every other character in this show came to realize.
You see, as wonderful and notable as it is, Linus
quoting scripture is not the most important part of the
show. It is what occurred after it that is the most
significant event in the show. Immediately after
Linus told Charlie what Christmas was all about by
quoting scripture, Charlie took the tree home with
him and the rest of the gang followed. Now take a
look at what happened in the end:
(scene of decorating tree)
You do know what the tree in this show
represents, don’t you? Jesus Christ. Charlie Brown
brought Jesus home and the rest of the gang used all
the glitz, glitter and trappings of the season to give
love, glory and praise to Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Savior.
When Charlie Brown understood the meaning
of Christmas he took the true meaning of Christmas
home with him to love it and give it praise and glory.
Will you do the same? Will you take Jesus
into the home of your heart today? Don’t leave here
today just feeling good about a nice story. Take Jesus
into your heart. He will give you love, joy, hope and
peace and pierce your darkness with a light that can
never go out. Amen.
Experience Love in Action!
Connect ~ Grow ~ Serve
P ASADENA C OMMUNITY C HURCH
a United Methodist Congregation
227 - 70th Street South ~ St Petersburg, FL 33707
(727) 381-2499
email: [email protected]
www.pasadenacommunitychurch.org
Pasadena Community Church
Christmas at the Movies
~ A Charlie Brown Christmas ~
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Sermon by: Dr. Charley Reeb, Senior Pastor
This morning I continue our series
“Christmas at the Movies.” This is a sequel to the
series we did last year. It was so well received that
we decided to do it again. The first week we took a
closer look at the powerful story of redemption in
A Christmas Carol. Last week focused on the
movie A Christmas Story. We learned from that
funny film that the love of Christmas is the only
gift at Christmas that will truly satisfy us.
Today we are going to dig deeper into what
is probably the most influential animated Christmas
special of all time: A Charlie Brown Christmas,
which is based on the Peanuts comic strip by
Charles Schulz. This year it is celebrating its 50
year on television. Since it first aired on December
9th, 1965 it has captured the hearts of young and
old. It’s one of those rare shows that inspires both
children and adults. It was critically acclaimed and
won an Emmy and a Peabody Award. The familiar
and beloved soundtrack won a Grammy too and is
in the Grammy hall of fame. And remember folks,
this is a cartoon!
What’s even more remarkable is that the
network and producers of the show predicted it to
be a complete disaster. Coca-Cola was looking for
a show to use to advertise its product during the
Christmas season. Charles Schulz and Bill
Melendez wrote the outline of the show in a day
and pitched it to Coca-Cola. They loved it and
bought it. But when the Melendez, the director,
first watched it he said, “We’ve killed it.” He really
believed that if the show had not already been put
on the TV schedule it probably would have never
been broadcasted.
When it first aired in 1965, 45 percent of
those watching television tuned in to the show.
That’s almost 16 million people! And they loved it!
And the rest they say is history.
We don’t have to look very hard in A
Charlie Brown Christmas to find a message. In
fact, Schulz’s vision for the show was to
communicate the true meaning of Christmas. So we
are going to explore the meaning of Christmas
through this ageless classic. And even though some
of you have seen it a million times you just might
learn something new today. I promise you this: If
you allow the message of this show into your heart
it will make your Christmas extra special.
Like any good story A Charlie Brown
Christmas begins with a conflict. Charlie Brown is
sad at Christmas time. He knows he should be
happy as he decorates the tree and gives presents
but he just doesn’t feel very jolly about any of it.
So he seeks “psychiatric” help from Lucy.
Conveniently, Lucy has a psychiatric booth set up
to help Charlie. Here is the scene when Charlie
seeks help from Lucy:
(scene of Charlie talking to Lucy at the
“Psychiatrist” Booth)
Well Charlie Brown said he was depressed
during Christmas time. He wasn’t feeling merry
and bright. The truth is Charlie Brown is not alone.
A lot of people feel sad and depressed during the
holidays. Perhaps some of you are struggling this
Christmas season. Maybe the memory of
Christmases with loved ones who have passed
away has you feeling sad. Maybe you have bad
memories of Christmases in the past and you can’t
shake those memories. Maybe you know you are
going to be alone this Christmas and that has you
sad. Or perhaps financial struggles are upsetting
you this time of year. While everyone is singing,
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” you just
want to scream, “No it’s not! Not for me!”
If you are feeling jolly and merry this
holiday, that is great! But remember not everyone
feels happy during the holidays. For many, it is a
very difficult time. We must be sensitive to those
around us who are sad this time of year. Or to put it
another way: Don’t act like Lucy! Charlie Brown
expressed his grief and all she did was talk and
offer labels and give advice. In other words, she
did not do what all of us should do with friends and
loved ones who are sad during the holidays: Listen!
The tempting thing to do when someone tells us
they are sad is to offer advice or give some
platitude, cliché or Bible verse.
Folks, when you are with someone who is
upset during the holidays, just be a friend. Don’t be
fake and act like nothing is wrong. Most people
who are upset during the holidays want their
feelings validated. Ask them how they are doing.
This gives them the freedom to be real about how
they feel. And when you ask them, be prepared to
listen! Don’t be a Lucy!
If you live far away from a loved one who
is grieving during the holidays, don’t just send a
pretty card with Wise Men on it with your
signature. Write a note or send them an email. Be
deliberate and acknowledge that you realize things
must be difficult for them this time of year and that
you are thinking of them and praying for them. It
just might be the one thing that will help them
make it through the holidays (patheos.com, “How
to Be a Better Friend to Someone Who Grieves at
Christmas”).
Take a look at Galatians 6:2: “Bear one
another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill
the law of Christ.”
Lucy did not take that approach. She got in
Charlie Brown’s face and told him that the solution
was for him to get involved in a project. She told
him he should take on another burden and be the
director of the Christmas play.
At first, Charlie embraces the idea and
thinks it will help. Part of his problem is that he
really does not understand what Christmas is all
about. He thinks this will help him. So he gets into
it and tries to act like a real director but no one
pays attention to him or respects him. While the
gang is dancing and goofing off in the auditorium,
Charlie goes with Linus to find a Christmas tree for
the play. Lucy has given him strict instructions to
find a tree that fits the “modern spirit of
Christmas.” Well, Charlie has something different
in mind. Take a look:
(scene of Charlie picking tree)
Charlie Brown walked among all those
glitzy, loud, modern and commercialized
Christmas trees and picked out those most fragile
one of all. When he picked it up, some of the
needles fell off. Linus warned him that he was told
to pick a tree that fit the modern spirit of
Christmas. But Charlie Brown disregarded that
advice. Why? Because he said, “I think it needs
me.”
Charlie was sad and struggling to
understand the meaning of Christmas but the truth
is when he picked out that poor little tree he was
closer to the meaning of Christmas than anyone
else. He saw something that needed him. He picked
the tree because it needed to be cared for and
loved. In doing so, Charlie Brown, without
realizing it, understood what the Christmas spirit is
all about.
You see, the Christmas spirit is not insisting
that people say “Merry Christmas!” The Christmas
Spirit is not saying, “Keep Christ in Christmas.”
The Christmas Spirit is not just saying “Jesus is the
reason for the season.” The Christmas spirit is
being Christmas to others. What does that mean? It
means being like Jesus to those in need.
Every year Christians get into a tizzy over
the commercialization of Christmas. They get all
lathered about the culture not keeping Christ in
Christmas by saying “Happy Holidays” instead of
“Merry Christmas!” Well, I got news for you. I
believe Jesus could care less whether or not we say
“Merry Christmas!” Jesus does not care about our
words. He cares about our actions. I love this quote
from Face Book: “You really want to know how to
keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, cloth
the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the stranger,
and the unwanted child, care for the ill, and love
your enemies.” This is what Christ did when he
was on earth and this is exactly what he has
commanded his followers to do!
Cory Booker is a Yale law school graduate,
Stanford football star, and Rhodes Scholar. He
also happens to be the Mayor of Newark, New
Jersey. I love this quote from him:
Before you speak to me about your
religion, first show it to me in how you treat
other people; before you tell me how much you
love your God, show me in how much you love
all His children; before you preach to me of
your passion for your faith, teach me about it
through your compassion for your neighbors. In
the end, I’m not as interested in what you have
to tell or sell as in how you choose to live and
give.
-Mayor Cory Booker
1st John 3:18 says it all: “Dear children, let us not
love with words or speech but with actions and in
truth.”
~ 1 John 3:18
When Charlie Brown picked out that tree
because it needed him he was truly living out the
Christmas Spirit, he just didn’t know it. Is there
someone in your life who needs you? Reach out to
them because God wants to work through you to
meet the needs of others.
Bruce Wilkinson, in his book, You Were
Born for This, writes about a young lady he knows
named Lauren who was staying at a swanky hotel
in New York City for two weeks on business.
Every morning when she went to work out in the
hotel gym she would say hello to a petite Hispanic
lady on staff at the hotel named Marta. Every time
Lauren greeted her, Marta would just light up.
One afternoon Lauren went shopping and
felt the Spirit nudge her to buy something for
Marta. She put together a gift basket filled with
bath salts, candles, and lotions. When Marta
received the gift she was overwhelmed. She said, “I
can’t thank you enough. I am so tired at the end of
the day. This will help me so much.”
A couple of days before Lauren was to
leave New York she received a beautiful bouquet
of flowers from her husband. She enjoyed the
flowers but the last day she was there she gave
them to Marta. Marta grabbed Lauren’s hand and
said, “You have no idea what you have meant to
me the last two weeks. No one ever notices me but
you have. For the last two weeks I have looked
forward to coming to work because I knew you
would smile at me and say hello. Then you gave
me all these gifts. You noticed me and now I know
that God notices me.”
Jesus does not want words this Christmas.
He wants action. Who needs you? God wants to
work through you to meet the needs of others.
Well Charlie Brown and Linus returned to
the rehearsal with the little tree. They all laughed at
Charlie. They made fun of him and called him
names. They told him that he just couldn’t do
anything right. Charlie felt awful and told Linus
that he really couldn’t do anything right – that he
really didn’t know what Christmas was all about.
Linus was more than willing to tell Charlie Brown
what Christmas was all about.
This next scene is the most famous scene in
this film. But I want you to watch carefully because
even though many of you have seen it some of you
may have missed a very profound moment so
watch carefully:
(Scene of Linus telling Charlie about Christmas
by quoting Luke 2:9-12)
What’s interesting about this scene is that it
was almost cut out of the show. When the show
first aired the folks at CBS were concerned that the
use of actual Bible quotes in the special would turn
off viewers. But Charles Schulz was insistent. He
said, “If we don’t do it, who will? So Linus recited
from the gospel of Luke the story of the birth of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Now I told you that there was something
very profound that occurred in that scene that most
people miss. Did you notice it? Linus, who was
famously attached to his security blanket, let go of
it when he told the story of Jesus’ birth. And he let
go of it when he quoted the angel saying, “Fear
Not!” And why shouldn’t he? Jesus is our security.
Jesus is our Savior. Jesus is our peace, hope, love
and joy!
Are you afraid today? Are you clinching on
to your fear like Linus did his blanket? What are
you holding on to that is holding you back from
embracing Christ and his love, peace, joy and hope
for you? Is it a feeling of unworthiness? Is it
anxiety? Christmas means you can let go of all that.
You don’t have to be afraid anymore because we
have a Savior who will never leave us or forsake
us. We have a Savior who has promised to be with
us to sustain us and strengthen us no matter how
dark and deep our valleys get. We have a Savior
who has promised to give our lives meaning and
joy. We have a Savior who has forgiven us and can
make us whole. We have a Savior who has
promised us eternal life.
This is what Charlie Brown and Linus and