A Christmas Thought

 Twenty years ago, I was in the final days of my tenure as the CEO at the Logan County Hospital in Oakley, Kansas.  The hospital board decided to not renew my contract for another year, and we would soon be on our way to Topeka, where we had found work.

 During our time in Oakley, I was invited by John Montgomery, editor of the Hays Daily News, which at that time was circulating throughout northwest Kansas, to write a twice-monthly opinion column for the News on life in that part of the state.  The specific topics were mine to choose, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity.

 One of my last columns came during the Christmas holidays.  In it, I bent into the realm of faith and the Christmas season.  The column is as pertinent today as it was twenty years ago.  The rest of this thought is that column which was published in The News.

 “Tis the season to be jolly!  Fa la la la la la la la la”.  I suppose these words are very familiar to you, as they’re from the Christmas tune, Deck the Halls.  But if your take on the season is the same as that of Lucy Van Pelt in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, you’ll relate very well to her as she says, “I know how you feel about all this Christmas business, getting depressed and all that. It happens to me every year. I never get what I really want. I always get a lot of stupid toys or a bicycle or clothes or something like that.”

 The unfortunate thing is that many in our society feel the same way.  Instead of a time for joy, it’s a time for depression.  Instead of a time of contentment, it’s a time of greed.  Instead of a time fulfillment, it’s a time of unfulfilled (and unfulfillable) expectations.  We go through the motions, succumb to the commercial temptations, break our necks to have the perfect holiday celebration, and put on the best show we know how, only to find that something is terribly wrong.  We have not found what we’re looking for.  We’re not even close.  And instead of sitting back and taking stock, we pedal even faster, so to speak, in the futile hope that somehow things will be different this time.

 In the TV program “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Charlie Brown, exasperated, tired, and harried because of the antics of the others at a Christmas play practice, shouts out to anyone who will listen,  “Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?”

And Linus Van Pelt, Lucy’s little brother, takes center stage and says,  “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you.  Lights, please. (A spotlight shines on Linus.)”  Linus goes on…

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. 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, good will toward men'. That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

 It is interesting to note that Linus, forever dependent on his security blanket, lets go of it when he quotes  “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.”  There’s great meaning in that action that Charles Schultz wrote into the script of the show.  Because Immanuel was born on that night so long ago, we no longer need to fear, and we no longer need our security blankets, whatever they may be for us.  And you well know what they are…getting lots of presents, having the approval of others, shopping and spending money (yes, that’s a huge security blanket for many), having the latest and greatest gadgets, and putting on the Ritz in front of others, pretending we’re all together when we’re really falling apart.  We no longer need our security blankets if we truly understand what St. Luke (and Linus) was trying to tell us.

 You know, maybe it’s time for a little less “Deck the Halls” and a little less “tis the season to be jolly”, and a little more quiet reflection and understanding on just what this time of year really means to us.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re Christian or not.  Even atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Jews and others believe that Jesus of Nazareth is a historical figure; that he did roam the earth 2,000 years ago; that he was the greatest of teachers, and that he did die by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans.

 The question is, what are you going to do with Jesus?  And what are you going to do with the time the world has set aside to honor him?  You can choose to ignore Jesus, do nothing and go merrily on your way.  You can choose to honor Jesus as a good man and great teacher.  Or you can choose to worship Jesus as God Incarnate.  But you have to do something.  You have to choose something.

 If Christmas isn’t what you want it to be, maybe you need to choose something different than what you’ve chosen in the past.  Maybe you need to take another look at this man Jesus.  Maybe you need to get a new perspective on him and what he has to offer to you.  Maybe you need to truly understand, as did Charles Schultz and Linus, what Christmas is all about.