A Word From Our Pastor

December 2024

It’s A Wonderful Life is probably my favorite Christmas film. I’ve watched it every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. It is a yearly reminder of the really important things in life and no matter how bad things seem I’m a blessed man. In my opinion it is one of the greatest films ever made.

The story concerns George Bailey. Throughout George’s life, he has big dreams that he’s constantly forced to sacrifice. When he was a kid, he lost part of his hearing while saving drowning brother Harry. Following his father’s death, he sacrifices college and his travel plans, takes over the Bailey Building & Loan, and gives the money he has saved college money to Harry. After college Harry is meant to take over the Building and Loan, but Harry returns to Bedford Falls having been offered a job in a nearby town. Again, George puts his dreams aside. George falls in love and gets married. On their way to their honeymoon, there is a bank run. He sacrifices his honeymoon with his wife, Mary, and ultimately uses the money for customers in need.

Over the course of the film, George becomes increasingly frustrated with his life. All of these sacrifices make him feel like a failure and ultimately cause him to become bitter about his lot in life. The final straw comes when his uncle loses $8000 of the Building and Loan is lost. Distraught, and facing scandal and prison, George snaps and contemplates suicide. On the verge of suicide due to his perceived life failures, George is shown an alternate reality of what life would have been like if he were never born.

With the help of Clarence, his guardian angel, George realizes he has so much to be grateful for. He is reminded that true riches lie in the connections we forge and the lives we touch. George sees what he has, a loving wife Mary, his family’s love, and friends which are worth so much more than any actual money or fame anyone else might have.

George was a good man, a very blessed man. He was after all, “The richest man in town.” But for a moment I want to focus on another character -Mary. Bill Young puts a great spin on the movie. He writes, “I realized something while watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” recently. It was something I missed the first 3,317 or so times I watched it. That is, I think the hero of the story isn’t George, it’s Mary.”  He notes that:

The movie starts off with Mary praying for God to be with George. Her prayer (and others) is the catalyst for the angel, Clarence, being sent to George.

Mary is the one who sees the beauty of the old broken-down house. George sees empty space; Mary sees a space that can be filled with a family’s love. Never complaining, she worked “day after day remaking the old Granville house into a home.

It was Mary’s idea to offer her $2000 honeymoon money to the people of the town during the bank run.

When George is depressed by his friends moving onward and upward in the world and thinks he’s a disappointment to his wife because of it, Mary makes it clear that she “didn’t want to marry anybody else in town.” “

Finally, Mary is the one who goes all over town to ask for help for her husband. Uncle Billy remarks, “Mary did it, George! Mary did it!” Have you ever noticed her expression before when Uncle Billy says this? She’s in the background as he says it, and she mouths “No…” while she shakes her head and moves further into the background. This was all orchestrated by Mary, but she fades into the background.

We can learn from Mary, quietly go about work behind the scenes for the good of others not worrying about getting credit or recognition for what we do, offering our prayers, and support and seeing the beauty and possibilities in the people and world around us making it truly a wonderful life.

Pastor Tim