Nothing reminds us of the true gift of friends and family like Frank Capra’s beloved Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life (1947). The heart-wrenching images of George desperately begging God for his life on the snowy bridge, and later rushing jubilant and teary-eyed into the arms of his family, stick with viewers long after the credits roll. This film has remained a staple in holiday entertainment for over seventy years because of its timeless feel-good story and its power to inspire us with irresistible joy and gratitude for our own loved ones. However, It’s a Wonderful Life is not just your average nostalgic Christmas movie. This cinema classic teaches powerful lessons about sacrificial love, repentance, salvation, and what makes life truly meaningful.
The life of the film’s protagonist, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), is marked by service and sacrificial love. Whether it’s giving his hard-earned college savings to his younger brother, foregoing his dreams of becoming a famous architect to humbly serve the underprivileged of Bedford Falls at the Building and Loan, or being willing to go to prison in his uncle’s stead, George constantly dies to himself to promote the good of everyone else around him. When he suddenly falls into tremendous debt on Christmas Eve due to Uncle Billy’s carelessness, he thinks that it would have been better for his loved ones if he had never been born. George does not recognize the great impact which his life of humble service has had on his community.
When the angel Clarence allows him to see what Bedford Falls would be like without him, he finds the tragic grave of his younger brother, his loved ones racked with poverty and loneliness, and the beautiful town overridden by crime and debauchery. George’s sacrificial love is not only beautiful, but also very powerful. His everyday acts of generosity and service show us what it means to die to ourselves and truly act in our neighbors’ good. It inspires us to suffer for others even when it seems against our own self-interest, for even the smallest, most ordinary acts of love and self-sacrifice have the power to transform lives and communities.
It’s a Wonderful Life uses the motif of money to contrast the materialist and Christian views of what makes life meaningful. Much of the film takes place during the Great Depression, and characters struggle to make ends meet while seeking better economic positions for their families. The antagonist of the story is Mr. Potter, an unscrupulous tycoon who takes over nearly all the banks and businesses of Bedford Falls. There is nothing he cares about besides money and power, yet these things only turn him into a miserable “frustrated old man.” In contrast, George focuses on supporting the needy rather than on making a profit. Beneath a portrait of his father, a plaque hangs in George’s office which reads, “All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away.” This reflects Christ’s commandment to store up our treasures in Heaven rather than on earth. However, the message of the film goes still further than that – not only are treasures in Heaven better than treasures on earth, but there are many things God has given us to enjoy in this life which are far better than worldly treasures.
When the people of Bedford Falls burst into George’s home on Christmas Eve to save him from debt, his brother makes a toast amid the celebrations and caroling: “To my big brother George, the richest man in town!” George is nowhere near being monetarily wealthy, but his countless friends who joyfully and unhesitatingly empty their savings to help him out are evidence that he has what no amount of money can buy. It is an abundance of sacrificial love and Christian friendship which make George’s life so wonderful, not anything which can be obtained by worldly power or wealth.
References to repentance and salvation also pervade this classic film as we witness George’s need for redemption from guilt and sorrow. The central conflict of the story begins after George falls into sudden debt due to another’s carelessness; Mr. Potter demands George’s arrest for allegedly committing fraud, and comments that George is “worth more dead than alive” because of his life insurance policy. Doomed by his great debt and imminent arrest, George contemplates suicide as a desperate attempt to provide for his family. The angel Clarence “saves” George from selling his life for a few thousand dollars, and instead of wanting to die, George then wishes that he had never been born.
After Clarence shows George what the world would be like without him, the weeping man returns to the bridge he almost jumped from earlier in the night. “Dies Irae” (an old Latin chant about the Judgment Day) plays in the background as George desperately prays, “Please, God, let me live again.” At this pivotal moment, George repents of wanting to throw away his life and his heart is changed from one of bitterness and despair to unspeakable joy and gratitude for being given a second chance at life. To George, the sufferings of the present world are not worth comparing to his salvation and the great gift of life: “Isn’t it wonderful? I’m going to jail!” he exclaims as he runs into his home and finds the police waiting for him. But he doesn’t go to jail. All of the love and service which George had poured into others over the course of his life is mercifully returned to him as a flood of his friends and loved ones join together to pay his debt and sing praises to the Lord.
If this film is more than just another entertaining, nostalgic holiday movie, then why does it have to be set at Christmas? George could have gone into debt, considered suicide, and been reminded of the gift of life and loved ones at any time of year. Even though the central messages of sacrificial love and salvation teach us about how to live all year round, the setting of Christmas sets a deeper foundation for these truths and reminds us of their perfect fulfillment in Christ.
The film opens with the voices of George’s closest friends and relatives praying that God would save George from his trouble. This establishes George’s need for salvation from the very start, and over the course of the film we get to see how he is saved. Just as the film begins in prayer, it ends in praise with the joyful singing of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” in gratitude for George’s rescue. It is important to realize that George could not save himself by his own good works. Although he lived a life of remarkable service and love, George would have jumped into the icy river if it were not for the miracle of Clarence. Like George, mankind desperately needs a miraculous savior to come down from Heaven, rescue us from our condemnation, and give us another chance at life. So, as you celebrate Christmas and go into this next new year, be like George. Die to yourself in your service of others. Remember that in a culture obsessed with social status and money, and even in an increasingly materialistic holiday season, wealth and material possessions do not make us happy or give us a good life. Rather, treasure your family and friends and the time spent with them. And most importantly, remember the greatest gift of all – the miraculous coming of Christ and our new life in Him who has rescued us from our brokenness and “let [us] live again.”
