read on. You will
like this. First, you need a premise. The premise is the idea behind the movie or book. The premise is, “Where you’re going and why you’re going there. You give a premise and then fulfill the premise.” Then you need a plot. The plot is, “How you’re going to get there.” The plot is the vehicle to communicate the idea or premise. And the process of arriving at the premises should be painful or challenging. The plot consists of characters, dialogue, themes, and the setting or backdrop of the movie or book. Characters are, “Who goes there and whom they meet.” Themes are the interactions between characters along the way that meet. The setting is where the plot
happens and includes both music and spectacle. And a good movie, a story or a book always has a starting point and an ending point. Being a writer of sorts, I thought about Dr. Baehr’s speech. And by the time you read this article, it will be Christmas Eve. So, let’s apply those elements to the first Christmas. Talk about intrigue. The first Christmas was full of possibilities for a fulllength drama. The first Christmas was the stuff that movie directors and producers scan the horizon for. Only this time, there was no fantasy but plenty of spectacles. It was for real, for all people, for all time. This time, the author, director and producer is God, the Great I Am, The Lord of all creation.
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Consider the setting and backdrop. The times were tough. The dark night and straggling confusion added to the drama. The oppressive Roman government decreed that everyone in Israel return home to their birth cities for tax registration. Most likely, that would mean higher taxes. So, the roads were filled with people going to and from their birth cities. There was bedlam in Bethlehem. And there was no room in Bethlehem’s numerous inns. The characters were angels from heaven who introduced a new hit song to shepherds on the side of a hill at night. That was impressive. But it only gets better. One very pregnant teenager SEE CHRISTMAS PAGE 21
