Rudolph the Red-Nosed Christian?

By Ken Canedo

Everybody grew up with the song, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." In 1964 it became a successful stop-motion animation TV special that remains a fixture on December television to this day,

Following the storyline of the famous song, the basic message of Rudolph can be found in the show's second central tune, "We're a Couple of Misfits."

We're a couple of misfits.
We're a couple of misfits.
What's the matter with misfits?
That's where we fit in.

It's a powerful lesson for little children. Who hasn't felt like a misfit at one time or another? Rudolph and the dentist-elf, Hermey, revel in it. Their misfit status becomes a source of redemption for the whole story.

Why are there misfits in the world? Why is it so easy to ostracize those who are different? Why don't we allow them to "join in any reindeer games?"

As we saw last week with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, there is a Christian message in this secular Rudolph story: Love one another!

Different Kind of Love
The love of God is more than an ancient story.
It's alive and movin' out in this world tonight.
Whenever we reach out to help another,
We share the love of Jesus Christ.
- Steve Angrisano

Robert Feduccia said in a recent Spirit Spot that "the Holy Spirit is at work in both the sacred and secular." Does Christ need such secular vehicles as Scrooge and Rudolph to bring his message to the world? That is the topic of my next Spirit Spot as we look at what is arguably the most popular Christmas TV special of all.