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Pastoral Points
It’s hard to believe that A Charlie Brown Christmas has been airing each year for 60 years! It’s one of my favorite Christmas specials, and I know I’m not alone.
Several years ago, I read an article about a tiny detail that I had never noticed before, though I’m sure many others have over all those years.
Lucy and other characters had made a big deal, as usual, about Linus’s attachment to his trusty blue security blanket. Lucy was always trying to get Linus to part with that blanket and, of course, he steadfastly refused to give it up, even fashioning it into a shepherd’s costume for his role in the play.
Meanwhile, Charlie Brown is struggling with his Christmas angst. In frustration and some desperation, he blurts out the pivotal question, “Doesn’t anyone know what Christmas is really about?”
Linus gives his classic answer, proclaiming the glorious good news that the baby Jesus is born: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and… said unto them, ‘Fear not: For behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.’” Right in the middle of it, just as he utters the words, “Fear not,” Linus drops his blanket.
The words of the angel, “Do not be afraid,” remind us that the birth of Jesus erases all our insecurities, shatters all our fears, and replaces them with hope and joy and strength.
It’s the one thing that can part Linus from his trusty blanket, and it’s good news for everyone.
God comes to make holy our lives and to set all things right. God comes to free us from the need for any security blanket, whatever it may look like for each of us. God comes to banish all the darkness of the world that makes us cling to those blankets in the first place. God is the one who can ease our fears and sorrows, and replace them with his peace.
So if you’re looking for security, look no further than the God-with-us whom we celebrate this season.
Merry Christmas!
