“Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.” — A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Yet perhaps the same could be said of us today: “Where do I find the perfect gift? Should we get a real tree this year? Would we offend if we don’t call it a ‘holiday’ party? How do we coordinate the dinner with the in-laws?”
It’s nothing but “Bah humbug!” when Christmas cards and Christmas cheer become a chore and when, like Charlie Brown, we often turn this wonderful holiday into a problem. Yet God’s solution is more than gifts and decorations—more than colorful lights and carols and even church. Christmas celebrates the Son of God as the only answer for the problems people face.
Note: Mild spoilers for A Charlie Brown Christmas ahead!
The Problem of Fear (Luke 2:8-9)
On that first Christmas, “there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear” (Luke 2:8-9).
The shepherds quaked before the celestial warrior in the heavens above them, yet they trembled from other fears as well: of sheep wandering off or being stolen; of wolves and wild animals, poisonous plants and dried up drinking holes. They feared lack of food, exposure to the elements, and loss of limb or loss of life. Their fears in this fallen world were as far as the curse was found.
God knows we are surrounded by our fears. Like Charlie Brown, we also suffer from pantophobia: the fear of everything. That’s why God sent his angel to the shepherds and why he sent his Son. That’s why Luke wrote his Gospel and why we celebrate Christmas still. Every fear we face returns to either sins or sorrows, yet Jesus Christ is good news for both.
Regarding sins, we fear doing something wrong, but even more so getting caught. We fear broken relationships, the pain of guilt, and eternal judgment, “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Yet since God sent his Son, we no longer fear sin’s consequences (John 3:16). When we trust in Christ our Savior, we are forgiven and no longer need to fear. Regarding sorrows, we fear when bad things happen and grow concerned about our circumstances. Yet Jesus teaches us many truths in suffering: “I’ve been there (Hebrews 4:15-16). I got you (1 Corinthians 10:13). There’s hope at the end (Revelation 21:4). No more let sins and sorrows grow.”
As you prepare your heart this Christmas, be sensitive to others struggling with their fears: the child who runs into your room afraid of the dark; the brother battling addiction; the widow lonely during the holidays; the friend in chronic pain. Fear becomes an opportunity for faith, so let’s point our loved ones to the Savior who brings us peace and makes his blessings flow.
The Peace of God (Luke 2:10-14)
The second way to prepare your heart this Christmas is to know God’s peace through Jesus Christ. As the angel assured the shepherds, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-13).
This good news declared that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem: The messianic King from David’s line—the Christ-child promised—the Suffering Servant who would save his people from their sins and reign for all eternity. This good news had come in the unexpected form of a newborn babe who would rule the world with truth and grace (John 1:14). “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” (Luke 2:14). Good news always results in both glory to our God and peace on earth.
Perhaps today, you experience a lack of peace or conflict in your family. You’re worried about the future as you lie awake at night in anxiousness. This Christmas, direct your heart to praise the Lord until you know his peace and the wonders of his love. He is pleased with you, having traded your sins and sorrows for the glories of his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Therefore, “Fear not!” as Linus declared when he dropped his ever-present security blanket on the stage–when something about the Word of God and the beauty of Christmas momentarily brought him peace. The birth of Jesus likewise parts us from our fears as we listen to his Word: “Fear not!”
The Proclamation of Christmas (Luke 2:15-20)
Finally, prepare your heart for Christmas as you proclaim the good news and repeat the sounding joy: “Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room and heav’n and nature sing.” As the angels proclaimed, the shepherds responded: “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Then, the shepherds proclaimed and Mary responded when she “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (v. 19). “And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (v. 18) before proclaiming the truth as well: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!”
This Christmas, proclaim the good news that Jesus takes away any fears related to your sins or sorrows. Jesus offers you peace with God and peace in your relationships, then fills you with his joy even in a fallen world. And as Linus says to Charlie Brown, “That’s what Christmas is all about.”