Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Barbara Robinson's beloved short story, The Best Christmas Pagent Ever, is now on the big screen.

In this classic tale, the Herdman siblings, aka the worst kids in the history of the world,

not only discover, but also reveal to an entire

church the true meaning of Christmas. It was originally published in 1972 as a short story

in McCall's magazine and later as a book. The film adaptation is creative, it's fun, and it's true

to the original story. Publishers Weekly called the book one of the best Christmas

books ever. And one seven-year-old film critic I know quite well called the movie, and I quote,

great. Abandoned by their father and left unsupervised by their mother who works multiple jobs,

the Herdman kids are known for wreaking havoc around town. They're notoriously, even comically bad, as the second

line of the book says, quote, they lied and stole and smoked cigars, even the girls, and talked

dirty and hit little kids and cuss their teachers, and took the name of the Lord in vain and set

fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toolhouse, end quote. But when the Herman children

learn that the local church

offers free snacks at Sunday school, they show up. And then, to the chagrent of all, they quote

unquote volunteer for the lead roles in the Christmas pageant. They take an unusual interest in

this story, which to the shock of so many in the church, they've never heard. As they hear the

biblical account of Jesus' birth during rehearsal, they start seeing themselves in the characters.

For example, like Mary and Joseph were turned away at the end, they too had been rejected.

In the end, the Herdman's pageant performance is fumbling and chaotic.

Wise men unsure of where to go. Mary desperately clinging to her child, angels scaring the shepherds.

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