"Linus and Dropping our Fear" - Christmas Eve Sermon

Sermon:

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Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who comes bringing peace and stillness.

[comfort safety security]

When I was growing up I had to have the door to my room open just a little bit and the hallway light on before I could fall asleep. I was never one to have to check under the bed or look in the closet, (well, at least I don’t remember having to do so, maybe my parents disagree) but that door had to be open. I did that pretty much as long as I can remember up until about maybe middle school? Not quite sure when. I do know that when I was in high school and we got a dog, he would whine in his kennel at night while a puppy it would keep me awake so I started to play music as I went to sleep, and I still do that to this day. If I’m at a hotel or visiting someone, I can still get to sleep, but it’s not the same feeling of comfort and security as usual.

Maybe you had your own thing you had to do to get to sleep or maybe it’s to get through the day still. Even the most steady and put together people often have something they have to do each day to get through or to feel safe, or that at least makes the day so much better. Something they have to know where it is to feel comfortable, safe, and secure.

The last years and especially the last few months, it feels like we are trending more and more to needing something to help us feel secure and safe, if you are listening to the presidential campaigns at the moment, each side seem to be almost in competition to show how everything is as scary as it could ever be, that whatever the other is pushing, you need to be incredibly scared of it. From the right, every Muslim is out to get you, from the left, every gun owner is deadly. We’ve seen schools get shot up, universities, community colleges, planned parenthoods, churches, workplaces, movie theaters, camps. A week ago Tuesday the entire Los Angeles School District closed their schools because of a large scale threat from an email sent to their board of education. It luckily turned out to be a hoax, but the fear took hold. 

[Linus]

In the comic strip Peanuts, Linus, Charlie Brown’s best friend, is the seemingly most level headed and put together of all the kids of the strip. Charlie Brown is always anxious about everything, feeling like the world is going to fall apart around him, Lucy is bossy, selfish, and crabby, thinking that everyone should do as she wants. Charlie Brown’s sister Sally can’t seem to do anything, needs her brothers help with writing letters to Santa, constantly pines after Linus, and spends most of her time in a bean-bag watching TV. Snoopy spends a lot of his time just lazing on his dog house roof, imagining his life as a World War 1 pilot. But, even with all these others who seem to not have it together, it’s level headed Linus who carries around his security blanket. 

He feels he needs it at all times, many a strip are spent with Lucy or Snoopy attempting to steal it away from him. The few times it is taken away from him, he is filled with panic, chills, fainting, sweating, and intense worry and sickness. He needs that blanket to get through life it seems.

[Charlie Brown Christmas]

A few weeks ago “A Charlie Brown Christmas” aired for the 50th straight year, it’s one of my favorite Christmas time traditions. It does such a good job of showing the true meaning of Christmas that often gets lost in today’s consumerism culture. In it we see Charlie Brown being put in charge a Christmas Program which, with the help of Lucy, descends into chaos. Charlie Brown doesn’t know what to do, he’s trying to deal with the other kids who just want to dance and play music, and so he heads out to get a tree for the performance. After getting back, the tree he picked out is ridiculed by everyone else at the performance. He nearly gives up, asking, Isn’t there anyone who knows what is Christmas all about!

In seeing Charlie Brown’s despair Linus steps up to center stage and recites the center of our Christmas Gospel reading, 

“8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 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. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Charlie Brown hears this and in a moment of inspiration takes his little tree outside, takes an ornament from Snoopy’s dog house and puts it on, and the tree promptly falls over, he yells “I’ve killed it” and walks away. The rest of the kids however have also heard Linus’ speech and follow Charlie Brown out, and after Charlie Brown walks away they redecorate his tree making it look beautiful. They stand quietly humming Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Charlie Brown comes back and wonders what’s going on, and they all shout, Merry Christmas Charlie Brown and close out the special singing Hark! The Herald Angels Sing as snow begins to fall.

It’s an iconic image, the story of Christmas overcoming consumerism and secularism, bringing people together to show what matters, showing that the true meaning of Christmas is togetherness and love.

[Linus’ Blanket]

There’s something else I saw this year, though. I want to look at the image of Linus on the stage again. What do you see there? We see Linus telling the Christmas Story yes, but where is his security blanket, which never leaves his grasp?    ………. 

It’s on the ground next to him. He has dropped it in the middle of his speech, and the moment he drops it? And the moment when he says “And the angel said unto them, Fear not.”

With Christ, Linus is not afraid, he’s not scared, he’s not panicked. With Christ he does not need his security blanket. With Christ, he drops his fears.

[With Christ]

With Christ, we need not fear.

With Christ, we need not look in fear at each other and at all others around us in the whole world, no matter who they may be.

With Christ we do not need our security blankets, 

With Christ we do not need our anger and fear at those around us.

The things going on in the world, the terror and trembling, the chaos and uncertainty, they do not conquer us. Christ says to our fears, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Things will scare us, things will burden us, but, in the end they cannot overcome us. Christ the savior is born. Our Newborn king saves us from our fears, our tremblings, our worries, and gives us peace and calm, allowing us to see a silent night, where angels sing, and shepherds sleep, and blankets drop, because for once all is still.

May the grace of our newborn king be with you, Merry Christmas, Amen.