“Isn’t there anyone that knows what Christmas is all about!?” “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” I’d imagine that many of you remember those famous lines from the television special A Charlie Brown Christmas which first aired in 1965 and has been replayed every Christmas season since. Charles Schultz’s Peanuts characters, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and the rest of the gang are working to put on a Christmas play…. But Charlie Brown is put off by all the selfishness and commercialism surrounding Christmas. And at the height of his frustrations he yells out “Isn’t there anyone that knows what Christmas is all about!?” And the answer comes from the most unlikely of characters… the thumb sucking, security blanket toting Linus… Yet his meekness and timidity disappeared in this T.V. special as he steps up and says, “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” And then Linus walks out to the center of the stage, blanket in hand, and recites the Christmas gospel we just heard from Luke chapter 2… and concludes his reading by saying, “That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.”
And you know what… Linus was right. There’s a reason we read from Luke chapter 2 every single year on Christmas Eve here at church… the simple and yet profound account of Jesus’ birth, recorded by Luke, is what Christmas is all about. It’s the message that God’s people had been awaiting for thousands of years… it’s the message that this whole world needed to hear… and still needs to hear: A Savior has been born.
And this good news of a Savior means one simple thing for us. We don’t have to be afraid, because God has good news… In fact, as you think back on the entire Christmas story you find that theme repeated again and again. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary she was caught off guard and troubled by what she heard… but what did Gabriel say? The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30-31).
And when Mary shared this news with Joseph it certainly turned his life upside down. Fear and sadness must have consumed him. In fact his plan was to divorce his wife for what he assumed was unfaithfulness on her part. But before he could what happened? An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21).
But it wasn’t simply Mary and Joseph’s fears about becoming parents in such a miraculous way that God addressed with his angel messengers. This same message calmed the fears of the shepherds of Bethlehem the night Jesus was born… These poor shepherds who were totally terrified when the visible manifestation of God’s glory surrounded them in the night… who felt completely inadequate and unwelcome in the company of God’s glory and his holy angels… But God sent his angel messengers once again with an announcement that would put their hearts at ease.
Linus knew this. Maybe you’ve never noticed it before but if you watch that Charlie Brown Christmas special you’ll always see Linus carry around his security blanket… he couldn’t seem to let go of it… it brought him peace and calmed his fears. But did you know, that as he recited the angel’s announcement to the shepherds, Linus dropped his blanket… he wasn’t afraid anymore either… Because that’s what this message was meant to do… to cause us to let go of our fears… and to replace them with joy.
Just think of the feeling of elation… the pure bliss that must have filled the hearts of those shepherds who first heard this announcement: The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11).
The great fears that gripped them melted away as the good news of great joy reached their ears… A Savior had come… The promised Christ… the Lord himself! And while God’s glory and the angel armies of heaven accompanied the announcement… the Savior himself would not be surrounded by the glory of God’s holiness which would cause any sinner to tremble… nor would there be an army of angel warriors ready to do battle for him as he crushed his foes and won the victory… instead he came in the most unassuming manner. “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12). The shepherds would rush to find their Savior and would look in wonder… on a baby. God wrapped in human flesh and blood. Wrapped up in swaddling clothes. There on that first Christmas they would see God’s promised Savior… the one who had come not to destroy sinners but to save them… to rescue people who all their lives had been gripped by fear… to free people who all their lives had been slaves to the fears that stem from our sin and the sins of others.
Because when you get down to it… isn’t that we find at the heart of our fears? From the little fears that come this time of year… like being afraid we won’t get the presents we really want… or that the gifts we give won’t be appreciated… to the bigger fears this time of year… the fear of being alone this Christmas… the fear and sadness that creep into your heart when you look at the empty chair in your home where your spouse or child once sat… the fear and hopelessness you feel when you consider the battle with the sinful vices in your life… the anxiety and uncertainty you feel when you ponder your standing with God… perhaps even leading you to steer clear of worship here in church more than once or twice a year.
But my friends, whatever fears and doubts have gripped your heart this past year… or threaten your joy this Christmas… or your hope in the New Year… God’s angel messengers would come to you today with that same message proclaimed over 2,000 years ago as the first Christmas unfolded… the message God himself would have you hear: Don’t be afraid! I’ve got good news! A Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! (Luke 2:11).
All of your longings for good gifts… for acceptance… for companionship… for peace from a troubled family… for peace from a troubled heart… for peace with God… all of those desires are found fulfilled in Jesus who is God’s great gift of love to you this Christmas and always… Jesus the Savior who is with you always and promises to never leave you… Jesus the Savior who
brings peace between you and your God and promises eternal peace and joy once this short life ends… the inexpressible joy of standing in the presence of God’s glory – no longer terrified because of the sin that separates, the hell we deserve, the death we all fear… because they have been done away with once and for all through the cross and empty tomb of the baby who was born on Christmas to save us!
That’s what Christmas is all about. And this message will never get old, because it’s the only message that can renew us as often as we hear it. So listen today and in the New Year as you gather around God’s Word and hear the Savior speaking through that Word to assure you with this message again and again… Listen as he calls to you and says, “Don’t be afraid! I’ve got good news! I’m not just a nostalgic story told once a year to bring back childhood memories…
I’m not just a good man who can show you how to live a happy life… I’m God in the flesh… not here to condemn you for your sin and failure – but to save you from it all… so don’t be afraid… and if this Christmas or this coming year you feel lonely, or uncertain, or hopeless, or scared… look to my manger… see my cross… find me in my Word and hear again this message – a message that is good news of great joy… a message for all the people… even for you: A Savior has been born to you. Don’t be afraid.” Amen.