In this final part of our Christmas series, The Characters of Christmas, we look at Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. What can we learn to him? How about what to do when life takes a sudden left turn on us? Joseph’s perfect plans were thrown into chaos by the news of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy. How did he handle it? Keep reading to find out.
When Life Turns Left
Don’t you love a good plot twist? I sure do. The best movies and TV shows always have that moment that leaves you going, “Whoa! I did not see that coming!” When I was in high school and college, one of the directors who was the very best at creating those kinds of moment was M. Night Shyamalan. Two films in particular do this better than just about any other show I’ve seen (and I think I can talk about these because they’ve been out long enough you’ve either seen them or you’re not going to see them). The first was The Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. Osment plays a young boy with the ability to see and interact with people who have died. Willis plays a therapist who is trying to help him work through the fear and emotions of his unique ability. The movie is filled with moments of heart-stopping suspense as Osment’s character navigates his frightening world. But the real “whoa” moment comes right at the end, after Willis helps Osment figure out that the various dead people are coming to him to help them resolve some unresolved tension from before their death, and that with his help they can find peace and leave him alone. The climax comes as we realize that Willis was one of these dead people all along who had come to Osment for help. The moment is so jarring that people still talk about it almost 20 years later.
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The Nexus 