"Elf," the musical and childlike faith

               “Elf,” the musical, wasn’t a show I had expected to see.  Due to the kindness of our neighbor who received free tickets in the box section, we even got to see it “in style” and enjoyed it.  Although the Christmas message of the birth of Jesus was never mentioned in the musical, its message to believe with childlike faith certainly can have a very powerful Christian application.

               Buddy, the elf, grew up in the North Pole but eventually realized he was a human and not like the other small elves.  Santa sends him off to New York City to find his real father who has a wife and young son.  The father is a driven businessman and doesn’t believe “in the spirit of Christmas.”  In fact, Santa had told Buddy that belief in the Christmas spirit was waning, and this was a real problem for Santa since he no longer uses reindeer to pull his sleigh on Christmas Eve.  Instead, the power now comes from people’s belief.

               During the show, Buddy remains childlike and sincere in his belief in Santa and the loving spirit of Christmas. Toward the end of the story, Santa and his sleigh fall to the ground in a park on Christmas Eve.  Buddy comes to the rescue, rallying people, including his father, to believe again, and Santa’s sleigh takes flight, allowing him to “do his job” and deliver the gifts to the children.

                I once bought a Christmas decoration three inches high and ten inches long, spelling out the word “believe” in wooden letters with glitter on them.  It’s in a prominent place in our family room to constantly remind me of the importance of believing God and having faith.  In Webster’s Dictionary, one of the definitions of believe is “to have a firm conviction as to the reality or goodness of something.”  In all of the gospels, Jesus often addresses the importance of believing in God and having faith in His miracle working power.

               One story describes how two blind men follow Jesus and cry out to Him, saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”  Jesus then asks them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  After they reply, “Yes, Lord,” Jesus touches their eyes and says, “According to your faith let it be to you” (Mat. 9:27-29).  Regaining their sight is clearly linked to what they believe about Jesus and His power to heal.

               While studying John in a Sunday school class, I was struck by the importance of what Jesus says to Martha, Lazarus’s sister, when she questions Him after her brother Lazarus had died (John 11).  She had sent word to Jesus that her brother was sick, but He shows up late, so late that Lazarus had died and lies in a tomb.  Approaching Him, Martha says, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now, I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give you.”  Jesus goes on and says, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live . . . Do you believe this?”  She must have been troubled and perplexed about what had happened, but even so, she replies, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God . . .”-- no matter what, and Lazarus rises from the dead.

               This kind of faith comes from God; it is a gift and of a stronger substance than anything we can “work up” on our own.  But it is ours for the seeking.  This season that for Christians points us back to the wonders of Christ’s miraculous conception and arrival in a manger, welcomed by angels, shepherds and wise men alike should rekindle the God kind of faith that can still “move mountains” even today.  Simple, childlike faith—just like Buddy’s.