One of the things we all love about Advent and Christmas is spending time with loved ones. One favorite tradition is to watch beloved Christmas movies. Each Saturday we will recommend one such movie geared toward families that relates to that week’s Advent theme and includes related Scripture and prayer. We invite you to read aloud these passages and prayers and consider how they may relate to the movie each week. There is also a movie option for grown-ups who want to dive deeper into that week’s theme.
Family Movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your
stony heart from your body and replace it with a living one.
—Ezekiel 36:26
Let’s watch a movie that captures the essence of this lovely Bible verse.
The Grinch tries to keep Christmas from coming, but can anything
really stop Christmas? When the Grinch’s heart grew what else changed?
Christmas is not about things. When we let go of what we think
Christmas is “supposed” to be, we open our hearts to what Christmas
already is – an amazing gift from a God who loves us very much.
Loving God,
Thank you for the gift of Christmas.
Thank you for the gift of love.
Thank you for the gift of you.
Amen.
Dive Deeper into Love: Film Suggestion for Grown-ups
Girls on the Wall, available to rent on Amazon
In this second week’s film, Girls on the Wall, the teenage girls of
Warrenville Prison are not your average delinquents. Having “graduated”
from juvie to prison, these are the kids most likely to remain in the
correctional system their whole lives. They are also some of the sharpest
and most irrepressible young women you’ll meet. When the girls of this
heartland prison are given an unlikely shot at redemption — the chance
to write and stage a musical based on their lives — they must relive their
crimes, reclaim their humanity, and take a first step toward breaking
free of the prison system.
Adapted from Worship Design Studio materials by Marcia McFee.
Used With Permission.
Read other Advent 2020 Devotionals or download the book as a PDF.