Fear Not

I love the tradition of watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. I grew up watching it and I have always been a Peanuts fan.  This year is the 50th anniversary and with the new Peanuts movie there seems to be more fanfare for all things Shultz than there has been in awhile.  In fact, California is even producing a license plate with Snoopy on it!

I was watching the other day and I saw something I had never noticed before. The whole show Lucy and others are trying to get Linus to let go of his blue security blanket, but he even makes it into a shepherd’s “hat”.  When Charlie Brown asks in quiet desperation if anyone can tell him what Christmas is all about Linus steps centerstage and tells the Christmas story but when he says “Fear Not” he drops the blanket! Subtly, yet brilliantly, Schultz is telling all of us to let go of our fears and grasp Jesus alone for our security. Jesus’ birth frees us from the habits we cannot break ourselves and allows us to let go of our false securities to reach out for Him.  Linus doesn’t pick up that blanket again except to put it around the tree.  It is the cross (tree) alone that makes us free, and able to live without fear!