There Ought To Be A Law

I went with about 300 fellow church members to see "The Nativity" at a local theater last night. It was interesting to watch a movie about Christmas that didn't involve flying reindeer, talking snowmen, misfit toys or unwilling Santa's. The whole concept of Christ's birth on the big screen is refreshingly new. I can't remember ever seeing a movie that didn't just hint at the "principles" of giving, but blatantly displayed the "principal" of the first gift. There were a few inaccuracies concerning the first Christmas. I will not detail them here. I get annoyed at self proclaimed experts of everything Biblical who lambast every little "nook and cranny" of Hollywood's attempt to cater to the Christian community. Don't get me wrong, when producers start marrying Jesus to Mary Magdalene or even worse try to lessen his manliness I will be the first to scream, BLASPHEMY! But to argue that we're not sure how many wise men there were or if Persians ever rode camels is straining on a gnat. Give me a break, the virgin birth of our Savior is clearly portrayed in this movie and for that I am thankful.

What I am not thankful for is at least a dozen movie promotions of "upcoming attractions" that you have to endure before the feature ever begins. It is tantamount to torture. They will not tell you when the real movie is going to begin so you are afraid to leave the theater, withdraw money from your second mortgage line of credit and buy a soft drink and popcorn. So you're stuck there like a mouse in a laboratory. They keep adding one more advertisement after another until the mice falls to the sticky floor drooling and muttering incoherently. I propose a "truth in viewing" law. When a theater advertises the start time for a movie it should include the time the advertisements start and the real start time of the feature. It could read "Soft drink commercials begin at 7:30, previews for upcoming movies begin at 7:40, self promotion from corporate headquarters at 8:05, safety instructions in case of a fire at 8:10 and finally feature film begins at 8:15." There should also be a disclaimer that the first 5 minutes and the last 15 minutes of the movie will be credits. That's why most of my cinematic viewing time is done in front of my TV with the remote in my hand. I had one church member complain last night that he thought he was going to have ask Jesus how the movie was. He was sure the Lord would return before it was over.

I'm praying for you that you're praying for me.
Pastor Ken