Saturday, December 11, 1999
Saturday, December 11, 1999
Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to
his people. Blessed be God!
George Bailey, the lead character in this heart-warming film, never felt like he amounted to much
in life. He had dreams of becoming a famous architect, of traveling the world. Instead he feels
trapped in a humdrum job in a small town. Then a crisis occurs that strains his every resource. He
is faced with unjust criminal charges. Although he has a fine family and many friends in the
community, the injustice of the situation plunges him into despair. Faced with this crisis, George
Bailey breaks down and leaps off a bridge into a river. That's when his guardian angel, Clarence,
comes down to show him what his community would be like without him. The angel takes him
back through his life. He shows George how his job has benefitted many families, how his little
kindnesses and thoughtful acts have changed the lives of others, and how the ripples of George's
love will spread through the world, helping to make it a better place.
George Bailey is played in the film by actor Jimmy Stewart. In the making of the film, Stewart
says that things happened to him that never happened in any other picture he has made. For
instance, in one scene, George Bailey, broke and in despair, sits in a little roadside restaurant. In
this scene, Jimmy Stewart, playing George Bailey, raises his eyes and, following the script,
pleads, "God . . . God . . . dear Father in heaven, I'm not a praying man, but if You're up there and
You can hear me, show me the way. I'm at the end of my rope. Show me the way, God . . ."
Stewart now says, "As I said those words, I felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who
had nowhere to turn and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing. This was not planned at
all, but the power of that prayer, the realization that our Father in heaven is there to help the
hopeless, had reduced me to tears."
How has God's power touched you?
(Psalms 68:35
NRSV)
Every year about this time television stations bring out of their vaults an old black and white film
that is still speaking to people's lives. It's a film titled "It's a Wonderful Life".
Dear God, may I be touched and moved by your awesome power of love. Amen.
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