Christmas Eve 2023
There is a reason we celebrate Christmas at the end of December, when the weather is cold, the days short, the nights long and dark. There is a reason we celebrate Christmas at the darkest, coldest time of the year.
Our ancestors in the faith knew why. They knew something about night, and about darkness. They who lived in a world lit only by fire, knew that their world, at least at this time of the year, was indeed a dark, cold place. They knew something about the dark. They knew, as we probably don’t, that there are indeed things to be afraid of in the dark. They knew, as we probably don’t, that danger lurked in the darkness of the night.
And so they looked for the light. Any light. While darkness represented cold and fear and death, light was the place of warmth, and love, and life. So they looked for the light. They paid attention to the light. They knew that moment in the night when darkness gave way to light; that time of the year when the light began to overcome the dark, if only by a minute.
I am feeling a bit nostalgic this Christmas and one of the old, familiar Christmas movies that I love is “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. I just love the Peanuts cartoons. Many of you know the story…In the midst of festive preparations and commercialized chaos, Charlie Brown goes on a quest to discover the true meaning of Christmas. Feeling disillusioned, Charlie Brown becomes the director of the school’s Christmas play, hoping to find some clarity.
As the play’s preparation progresses, Charlie Brown encounters various frustrations. His choice of a small, frail Christmas tree is met with mockery and disappointment from his peers. This moment of ridicule deepens his sense of alienation and his struggle with the holiday’s true significance.
I think we can all relate. It doesn’t take much time in this world to realize the world is broken and so are we. Everyone is looking for purpose and for peace. Linus had his blanket. Schroeder had his piano. Pig-Pen had his self-determination. And Lucy had her domineering control. Yet they were still not satisfied. It didn’t take long for the cast of characters around Charlie Brown to start looking out for themselves and forgetting about those around them, as well as the purpose of the Christmas play.
At the height of his despair, Charlie Brown exclaims, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” This is where Linus steps into the spotlight, both literally and figuratively. In a quiet, assured manner, he requests the stage lights and begins to recite from the Gospel of Luke; and, in only 48 seconds, Linus provides the answer: “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today a savior has been born – he is the Messiah, the Lord”.
And Linus drops his blanket. Linus drops the blanket at the words, “Don’t be afraid”.
Throughout the whole Peanuts story, Lucy, Snoopy, Sally and others all work to no avail to separate Linus from his blanket. And even though his security blanket remains a major source of ridicule for the otherwise mature and thoughtful Linus, he simply refuses to give it up.
It seems pretty clear what Charles Schultz was saying, and it’s so simple it’s brilliant. 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 have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Jesus instead.
This world can be a scary place, and most of us find ourselves grasping to something temporal for security, whatever that thing may be. Essentially, ours 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 continues to live on as an inspiration for us to seek true peace and true security in the one place it has always been and can always still be found.
The mystery of Bethlehem is that God comes to us in the dark, and in coming to us in the dark, brings to us the light of God’s presence. The mystery of Bethlehem is that God comes to us, even us, and perhaps especially us, when things seem most dark and cold, and there God brings light, and life, and love.
Like our ancestors, we too know something about the dark. We know about the darkness of the world, and of our own lives. But so too do we know about the light that shines in the darkness, and the One who is Light, that cannot be dimmed. We know our need of light, and the One who is Light. And so, we come to this place, together with people from all over the world, and we kneel in this stable, gathered around this manger, and know that once again God has been born, and has forever banished the darkness of our world, and of our lives.
Tonight we turn to this. In the darkness of anxiety, there is the light of peace. There is the night “The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight.” The light of Bethlehem still shines on. And Jesus is born in us over and over and over again. Thanks be to God and Merry Christmas!
0 Comments