Aahana Swrup
‘The Gospel of Christmas’ is a holiday musical that blends the life of a mundane pastor with the holy elements of Christian mythology to present a story about overcoming adversity. It follows Isaac Jefferson, a novice pastor with unfulfilled aspirations of breaking into the music industry. After the death of his father, the son is charged with the duty to take over the family’s Bethel Joy Baptist Church. As a result, shortly before Christmas, he and his family arrive in New York City.
Once at the church, lacking a lively spirit and parishioners, the Jeffersons realize they have their work cut out for them. During this time, Isaac also runs into Ehtmai Lived, a familiar face from his past. The pawn shop owner used to be a promoter and still seems to have connections in the industry. Thus, while Isaac attempts to settle into his new role as the pastor, Lived offers him an alluring alternative that can solve his problems and save the sinking church in one go. Yet his keen interest in the pastor’s musical ambitions hides something far more sinister beneath the surface. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ehtmai Lived Sets a Devilish Trap For Isaac
Initially, when Lived is introduced into the story, it seems like he might just be a friendly face in a sea of skeptics and strangers. He and Isaac share a history that goes back 20 years, to when the former music promoter helped organize a concert. Now, decades later, the musician has traded in his music-industry dreams for a pastor’s duties, and the promoter runs various businesses in a New York inner-city neighborhood. However, their fateful reunion isn’t exactly what it seems. In reality, Lived actually harbors ulterior motives that work against Isaac’s best interests. For years, the pawn-shop owner has had his eyes on the Bethel Joy Baptist Church property. Nonetheless, the Jefferson family has consistently refused to give up on the establishment despite its steep decline.
Thus, Lived’s real motivations in inserting himself into Isaac’s life stem from his desire to steal the property one way or another. For the same reason, he consistently appeals to the pastor’s buried dreams of a musician’s career. From the get-go, he tries to dissuade Isaac from committing to a life of pastorhood, encouraging him to instead chase after his dreams. In fact, he even tries to make the other question his own faith. Eventually, he ups the ante by making an offer that the other man cannot possibly refuse. Lived plans a reunion tour and offers Isaac the headliner’s spot, which comes with a paycheque of around $3 million. Furthermore, he uses Juanita, the pastor’s ex-lover, to break this news to him to further persuade him to agree. In the end, his temptation works.
Bethel Joy is already on the brink of foreclosure, and the Jefferson familydoesn’tt have enough funds to save it from the bank’s grubby hands. Thus, taking Lived’s offer seems like the only solution to a pressing problem. Additionally, the tour would also do wonders for his musical career, finally allowing him to return to his original dreams. Thus, by the time Isaac realizes the entire thing is too good to be true, it’s already too late. Lived reveals that the agreement Isaac has signed has a clause that states the pawn shop owner would become the inheritor of the church if the pastor attempts to quit the tour. Thus, Isaac can either lose himself by continuing to tour with Lived and get pulled further into his devilish ways or forfeit the church.
Lived’s Final Confrontation With the Angels Suggests He’s an Agent of the Devil
When the revelation of Lived’s sinister scheme arrives, Isaac makes another discovery. As it turns out, when spelled backward, Ehtmai Lived’s first and last name spell out “I Am The Devil.” For the pastor, this realization cements the other man’s connection to the Devil. Yet, instead of succumbing to Lived’s evil plot, Isaac fights back with a weapon he has been avoiding for a long time: prayer. Even though the agreement is meant to trick and trap the pastor, the language in it is obscure enough to actually work out in his favor. Although it says he must perform on the tour, it doesn’t specify the nature of the songs that he has to sing. Thus, Isaac chooses to sing gospel prayer songs. Although he doesn’t know it, this ends up having a dual impact.
The Bethel Joy Baptist Church is home to a group of angels who look over the House of God and its caretakers. Thus, when Isaac, as the pastor, finally submits to the power of prayer and leads a huge crowd through it, the action carries significant power. It calls the angels to help, allowing them to intervene in the lives of the neighborhood residents in tangible ways. Furthermore, they also rise up against Lived, Isaac’s primary adversary. As the pastor leads his unconventional congregation at the concert hall, the music promoter leaves through the back door. This is when he runs into the angels who are standing guard outside the venue in their mighty forms. Even though these angels are round, not everyone is able to see them. In fact, only Deacon Daniel and young Esau are revealed to have the God-given ability to interact with the angels.
Thus, the fact that Lived is among the few people with a connection to the angels raises some questions. Given the hostility that exists between him and the holy beings, as well as the consistent clues, including his name, that suggest his wickedness, it’s safe to assume Lived is actually an incarnation of the Devil himself. This would explain why the angels themselves confront him and eventually encounter a fearsome bright light that can be interpreted to be the light of God himself. Ultimately, the final confrontation confirms that, much like the angels and Deacon Daniel, Lived also has a connection to the supernatural. However, instead of heaven, he seems to be a being straight out of hell.
Read More: Is The Gospel of Christmas a True Story? Is Isaac Jefferson Based on a Real Pastor?
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