"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"-- Rev. Patrick Malphrus
Greetings to you all, and Merry Christmas! I must admit that
as I typed that Christmas greeting, the popular “Ralph in Danger” meme came to
mind. For those of you less versed in internet memeology, allow me to educate
you. “Ralph in Danger” refers to the image below of Ralph Wiggum, son of Police
Chief Wiggum in The Simpsons, sitting in the back of a bus with the
subtitle: “(chuckles) I’m in Danger”. This meme template has been used for all
sorts of applications, but I think my own usage below is applicable.
I know, I know, not all of us see eye to eye on Christmas.
My intention is not to stir up debate or sow seeds of discord. Over the last
couple of weeks, I have been blessed by the excellent articles published on
this blog by good friends, several of which I “speak” with on an almost daily
basis. “Speak” is in quotations because our speaking with one another is
normally in electronic format, but we communicate nonetheless. Most of the time
we are in full agreement. Sometimes we aren’t. And that’s ok. I hope these men
know how much they have blessed me, and how the Lord has used them to bring me
comfort and encouragement in very difficult times. In light of this, the
purpose of this article is not to challenge my brothers or propose some sort of
counterpoint. Instead, I just want to offer a simple reminder about Christmas
time and the opportunity this season provides.
Hopefully you are familiar with this television classic that first aired on CBS on December 9, 1965. This year is a little different (what an understatement THAT is). Instead of airing on CBS, as it has for the last 54 years, in what was perhaps the most 2020iest thing of 2020, Apple purchased all rights to the Peanuts gang and had planned to show A Charlie Brown Christmas and other Charlie Brown seasonal specials exclusively on Apple TV. But when It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown failed to air around Halloween, there was a massive public outcry, accompanied by various petitions and other forms of protest. As a result, Apple allowed PBS to air both A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
If you were able to view both on PBS, I hope you enjoyed the
Thanksgiving special because it likely will not return. Accusations of
rayyyycisum (misspelled intentionally to denote liberal screeching noises) have
already been leveled at A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving because the
character of Franklin, who happens to be black, receives the busted chair at
the end of the table instead of one of the good lawn chairs.
Back to the subject at hand, namely Christmas and the
opportunity it provides. I love A Charlie Brown Christmas for many
reasons. It is filled with wholesome humor and provides a sense of nostalgia
that is unparalleled. Well, in my mind, at least. Also it has just about the
best Christmas music soundtrack that I know of. But the main reason I love A
Charlie Brown Christmas is because of the truth it reveals about the
opportunity Christmas provides.
After going to Lucy’s makeshift psychiatry office, Charlie Brown tells Lucy “I feel depressed. I know I should be happy, but I’m
not.” Then, in an effort to earn her counseling session fee (which was a nickel), Lucy goes down a list of phobias
that Charlie Brown might be experiencing. He then stops her and says “Actually
Lucy, my trouble is Christmas. I just don’t understand it. Instead of feeling
happy, I feel sort of let down.” Lucy’s response is that Charlie Brown needs
what she calls “involvement”. Lucy tells him that he needs to get involved in
Christmas projects. And so Charlie Brown is roped into directing his school’s
nativity pageant.
Adding to his frustration, after visiting Lucy and on his way to the school to direct the pageant, Charlie
Brown is stopped by his kid sister, Sally, and is asked to help her write her
letter to Santa Claus. In her letter, which starts out innocently enough, Sally
checks off all of her boxes. She inquires into Santa and Mrs. Claus’s
well-being and then goes on to remind Santa that she has been an “extra good”
girl all year. And, as a result of her goodness, she asks Santa to take special
note of the size and color of her desired presents and asks him to “send as
many as possible”. To this, Charlie Brown utters his typical “Oh Brother!”.
Sally, who is supposed to be 6 years old, mind you, then goes on to have
Charlie Brown write “If it seems too complicated, make it easy on yourself.
Just send money. How about 10s and 20s?” to which Charlie Brown responds “Even
my baby sister!” and then runs away. Things only continue to go downhill from
there.
Charlie Brown arrives at the school and tries to corral his
classmate actors into preparing for the pageant. He is forced to contend with
everything from Schroeder’s excellent piano playing skills and his classmates’
desire to dance instead of act (pictured above), to fussy demands from the
“Christmas Queen” herself, Lucy van Pelt. Frustrated, Charlie Brown and his
best friend Linus eventually leave the school in order to purchase a Christmas
tree. Upon arriving at the Christmas tree lot, Charlie Brown and Linus find
trees that are all the rage, gigantic and made out of aluminum. Finally,
Charlie Brown finds the only real tree on the whole lot and it is, how shall I
say this, pathetic.
Even so, Charlie Brown insists on bringing the little tree
back for use in the pageant. Shortly after returning everyone but Linus
proceeds to mock Charlie Brown, calling him the typical “blockhead” and other
names. Lucy puts the icing on the cake when she says “You’ve been dumb before
Charlie Brown, but this time you really did it.” At this, everyone except Linus
begins laughing at Charlie Brown’s expense. Heartbreakingly, even his faithful
beagle Snoopy laughs at his master and bounces away.
Now, aside from this stroll down memory lane, what is the
point in my writing all these things? Hopefully you remember that a few
paragraphs ago I wrote “the main reason I love A Charlie Brown
Christmas is because of the truth it reveals about the opportunity
Christmas provides.” Well, what truth does Charlie Brown reveal? What
opportunity does Christmas provide?
As God’s Word reveals in Ecclesiastes 1:9, there is nothing new under the sun. Though it premiered in 1965, in the singular moment described above, Charlie Brown reveals the quandary and confusion faced by so much of the world around us right here, 55 years later, in 2020. In one simple statement, Charlie Brown articulates so much of the sentiment present in the world today. You must realize the nature of the world around us. We live in a world that is wondering and wandering. A world that has been duped into believing so many different things. A world that has purchased a bill of goods that has only brought disappointment and frustration.
Back to the school auditorium. In response to Charlie
Brown’s cry for meaning, Linus stepped forward and said “Sure Charlie Brown. I
can tell you what Christmas is all about”. Then Linus called for stage lights
and recited Luke 2: 1-14, and upon its completion he said “That’s what
Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.” Though a work of fiction, Linus took the
opportunity provided by God and the discontentment of the Christmas season to
testify to the truth of Jesus Christ and the fact that He is our Savior. Why,
Linus even dropped his trusty blue security blanket when he reached verse 10 in his
recitation of Luke 2, when the angel said “Fear not”.
(All images are owned by Schultz, Apple, and come courtesy of Flickr.com)