Luke 2:8-14

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 the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring 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 Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men.

I was out Christmas shopping a few years ago, trying to find a few last-minute items as I am wont to do.

Gathering up gifts and eats for the holiday, I actually love the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. It’s kind of exciting to see if I can time finding the last item on my list with the exact minute the stores close on Christmas Eve. But, I digress.

So, there I am standing in the checkout line on Christmas Eve, and over the speaker system in the store, I could hear Christmas carols playing non-stop. Then in the midst of the songs, someone started reciting the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2, the King James Version, with soft music playing in the background.

A young man in front of me looked up at the speaker and said to his buddy, “Hey, that’s the Charlie Brown Christmas story. Listen to that!” I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. That’s our modern culture! A very familiar portion of scripture to past generations of Americans is now lost on people these days.

But, it got me to thinking, and a stroll down memory lane ensued.

For most of my childhood, there were 3 channels to watch on TV, the 3 major networks NBC, ABC, and CBS. Of course, this is long before the days of cable, VCRs, DVDs, and streaming video. To watch a favorite show or movie on TV, you actually had to watch it at the time the network aired it.

So it was with A Charlie Brown Christmas, which would air one time each Christmas season. And I never missed it. It was a favorite. Actually, still is to this day.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated television special, about 30 minutes long, based on the Peanuts comic strip written by Charles Schultz from 1950-2000.

The Coca-Cola Company commissioned and sponsored it, and there was a very short development schedule of just a few weeks. Schultz wanted to make sure that the focus of the special was on the “true meaning of Christmas.”

 He wanted to combine snow and ice-skating scenes with a school play. He also wanted to mix jazz with traditional Christmas carols. He refused to let the network add a laugh track, which was standard for TV comedies in those days.

Schultz also insisted that Linus read the Bible Christmas story as a part of the special. His producer and animator were concerned, because even back in the 60’s, religion was a controversial subject, especially on TV.

Schultz told his producer, “If we don’t do it, who will?”

It’s also interesting to note that Linus’s recitation of Scripture from Luke chapter 2 was written into the story by Schultz in such a way that it was the climax of the film and could not be easily edited out later. That’s the reason that it remains in the special all these years later.

I watched this show for years as a kid and then again with my children many more times as they were growing up. But, I never noticed a very subtle little thing in the midst of Linus’s recitation of Luke 2.

There’s an ongoing gag in Peanuts that Charlie Brown is a goof-up. Nothing he ever does turns out right. Every autumn, when the leaves start to turn, and it’s football season again, Charlie Brown once again tries to place-kick a football that his nemesis Lucy is going to hold for him. And, every single time for over 50 years, just as Charlie Brown runs up to kick the ball, Lucy pulls it away at the last minute, and Charlie Brown goes flying through the air and lands on his back. And then he utters his famous catchphrase: “good grief!”

All the kids call him a blockhead. Poor Charlie Brown. Well, in the Christmas special, Charlie Brown is picked to direct the school play, and of course, nothing goes right. He tries, but he can’t seem to get anyone to cooperate. In frustration, he throws up his hands and tells his friend Linus that everything he does turns into a disaster.

He tells Linus that he doesn’t know what Christmas is all about, and yells, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

And, Linus says, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.”

Then, Linus walks to the center of the stage, the lights dim, and a single spotlight falls on him.

He recites Luke 2:8-14 from the KJV. This is what my fellow shoppers heard that Christmas Eve years ago as we were standing in the checkout line.

They knew it only as the Charlie Brown Christmas story. That key part of the TV special that Charles Schultz had refused to leave out because it might offend someone.

But, in the middle of the recitation, Linus does something that I had never noticed until I read something about it years later.

To appreciate this, you have to know that all of the characters in Peanuts are about 6 or 7 years old. And, Linus has this blue security blanket he carries with him everywhere.

When Linus gets to verse 10 “And the angel said unto them, Fear not”, he drops the blanket!

Linus, who never, ever lets go of his security blanket for a second, says “Fear not” and drops his blanket.

He finishes the scripture, and then picks up his blanket and walks back over to Charlie Brown, and says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

The symbolism is rich, and Charles Schultz is a clever guy. Because Jesus was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, we don’t need to be afraid anymore, and Linus can drop his security blanket. He doesn’t need it. Fear not.

When we focus on the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ we don’t need to fear. Jesus has defeated sin and death. There is nothing to fear. We don’t need anything as a security blanket anymore. We have Jesus.

We’re afraid of a lot of things. In fact, we’re constantly afraid and worried about everything. Our job, our family, our church, our country, sickness, pain, heartache, death. The list is endless.

But, the angel came bearing good news that night to the shepherds in the field, to those first century Jews, to the Gentiles of the Roman empire, to Linus, and to you and me, to everyone.

Fear not: for, behold, I bring 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 Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

May God Bless You.

(Sources: Wikipedia and other websites)