"And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.'" Luke 2:10, KJV

I heard (through the grapevine) that our very own Emilee Whitten brought the house down as Linus in the Peanuts Christmas production at Blackmon Road Middle School. After the rave reviews, we contacted her agent (i.e., Mom) and received permission for her to recite the Christmas story at both of our Christmas Eve services. I just know she'll do an outstanding job!

You do remember "A Charlie Brown Christmas," don't you? It's a classic!

I recently read an article about the famous movie moment that Linus recites the story of Jesus from Luke 2 ... and how he finally drops his blanket.

Of course, Linus is known for his blanket. He carries it with him at all times. But when quoting the angel's message, "Fear not," he let go of what he has always held on to and raises both hands towards the heavens.

You can't help but wonder if Charles Schultz did this on purpose. Was Linus willing to let go of the false security that he'd been holding on to for the true security that scripture says is only found in Christ?

If that's the case, it also made me wonder, what am I holding on to that maybe I need to let go of?

We may not have a blanket (if you do ... don't tell anybody), but there are many different things that we tend to hold on to because it provides us with a false sense of security: people, possessions, positions, power, prestige, etc.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that we should not latch on to the things of this world, but instead, we should always be reaching for God Himself. "I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. The goal I pursue is the prize of God's upward call in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:13-14, CEB

The gift of Christ brings freedom! Maybe we could all learn from Linus and let go of the false security we've been grasping and learn to trust and reach to Jesus instead.

After all, "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!"

Merry Christmas,
Jimmy McIlrath

*Adapted from "Just drop the blanket" by Jason Soroski