More than just an enjoyable family film, I would say that The Star is a film that you can put to good use in sharing the Gospel with others.
Here are three ways you and your family might use this very helpful film to speak of Jesus this Christmas…
#1 Encourage people to go and see it
This is something that everyone can do. Going to the cinema is a popular past-time over the festive season, and so why not point people to go and see the Star?
The film goes straight in with an angelic announcement, which might jar with some people, so it might be helpful to prompt the fact that the film will talk about God from the beginning. This can be done easily enough: people are usually familiar with the main parts of the nativity but simply not used to seeing/hearing about it on the big screen. So, pre-empt it by saying that it is a film that features all the main parts of the Christmas story: an angel announcing the new child to Mary, Wise Men coming from Persia, and the birth of Jesus in a stable.
#2 Invite people to go and see it and talk about it over food/drinks afterwards
Arrange to meet people at the cinema, see the film and then get food or go back to your/their house for Christmas drinks and nibbles. At a natural point in conversation, you could ask a simple question like ’What did you think of the film?’ and see where the conversation goes, or (for the more confident ones out there) you could ask a more pointed question like ‘Did you see what the makers of the film said about the origins of this story at the end… did you know that the birth of Jesus actually happened…?’
#3 Plan to see it as part of a group
If you lead or are involved in a family, children’s or young people’s ministry group, why not plan to go and see it as a group. Depending on your church context, you might even be able to make a discounted block booking with your local cinema and pass on the group discount to your guests (or maybe even subsidise guests’ tickets entirely!).
Speak of Jesus this Christmas
The Star is a film that is definitely worth watching, and one that we will be getting on DVD and including in our family Christmas traditions in the years to come.
But regardless of whether you make use of this film or not, the key is that there is a true Christms story that is not just worth telling this Christmas but needs to be told so that some might hear, believe and be saved.
As the song in the film goes, ‘Long lay the world in sin and error pining’.
We have the very thing that the world is pining for, even though people rarely know it. We have the hope of a Saviour born to us as one of us: Christ the LORD.
Whatever we do, let’s tell a lost and pining world of Jesus this Christmas.