The Overlooked Life Changing Lesson in a Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Growing up, we looked forward to watching A Charlie Brown Christmas every year.  There was something special about watching the show with family and friends, knowing if you missed it, you had to wait a year to see it again.  

Peanut's Characters

Each Peanut's character had a unique personality.  Snoopy often indulges in daydreams and fantasy adventures.  Confident and sometimes bossy, Lucy offers a psychiatric booth with "advice" for a nickel.  Peppermint Patty is known as a practical, hands-on person and for her love of sports, particularly baseball.  Despite his messy appearance, Pigpen, and the cloud of dust that follows him, is good-natured and friendly.  The star, Charlie Brown, is known for insecurities and his perpetual quest to kick the football held by Lucy.  Despite his struggles, Charlie Brown is good-natured and resilient.

Linus and His Security Blanket

This Christmas article focuses on Linus.  Linus is often the voice of reason, yet he always carries his security blanket.  The video clip above portrays Linus as he does two amazing things: He shares the true meaning of Christmas.  And second, ..... Instead of us telling you, watch the video above to see if you can see the second incredible thing Linus does.  Then, come back to read the rest of this article.

When Charlie Brown wonders what Christmas means, he turns to Linus for help.  "Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about," Linus says, and with a little nod, he asks for the lights.

As the stage brightens, Linus does something you may not have noticed before, we did not, surprising – he drops his security blanket!  It's the first time he does this, and it shows how big the message of God coming to earth as a baby he's about to share is.

And, if you look at the video again, Linus drops his blanket just as he is quoting the words "Fear Not."  "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."  Perhaps Linus, dropping his blanket, tells us that we must let go of our worries and fears to understand Christmas fully. 

Fear Not

 In the Bible, we're told not to be afraid or "fear not" 365 times.  God knows we are fearful creatures and wants us to trust Him and His love and power rather than ourselves, our "security blankets," or what we might also call our "comfort zones."  

In his book, "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat," John Ortberg says, "So why does God tell human beings to stop being afraid more often than he tells them anything else?  My hunch is that the reason God says 'Fear not' so much is not that he wants us to be spared emotional discomfort.  In fact, usually he says it to get people to do something that is going to lead them into greater fear anyway.  I think God says 'fear not' so often because fear is the number one reason human beings are tempted to avoid doing what God asks them to do."

Mary and Joseph probably had many fears as they traveled to Bethlehem and Mary as she gave birth to Jesus.  And we are told the shepherds in the fields near the manger were terrified as the angel told them, "Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 

And then there is not just one angel, but "a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 "Glory to God in the highest heaven,

          and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

Shepherds, Angels and "Security Blankets"

Another name for our "security blankets" is our comfort zones.  We all have them.  For the shepherds, it was their regular life of caring for sheep.  The angels' message pushed them to step out of their comfort zone.  It was like the angels were saying, "Hey, forget the usual sheep stuff for a bit.  Something extraordinary is going on in Bethlehem—check it out!"  

The shepherds became an adventurous crew.  They decide to ditch their usual fields and follow the angels' lead to find this extraordinary baby, the world's Savior.  It was such a mind-blowing night filled with awe and joy that they had no choice but to share this news with everyone they knew.  Likely, they would never have had the courage to do this if God hadn't moved them outside of what they were comfortable doing.

Like the shepherds, we all have our go-to, safe and cozy routines.  But often, God calls us outside of our "security blankets" or comfort zones and has something mind-blowing waiting for us if we're up for unexpected adventures—just like the shepherds in the epic Christmas story. 

Summary

As Linus finishes telling the Christmas story from Luke 2, he picks up his blanket and walks off stage.  Perhaps without realizing it, Linus has shown that faith conquers fear.  Linus didn't need his security blanket to stand before others and speak the true message of Jesus' birth and what that means to the world.   

As we celebrate Jesus' birthday this Christmas, let's remember that Jesus came to earth as a baby and grew up to conquer death and all our fears as we put our trust in Him as our Saviour and Lord.  Jesus' birth changed everything!