Maybe you missed it; I’m sure you’ve seen it. Charles Schultz created a Christmas Special … “A Charlie Brown Christmas!”
And what you might’ve missed is a subtle bit of drama unnoticed by almost everyone who’s seen it. Linus walks out to center stage and begins reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 which we’ve all heard a hundred times.
But this time, Linus really hears it for the first time, and when he reads the angels’ words to the shepherds, “Fear not!” and drops his security blanket. Later, when they decorate the now famous Charlie Brown Christmas tree, he walks over and wraps the blanket around the base of the tree giving all his fears and insecurities to Jesus!
Paul writes in Romans:
“The good news was promised long ago by God through his prophets, as written in the Holy Scriptures. It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: as to his humanity, he was born a descendant of David.”
— Romans 1: 2-3
William C. Dix wrote a song about our questions, “What Child Is This?!”
Can this tiny human baby really be the God who created the heavens and the earth. It’s not hard to believe he was fully human; it’s the rest of it that’s a bit hard to swallow … was he also fully God?!
As to his divine holiness, he was shown with great power to be the Son of God by being raised from death. Maybe you know it; or maybe you don’t?
Remember the 12 days of Christmas, January 4 is the last of those 12 days. And January 5 is the first Sunday of Epiphany celebrating the life of Jesus after his birth — as fully human and fully God.
My prayer for all of you into the New Year is from Romans:
“And so I write to all of you in Rome (or wherever you live) whom God loves and has called to be his own people: May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
— Romans 1: 7
Charles “Buddy” Whatley is a retired United Methodist pastor serving Dawson Street Methodist Church in Thomasville, Ga.
