Christmas goes viral

And so it should. It’s the time of year to celebrate the Saviour’s birth.

So discovered Southland Christian Church in Kentucky this year when they discovered a three-minute clip of children narrating the story of Christmas in their own words went viral on Facebook this month, with more than 40 million views and 36,000 comments.

The Kentucky megachurch decided to interview children from their congregation about Jesus’ birth, then the adults dressed up to film the video using the voice overs from the kids.

“Of all the stories in the Bible, the story of the birth of Christ is the most widely accepted and known,” Hanna Wahlbrink, creative director at the non-denominational Church reported to ChirstianityToday.com. “Combined with how hilarious the kids are, it’s that story that people want to hear told.”

The clip, produced in 2015, spread over the internet after Christmas Eve services, and was subsequently picked up by the Today show site in the US.

Since the video went up, countless churches have contacted Southland to use the video to promote their Christmas services.

“We get comments all the time saying, ‘I’m not even religious, and this warmed my heart,’ and we love that,” said Wahlbrink, who plays Mary in the video. “The simple message of Christ, through the mouths of kids, is reaching people in a way we never expected.”

“We’re really excited that this is reaching people, but we don’t necessarily want it to point back to Southland,” Bret Foster, communications director told ChristianityToday.com. “The fact that people are able to hear the message of the birth of Christ, that’s what’s most important to us right now.”

He came down

Special mention should go to Speak Life’s Christmas video as well.

For while it hasn’t quite reached 40 million views, it’s message of hope and inclusion this Christmas is a powerful message to all of us that God changes our hearts to think in a different way.

The video tells the story of a mother who has a Down’s Syndrome child and a special Nativity play.

“I think of Mary and all she goes through,” the mother says. “It’s not her plan it’s God’s plan – she just goes with it. She’s humble. She’s calm. She is reassured by the fact that everything is going to be OK. What we learnt was that God was with us. God suffered with us and He gave us the most beautiful child and there was no reason for me to grieve. There was no reason to compare her or feel sorry for her.”

If you’re feeling rejected, excluded, a stranger.
Remember the One who came down to the manger.