For over a dozen years while we lived in Northwest Indiana, we would host a Christmas Eve party with three dozen extended family members and friends. We all enjoyed great food, fun games, Christmas-themed Charades, and our White Elephant Gift Exchange.

But the evening was never complete until we all read Luke 2:8-14 together. And then we would always watch a brief clip of A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s the classic scene where Charlie Brown asks:

“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Linus responds with the best-ever answer to that question as he recites Luke 2:8-14.

Did You Notice? 

In watching and re-watching that scene for decades, I missed an incredibly poignant moment. Then I read Jason Soroski’s post, Just Drop the Blanket. Jason notes that right in the middle of reciting Luke 2:8-14, Linus drops his blanket. Always clinging to his security blanket, until he reads the words from Luke 2, “Fear not.”

As Soroski explains, it’s crystal clear what Charles Schulze was saying. The birth of Jesus separates us from our fears. The birth of Jesus frees us from our security blankets. The birth of Jesus empowers us to drop all our false trust we’ve been clinging to, and learn to trust and cling to Christ alone.

Fear Not 

As I craft today’s post, we’re near the end of one of the most fear-producing years of my life—2020. The year of COVID-19. The year of over 300,000 deaths due to COVID-19. The year of a presidential impeachment process. The year of intense racial strife. The year of contested presidential elections. The year of fear.

The world is a scary place. We all cling to some security blanket.

In 2020 and beyond, like Linus, can you and I drop our blanket?

Can you and I trust what Jesus’s birth proclaims? “Fear Not!”

Like Linus, let’s drop the blanket! 

Luke 2:8-14

Notice why we fear not: 

“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.”

We fear not because we have received good tidings of great joy—a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

The Clip 

For the two-minute clip, visit here: https://youtu.be/pn10FF-FQfs