Movie review: The Nativity Story

Tonight I attended a preview of the movie The Nativity Story. I braced myself to be disappointed, expecting Hollywood to add something to the story of Christ's birth in an attempt to make the movie more profitable. I was pleasantly surprised by an excellent movie which stayed true to the Bible.

This movie can be summed up in one word. Faith. Faith is central to the entire storyline. The Jewish people living under an oppressive Roman occupation had faith that their Messiah would come. Mary had her faith tested by an angel's pronouncement that she was to bear a child without having relations with a man. Mary's parents had their faith tested by their daughter's claim. As the father of a teenage daughter, I wondered how I would respond if my daughter were to claim she was with child but had never been with a man. Joseph had to accept that his betrothed was pregnant without his help. All of these people had their faith seriously tested.

My favorite scene was when Mary visited her cousin Elisabeth. My son who watched the movie with me thought the scenes with the Three Wise Men were the highlight of the movie. Watch and decide for yourself.

I strongly recommend watching this movie and fully expect it to become a regular every Christmas season.