Advent – What does Home Alone teach us about Christmas?

Powerpoint Pictures: Various scenes from Home Alone including the scene at the end with Kevin reunited with his mother.

You can’t beat a good Christmas movie!

Every year there are plenty of good and plenty of not so good Christmas films to watch.

And some of these movies remind us about what Christmas is all about.  Why it is that Christmas is about good news of great joy that is for all people to hear.

Over this period of advent, we are going to think about 4 Christmas movies and what they teach us about Christmas.

Unlike The Snowman, the Christmas story is a story with a happy ending, because it ends not with Jesus’ death but with His resurrection.

Unlike The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, the Christmas story has a happy ending for us – sins forgiven and eternal life in heaven – not by us trying harder to be a better person, but instead trusting in Jesus, the Saviour God gave to the the world.

The next film is Home Alone.

Do you remember the story?

If you’ve never seen it, you’ve missed out.

It tells the story of 8 year old Kevin McAllister who wakes up and finds himself home alone with his family on the way to Paris.  He thinks it’s great initially until he has to defend his house from two hapless burglars, which he does by setting booby traps.

Now what does this film teach us?

Among other things, that when building a homemade security system don’t forget the industrial fan with a pile of feathers or that tarantulas do have a purpose in this world.

But in all seriousness, there is something we can learn about the Christmas from Home Alone which is a reminder about the lengths God goes to reconcile people to Himself.

In Home Alone, the mother, once she realises that Kevin is all alone goes to extraordinary lengths to get home to him.  Taking whatever flights she can, and when there is no longer any flight available, she gets a ride with a polka band she had never met before.  She was determined to get back to her son, and when she does we have that great reunion – the happy ending!

God’s love for us is so great that He goes to great lengths to get us back.  He sends His Son to earth to be born as a man so He can die as man in our place to bring us back to God, to reconcile us and restore to us the relationship that sin destroyed if we trust in Jesus.

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)