The Polar Express Rolls Through Church

A Christmas bell.

If it has a handle on it, and someone is standing next to a red kettle in Nov./Dec. and a couple of thoughts run through my mind:

1.) It's the Salvation Army.
2.) They do good work. If I have some change in my pocket, I should throw it in.
3.) If I DON'T have change in my pocket, I wonder if there's another door in/out of the store. I hate passing up a valid need and not giving.

We recently saw "Polar Express" as a family. The Tom Hanks vehicle (where the actor portrays several [is it 5?] different characters).

Throughout the movie, the main character is lamenting the fact that his friends are able to hear something he can't. Initially, you're not sure what the sound is either. Eventually, you realize it is a bell.

At one point the young boy even has it in his hands, shaking it, but no sound seems to be coming out of it.

As the story unfolds, you realize there's a connection to believing in Christmas and hearing the bell. The boy, at the beginning of the movie, doesn't believe, so he can't hear the bell.

At a crucial point in the story, he comes to believe in Santa, the magic of Christmas, and is now able to hear the bell ring.

When Christmas morning arrives, there is one last present under the tree, and it is for him. As he rips into the box, he sees the shiny Christmas bell. He shakes it and his little sister comments on how beautiful it is. She can hear it ringing.

His parents, however, can't hear the bell and apologize that their son received a broken bell for Christmas. What they don't realize is that the bell isn't the problem...their ability to hear it IS. As a viewer, I was immediately feeling sorry for the parents. They're missing out and they don't even know it!

I think this is a great illustration of faith. Some of us see things and others of us don't. It doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there. It simply means we haven't acquired the ability to see or hear them yet.

I wonder, can you hear the bell?

If not, do you want to?

Grace & peace.