I finally watched the newest edition of the Indiana Jones saga, The Dial of Destiny. It did not disappoint.

It certainly could have. Indiana Jones has aged into a curmudgeonly professor, seemingly growing weary of his post as he nears retirement. The movie could’ve devolved into an old man’s quest for discounted produce, limping to the saga’s ending with Jones taking a grocery cart to his Achilles and spilling blood all over aisle 8.

But of course that’s not what happened, because in the 70s there are still Nazis around! And who better to give them a fitting, hilariously gruesome death than Dr. Jones? This movie had (almost) everything we wanted. Improbable chase sequences with tuk tuks outmaneuvering Merecedez Benzs. Disgusting things squirming out of centuries-old skeletons. Explosions leaving all the bad guys dead but Jones practically unscathed, simply needing a dollop of aloe for his first-degree burns. And Nazis. Lots of ’em. Some assuming Jones is just one of the Jungen and letting him snoop as he pleases. Others sounding the alarm passionately before taking skull-cracking projectiles to their face holes.

If there was one disappointment in the movie, it was that the Nazis didn’t get it bad enough. We were accustomed to watching their faces melt and heads explode when looking at the Ark, or rapidly deteriorating into a pile of bones when drinking from the Grail. I was expecting some version of Archimedes’ Sun weapon to send a million-degree ray through the German ranks and piling those boys up like frankfurters. But one drowned and the others crashed in a plane, and I realized that the director was a little more concerned with reality in his flick. But I know Spielberg would’ve served up another top-10-most-awful-ways-to-die.

So what does this have to do with Christmas? Nothing really, I just wanted to talk about Indiana Jones and Christmas. But as I was thinking about it, the stories do have one remarkable similarity. What’s amazing about the Jones saga–and what will really always keep us coming back for more even if Indy returns as a fedora-donning zombie with a whip–is the adventure to discover history. The Dial of Destiny was yet another entertaining trip back in time to ponder the genius of Archimedes.

Indy always had something his counterparts lacked, which was the passion and knowledge to discover the truth. He studied ancient texts, he learned the languages, he cracked the codes, and he took the risk of finding out where something was, or if it even existed.

When we look at the Christmas story, we can observe similar knowledge and passion in its people to discover, and yes, make history.

Take the magi, those three rich old dudes riding camels in your Nativity. While there’s much we don’t know about them, the Gospel of Matthew offers intriguing clues to reveal they were just as nerdy about history and ancient texts as Dr. Jones. These wise men from the East were very likely from Babylon, and they understood the stars and Israeli folklore. They may have observed some remarkable events in the night sky in the last BC years–from the king planet Jupiter forming a conjunction with the mother planet Venus, to its settling around the king star Regulus in the Judah-lion constellation of Leo. They may have known their Hebrew scripture, thanks to Daniel and Israel leaving their culture behind in Babylon hundreds of years before. Prophecies in the Book of Daniel and Numbers would’ve helped them estimate a Messiah king would come in the time they were living. And all of these clues would’ve prompted them to take this expensive, several-month journey to Israel to find this King of Kings.

Or take the shepherds outside of Bethlehem near Jerusalem, who knew all about the Temple sacrifice system and how their little lambs would be used for Israel’s atonement. Then the angel comes, heralding the birth of Israel’s long-awaiting king, with the sign of “swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Why, that’s what they as shepherds did to their newborn lambs to keep them spotless for sacrifice. Was this that type of king, and would the God of Israel choose these poor, insignificant men to join the story? They had to go see.

Or take Mary and Joseph, perhaps teenagers in the sleepy town of Nazareth, whose lives are turned upside down by their angel encounters. Both descending from the royal line of David, they would’ve been acutely aware of their ancestors’ lengthy, hundreds-of-years wait for the promised Messiah. Now like Indy, they found themselves wrapped up in the story, with the Hitler-esque Herod bent to destroy it all. But amidst the danger they took their faith steps and journeyed to Bethlehem to deliver their son. Only later would they understand the significance of their adventure, which ushered in the turning point of human history.

Indeed, all the people in the Christmas story were on their own dial of destiny. Prophecies to be fulfilled, ancient text to be illuminated, arduous adventures to seek, lives at stake, and ultimately a treasure to behold. Like Indy, it’s possible for all of us to explore and join the story. Ancient scripture is still being revealed. Recent archeological finds like Hezekiah’s Gate and the Pool of Siloam inspire wonder that the ancient stories are true. As time passes from generation to generation, new things are revealed. But only because someone does the digging. Only because someone looked at an ancient text and wondered if it was true. Only because someone took the effort and ardor to search, and go on the adventure.

I hope you may see this Christmas as an invitation to go on the great adventure our Maker has set out for us. If we have just a mustard seed of faith, we may be taken on a journey as grand as Dr. Jones.’