Rudolph

I love an underdog story. Always have. Perhaps this is why Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has always been one of my favorites.

Believe it or not, Rudolph started out as an advertising gimmick in 1939 where ad executives commissioned this little story to be published by Montgomery Ward, a department store chain. By 1946, more than 6 million copies of the poem had been distributed. Rudolph’s story would then become a musical in 1949 (recorded and sung by cowboy Gene Autrey), and later, an animated television special in 1964. To date, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is the highest-selling Christmas carol of all, selling more than 25 million units.

Recently, as I was watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer again, I couldn’t help but notice that, as much as it’s an underdog story, it’s also a beautiful story of God’s grace. Think about it. By grace, Santa chooses Rudolph despite the fact that he’s an outsider and a “reject” labeled by the other reindeer. And then there’s that nose. He has a defect, right? A pretty obvious one. A scarlet letter, if you will, signifying to all that he didn’t fit in. Yet, when the fog rolled in, who got chosen? Yep. Rudolph. The very “weakness” that was considered a liability became the “strength” that Santa could use to accomplish his mission.

I can’t think of a better set up to the Christmas story. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son.” (John 3:16) Jesus would not only see the outcasts, sinners, and rejects of His day, but He would also tell them that theirs is the Kingdom. That God’s house was big enough, wide enough, for the least and the lost. Greater, that through Him, salvation would come and the weak would be made strong.