By Pastor Mark Woodward
Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston
(and Lenora)
It is good to greet you in this Advent and Christmas season. I have long admired Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. Recently, a good friend sent me a book entitled “The Gospel According to Peanuts” by Dr. Robert L. Short. (published in 1965) It is an insightful look into some of the theology expressed by Charles Schulz in his famous cartoon. A few days ago, grandson Connor and I were watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” He sat on my lap next to the television and watched intently as the story unfolded. Linus took to the stage and told the story of Christmas supported by his faithful blanket.
The story stripped away all of the commercialism and all of the “stuff” that sometimes gets in the way, in order to reveal the real message of Christmas and the birth of our Savior Jesus. In an inspiring way, the Peanuts characters tell the story of what Christmas is all about – it is emotionally moving as a little tree is transformed by the power of love to become a truly beautiful tree. Isn’t it amazing how love can bring about such incredible transformation! A scrawny, little tree becomes beautiful through the power of God’s redeeming life-changing love! Charlie Brown even commented that “no commercial dog is going to take away the meaning of Christmas!” Then in an inspiring, tender way, the Peanuts gang comes together with their sweet voices and sings “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing!”
For me this will be a reflective Christmas as I ponder and cherish all the Christmases in my life, 44 of them with my beloved wife Deanna who passed away in October 2024. It would be my hope and prayer that a bunch of boys and girls and their dog could show us the real meaning of Christmas of God sending Jesus into the world as a little baby. It brought tears to my eyes when Linus stood on the stage at the school and told the story of Christmas… “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord … That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
My family and I reach out to all of you as we live and share the Good News of Christmas, the Good News of love sent from God in Heaven!
Please know how much you are loved!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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