Violet just stared at the
pathetic little tree. “Boy, are you stupid Charlie
Brown. Can’t you even tell a good tree from a poor
tree?”
Patty gave a long sigh and shook her head, “You’re
hopeless Charlie Brown.”
Then Lucy chimed in, “You’ve been dumb before,
Charlie Brown. But this time you really did it.”
We’ve been through this before. Year after year!
Christmas program after Christmas program! And each
year preachers feel the weight of that challenge to
say something fresh and original and relevant. But,
what new and fresh sermon ideas can be generated
from such a well-covered story? How many ways can we
retell the same story without becoming boring?
Some sermons have more to do with our ability to be
creative than they do with the glorious treasure of
the timeless story. We fail to realize that for many
people, hearing the old, old story (again) can be
more delightful than hearing it the first time.
Dr. Martin Luther King found a wealth of sermon
power rested in weaving phrases and stanzas that
were widely known and anticipated.
The ancient church was able to learn large segments
of the oral stories and teachings of Jesus because
they were repeated frequently. Hearing accounts of
Jesus multiple times, repeated word for word, was a
powerful way to learn great truths.
The greatest stories do not really need us to change
them. To change them would be to cheapen them. The
same Babe in a manger that spoke to us as children
can speak again to us as adults. Angels and
shepherds can still thrill us. There are still
surprises to be discovered, maybe not so much in the
old, old story, but in how God will use the story to
transform us more.
There is power in deciding for this Christmas season
we will tell the church what they already know. We
can give up trying to come up with new angles to
replace the familiar. We can stop searching for
nativity texts in Obadiah and go back and read the
well-worn words of Matthew and Luke.
Charlie Brown stared at the pathetic little tree and
said, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas
is all about?”
|
Linus,
blanket in tow, walks over to the center of the stage. “Sure,
Charlie Brown. I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” A
spotlight comes up on Linus as he begins to recite, “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. (We have heard all this before.)
And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you
tidings of great joy which will 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 is precisely why it is so powerful.)
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.’
That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” (Thank you,
Saint Linus.)
[Ron Otto, Lincoln Christian Church] |
