Drop the Blanket

When she was little, my daughter had a blanket that she carried with her everywhere.  The buttery yellow blanket with her name embroidered on it was a gift from a dear friend.  She would hold one corner of the blanket in her right hand as she sucked her thumb.  Over time, that corner would become dirty, and lose its softness.  I’d have to wrestle her for it so that I could wash it.  There were several times we had to turn the car around because she forgot “blankie” and she couldn’t imagine going anywhere without it.  I swear, it was like that blanket was attached to her hand.  It had become part of her.  It made her feel safe.  It gave her comfort.  It was reliable and known.  

After she was born, I had a new appreciation for the Peanut’s character, Linus who, like my daughter, carried a blanket with him everywhere.  Charlie Brown Christmas first aired on December 9, 1965.  The iconic story shares the true meaning of Christmas; most evident in the famous scene where Linus shares Luke 2:8-14, the story of Jesus Birth. (https://youtu.be/7vJPAQJAyjg?si=HeSxtHBlqQcJD8fL).

I wonder, however, if you’ve ever noticed the symbolism in this significant moment.   Right in the middle of speaking, Linus drops his blanket.  The blanket that identifies and defines him.  The blanket that many Peanuts’ characters try to get Linus to give up.  Even though his security blanket remains a major source of ridicule for the otherwise mature and thoughtful Linus, he simply refuses to lay it down.

Until this moment.  When he simply drops it.  Most telling is the specific moment he drops it: when he utters the words, fear not.  In that moment, Linus knows that there is no earthly object that can compare to the security and love of the Savior.  Symbolically, he lays the blanket down, exchanging it for the hope of Jesus Christ.

I think we’ve all had those moments where we are overcome by the truth of Jesus’ love and sacrifice that it is easy to lay down our earthly security blankets.  Whether they be control, money, status, routine, etc.  But the hard part is not in the laying down, it is in the letting go.

You see, after the epic blanket-dropping Scripture response to Charlie Brown’s quest for meaning, Linus picks up the blanket and walks off the stage.  At first glance, this seems to minimize the profound action of Linus just seconds prior.  I disagree. 

You see, we all carry around our blanket.  And for some of us, we’ve carried it for decades.  We may recognize it and know that it holds no real power; but it is known to us.  It is familiar to us.  It has become a part of us.  And to lay it down makes us vulnerable.  It requires us to give up perceived control and to trust in God completely.  To know that the promises of Jesus are real and to stand on those, not for a moment, but for a lifetime.  Faith, my brothers, and sisters, is powerful, yet delicate.  

We know the truth.  We proclaim the truth.  We grow in knowledge, wisdom, and passion for the truth.  And despite all of that, we look in the mirror and realize that we are draped in a blanket of worldly deception once again.  And we didn’t even realize it.  

But the good news of Jesus Christ is far more powerful than the worlds attempt to weigh us down with blankets of false security.  The story doesn’t end here.

You see, the Charlie Brown Christmas ends with the characters gathered around the spindly Christmas tree singing in worship.  The song chosen could have been “O Christmas Tree” which would make perfect sense.  But it wasn’t.  The song chosen is “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.”  It is a song of worship – just listen to the way it is sung.  The music gently playing in the background. The voices raised to honor not a tree, but a Savior. 

Don’t miss what happens before the worship begins.  Linus parts with his blanket again – laying it down for good at the base of the Christmas tree.  And, this time, he doesn’t look back. (https://youtu.be/7vJPAQJAyjg?si=HeSxtHBlqQcJD8fL).

We all have blankets.  This Christmas, lay yours down at the base of the only tree that gives life – the Cross.  Lay it at the feet of the Savior who came into this world not as a king, but as a vulnerable baby.  A Savior who chose to pick up your blanket and mine and forever make them irrelevant.