If you’ve ever had a discussion about the artistry or effectiveness of faith-based films, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard a familiar criticism, “preaching to the choir”.

In other words, often these movies are so preachy, insular, or repellent in their approach, they could only be of interest to people who are predisposed to agree with them, thereby invalidating their artistic or even evangelistic value.

But what if… you actually preached to the choir, for the choir?

What’s a message they actually might need to hear?

That’s not the sole merit of the delightful Christmas film, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which I think plays equally well as family holiday fare even outside the halls of faith, but it’s something the film does exceptionally well. While it’s a Christmas story in its setting and trimmings, at its heart the film is ultimately about empathy, in this case, empathy within the Church.

The 2024 film, based on a 1972 book by Barbara Robinson, is a passion project for director Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen). Jenkins reads the book his children and was profoundly moved by the story, pursuing to adapt it into a film.

Church figures prominently in the town of Emmanuel, and their annual Christmas pageant has become a major tradition in the community. But when the Herdmans, a gang of juvenile delinquent siblings dubbed “the worst kids in the world” abruptly join the church (lured in only by the promise of snacks), the reactions of the congregation leave something to be desired. Instead of welcoming the kids with open arms, most of the adults in the congregation simply judge them for their behavior and appearance, and worry that their outsider influence will ruin the sanctity of their beloved pageant.

It’s not a message that’s solely applicable to the Church, but certainly a valid one. Jesus condemned false piety of believers, calling out religious teachers and leaders who project righteousness as a mask for hypocrisy (Matthew 23:27-28). A couple chapters later he follows up urges his followers to show compassion and love for “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40) – in other words, those at the bottom. The marginalized and downtrodden. The weak and vulnerable.

I’ve certainly heard horror stories about people who have left churches due to being made to feel unwelcome or unwanted. Shamefully, I’ve even been on the guilty side of it, participating in a clique-y youth group where we didn’t show love or understanding to specific kids who didn’t fit in for one reason or another.

Thankfully, in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, one woman, the aptly named Grace (Judy Greer), shows kindness and stands up for the Herdmans, allowing herself to become a vessel of God’s love and, in the process, put on a Christmas pageant so moving it could only be called…

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is now available on Blu-ray. You can read this author’s review of the new edition here via our friends at Cinapse. You can, and in this author’s opinion should,  purchase it here – but the author is biased as he may receive a commission for sales made using this referral link.