Joyeux Noël

Many of us have probably heard, as a sermon illustration, the true story of soldiers on opposite sides of World War I emerging from their trenches on Christmas Eve to declare an unauthorized truce and celebrate together. That story is wonderfully brought to life and does some profound preaching of its own in Joyeux Noël, an independent film directed by Christian Carion. (It was nominated for best foreign-language film in this year’s Oscars.) The war’s antagonists both claim God (and the same cat) for their own but are united through worship, although it is music that draws the homesick soldiers up “over the top” and into No Man’s Land.

This will definitely be one to watch at Christmas, but why wait? Its reflections on war, on the humanity of people behind their stereotypes, and on negative and positive roles for the church in conflict, are worth pondering in any season, especially a nervous, war-like one such as now.

—DD