Lesson for Christmas

The Tree

(12/20/10)

The other night I sat down to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas with my daughter. I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole way through. I love to hear the song “Christmastime is Here” as the children skate around the pond. I laugh as I watch Charlie Brown and Lucy have a “counseling session”. I tap my feet as I listen to Schroeder play jazz on his toy piano. And on top of experiencing the sheer youthful delight of watching this animated treasure, I get a reminder of the “true meaning of Christmas”. It seems impossible to forget Linus on stage reciting Luke 2: 8-14: “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 Saviour, 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.” (KJV) Even though I’ve heard this message many times, it never gets old. On this particular day, however, God wanted me to concentrate on a different message, beginning with the tree. You all know the one I’m talking about… that little, scraggly, needles falling off, looking like nothing more than a twig, Charlie Brown tree. And as I think about the tree I wonder… how often do we see people who look like that tree? Maybe it’s that man on the side of the road holding the sign “Will work for food”. Maybe it’s that tired single mother of two who has just finished her first job, is off to her second, and feels like she has no time for her kids. Maybe it’s that family of six down the street who is struggling to make ends meet on one income. Maybe it’s even a best friend who has just found out that she has cancer and doesn’t have decent medical coverage. So how can we help? All of these problems just seem too big. Well, they are for us, but not for God. And He would rather us do something than nothing, no matter how small that gesture may seem to be at the time. The point is that we need to help each other, regardless of how we choose to do it. So the next time we see someone who is at the end of their rope, let’s remember the wisdom of Linus. As he wrapped his blanket around the bottom of that little tree he said, “Maybe it just needs a little love.”

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.”

(Proverbs 19:17, NIV)