Say This
For most families, one of the highlights of the Christmas season is the annual tradition of gathering around the TV to watch the 1965 classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Many of us can practically quote the script from memory, and yet author Jason Soroski recently observed something many of us have never noticed. Let’s watch this scene, and see if we notice anything significant. Watch This: Linus explains the real meaning of Christmas...
Say This
Did you see it? Charlie Brown is best known for his uniquely striped shirt, and Linus is best known for his ever-present security blanket. Even when the Peanuts gang continually ridicules Linus and tries to take away his blanket, Linus simply refuses to ever give it up. That is until this moment…when he simply lays it down. In the climactic scene when Linus shares "what Christmas is all about," he drops his security blanket. Most telling is the specific moment he drops it: when he utters the words, "fear not". Looking at it now, it is pretty clear what Charles Schultz was saying, and it is brilliantly simple. The birth of Jesus separates us from our fears. The birth of Jesus frees us from the habits we are unable (or unwilling) to break ourselves. The birth of Jesus allows us to simply drop the false security we grasp so tightly, and allows us to trust and cling to Him instead. The world of 2015 can be a scary place, and most of us find ourselves grasping to something temporal for security, whatever that thing may be. Essentially, 2015 is a world in which it is very difficult for us to "fear not." But in the midst of fear and insecurity, this simple cartoon image from 1965 reminds us to seek true peace and security in the one place it has always been and can always still be found.
Ask This
- What are some things that make you afraid?
- What is your “little blue blanket?” What do you hold on to try to overcome your fears?
- As Christians, how would we live differently if we truly understood that because of Christ’s love for us, we truly have no reason to ever be afraid?
Read This
Luke 2:1-20, 2 Timothy 1:7
Try This
Hand out a few slips of paper, and ask everyone to write down a few things that cause them to be afraid. Next ask everyone to write down things they tend to rely on for “security” (money, job, family). Spend a few minutes sharing these with one another. Lay these things down by burning them in the fireplace, and ask God to help you surrender these things to Him.
Pray This
Dear Lord, we are grateful for the Christmas season, and for all of the joy that it brings. We are especially thankful for Jesus, and for the freedom from fear and sin that you provided through your Son. Help our family to trust you, lean on you, and surrender to you all of our fears and our security blankets. Thank you for your love and forgiveness. Amen Adapted from “Just Drop the Blanket: The Moment You Never Noticed in A Charlie Brown Christmas” by Jason Soroski.