As we near the 25th of December, the season of Christmas is fully upon us. One of my favorite holiday traditions is to sit down with my wife and watch the Christmas television specials. We all have our favorites--White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol. My all-time favorite, however, is Charles Schultz' classic It's Christmas Charley Brown. For those of you who might have missed this cartoon, the Peanuts gang is preparing for the Christmas pageant, and C. Brown is the director. While the rest of the gang tries to grab the spotlight with their roles, Charlie sets out to find the true meaning of Christmas. Finally, C. Brown comes to center stage and yells. Can anyone tell me the meaning of Christmas?
Christmas is:
I. the day of children, who have been struggling to be good all year long. It is wrapping paper and gifts, stockings stuffed and gleaming eyes, as the children come to see if St. Nicholas has come. This day does more for the happiness and welfare of some children than any other day of the year.
II. it is a spirit. You don't catch it, it has a funny way of catching you. Before you know it, you're happy, childlike, and generous all over again. At times, it is so strong that one can almost forget themselves and believe that they can help make the world a better place.
III. lights, which light up the night. They symbolize the light of the star that shone over Israel some 2000 years ago.
IV. kindness. And not just the word, but the thing itself. Hardly a heart is so frosty that it does not thaw a little on hearing "Merry Christmas."
V. generosity. It is the season when we live out the ideal that it is truly better to give than receive.
VI. believing the best about our fellowman and hoping that our expectancy will be correct.
VII. a dream that the virtues that come to the fore in this season will live on all year long.
VIII. a sober reality. The words about peace on earth and good will towards men are no longer visionary, but have become basic principles of what a decent and secure world should be. While they have not been fully realized, there is a goal set before us.
IX. the golden cord that ties together the years and the centuries, memories of yesteryear and the present reality that greets us.
I’m sure that you could add to our “Christmas is” list. As Charlie Brown stepped to center stage and cried out for an explanation of what Christmas is all about, all of the things we mentioned were true; Yet it was Linus who stepped up and answered the best : (video clip from Charlie Brown Christmas: scene 6)
Note: My sincerest thanks to Pastor Ric, who was the originator of this sermon. While it has been modified a bit, I want to give credit where it is due.
