This is a companion podcast for the piece from The Embassy - A Season of Gratitude. Here is an excerpt from that piece: (please check out the whole piece at theembassy.substack.com)
One of our grandchildren has discovered a joy from my youth - A Charlie Brown Christmas. Do you remember when we had to find out when this show, and Rudolph, and Frosty, and the Grinch! … were broadcast over the network television airwaves because that was the only way anyone could watch them? If not, you are younger than I. But we didn’t know any better. We didn’t know we were missing the ability (streaming on AppleTV+!) to watch it anytime we wanted. You couldn’t watch anything anytime you wanted. The richest, most powerful person in the world couldn’t. We were grateful, in whatever small measure we were grateful, that we could watch it on the TV at all, that it existed. It might be that the more we have, the less we tend to be grateful - but that is a thought that will have to be developed at another time.
Back to Charlie Brown. He seems to be a failure at the celebration of Christmas. (Can you relate?) He confesses to Linus that everything he does (all his efforts to celebrate Christmas) turns into a disaster. His feeble efforts are laughed at and he confesses that he just doesn’t know what Christmas is all about. Even though we know what Christmas is all about (right?), can you relate?
If so, or if we need a reminder, Linus helps us, saying, “sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.”
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock 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 you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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.
Linus then turns to Charlie and says, “that is what Christmas is all about.” In re-watching this (with the grandson who has discovered it), I noticed that Linus drops his blanket somewhere around “for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” He let go of the thing that represented his security, his safety, his peace - in the middle of this recitation of Luke 2:8-14 - which are a (partial) fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 9:6-7 (among others).
At my church we have been looking at that passage in Isaiah -
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son has been given … and he will bring redemption to us and redemption to all things. God’s plan of redemption, which seemed to be ebbing as Isaiah wrote these (God’s) promises to His people, is promised to match forward. This child that was born over 2,000 years ago was still about 750 years in the future as Isaiah recorded these words. The Assyrians would come and defeat the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Babylon would then come to destroy Judah and the temple and take them into captivity. All would seem well and truly lost. But the promise - the promise to Abraham and Moses and Ruth and David and, later, Mary - is still good, no matter how dark it was and how much darker it would soon be.
Things seem a bit dark now. The times, I mean - I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and three wonderful children, two of whom have married good and lovely people (the other is unmarried, not a statement against an unnamed son- or daughter-in-law), who have given us four perfect grandchildren. (Again, there are only four, not a statement against unnamed grandchildren). We are healthy, we have work, we have all we need - I try to remind myself to be thankful. But even if, or when, my story grows darker - or however dark the times, our politics, our cultural battles, war, hunger, corruption, injustice becomes, even if and when I struggle to find things for which to be thankful - the promise is still good. The present circumstances don’t determine the veracity of the promise.
Unto us a child has been born. He brought grace and truth and sacrifice - and the means of our redemption. He, even starting as a child in a manger, came as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
But, still, much of that promise is ahead of us.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:7
It is the promise that all the corruption and injustice and pain and death will come to an end - that all the books will be balanced, while we can be redeemed through the grace of God in His Son by the power of the Spirit - that tells us how our story will end. One day. Might be awhile. Who knows?
But the response to this news - these tidings of great joy - is, or should be, gratitude. More than thankfulness - the stance of a grateful child who knows that nothing is deserved but that all is promised by the goodness of God. And with this gratitude comes the assurance that, even when things grow dark, the promise is good. Or, perhaps it is the assurance of this thing not yet seen that is the source of this response of gratitude.
Angels from the realms of glory
Wing your flight over all the earth
Ye, who sang creation's story
Now proclaim Messiah's birth
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King
- - -
Saints before the altar bending
Watching long in hope and fear
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King
Angels from the Realms of Glory
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it with me.
On Culture - A Season of Gratitude