The Christmas Candle

Last night my wife and I watched a new (to us) six-year-old Christmas movie on Netflix , The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado.

Lucado has written almost 100 books with 130 million copies in print. He was recipient of the Charles “Kip” Jordon Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award three times for his books Just Like Jesus, In the Grip of Grace and When God Whispers Your Name), and has also appeared regularly on several bestseller lists including the New York Times Best Seller List.

Lucado was named “America’s Pastor” by Christianity Today magazine and in 2005 was named by Reader’s Digest as “The Best Preacher in America.” He has also been featured on The Fox News Channel, NBC Nightly News, Larry King Live LLBN, and USA Today. He has been a featured speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast.

I’ve never met or heard him in person but he is a story teller extraordinaire. Four of his works have been made into movies and /or video series, with last night’s movie, The Christmas Candle from 2013 being the latest.

So what’s the movie about? First, what it’s not about: Santa, elves, Rudolf, or Rockin Around the Christmas Tree. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve enjoyed all those things over the years and once that Brenda Lee tune plays on the radio each year I can’t get it out of my head for the entire Christmas season. BTW< here are some quick factoids about that recording: "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958. By the song’s 50th anniversary in 2008, Lee’s original version had sold over 25 million copies with the 4th most digital downloads sold of any Christmas single, Despite her mature-sounding voice, Lee recorded this song when she was only thirteen years old.

So here’s what the movie IS about: A gifted but disillusioned pastor who had left the pastoral ministry to serve as a Salvation Army soup kitchen server to the poor in London. From there he was called to return to the pastorate in Gladbury. In the fictional village of Gladbury, every twenty-five years an angel visits the candle maker and bestows a miracle upon whomever lights the Christmas Candle. The whole town believes in the candle except the new pastor, Rev. David Richmond. It is 1890 and the Haddingtons make candles and the town and church use them. It is the Christmas season and the pastor preaches the Advent themes and lights a candle each Sunday. He tries to convince the town folk to believe in God and not candle miracles. By his personal example, the pastor encourages his congregation to work “miracles” in the lives of the townspeople by serving them with acts of kindness.

The film is an Impact and Big Book Media Production presented by Pinewood Pictures being distributed by Rick Santorum’s film production company EchoLight Studios in the US. It is Susan Boyle’s (from American Idol fame) debut on the big screen. Boyle also contributes an original song to the film, “Miracle Hymn”.

Technically, from an acting/casting/costuming standpoint and including the cinematography and sound, it is excellently done. It’s an hour and 39 minutes long and rated PG but you can watch it very confidently with your whole family. I hope you’ll choose to enjoy it this Christmas season.

Thanks for reading All About Seniors…..see you next week!

Bill Milby is a Director of Visiting Angels® of Central Georgia, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA/