In need of the Christmas season
The celebration of Christmas is more than centuries old. It is millennia old in observance.
Christmas is a form of “Christ’s mass” from the Greek Khrīstos (Hebrew Māšîaḥ) and mass from Latin missa (holy communion). Celebrations observing Christmas are recorded as early as 336 A.D. So why is it important today other than as an economic promotion to boost the economy?
Walk with me back into my childhood of Sandpoint in the 1960s. The comic strip “Peanuts” had become a major cultural phenomenon. It was a race in our household to get the newspaper and see what the Peanut’s gang was doing. The Peanuts gang made the cover of Time magazine in the spring of 1965. The Coca-Cola Company wanted to sponsor a special during the holiday season. Charles Schultz the creator of Peanuts and producer Lee Mendelson pitched the idea of a Christmas special featuring the Peanuts gang. Coca-Cola decided to buy the special on the thinnest of outlines.
Schulz and television producer Lee Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez had to create a Charlie Brown Christmas with only six months to airing. Schulz was determined to have the “true meaning of Christmas” as a focus despite deep misgivings from Mendelson and Melendez. The most controversial aspect was a long reading from the Gospel of Luke in the Bible. The special was completed just 10 days before its premiere. Nearly everyone involved believed the special would be a disaster. Network executives’ opinions were negative and critical.
The special aired Dec. 9, 1965, at 7:30 p.m. on CBS. It captured 45% of the viewing audience that night and received critical acclaim. One animator, Ed Levitt, told Melendez it is the best special he will ever make and this show will run for a hundred years. Since that time the special aired on CBS until 2000. ABC purchased rights to “Charlie Brown’s Christmas” in 2001. They also produced a documentary on the making of the special in 2001, a 40th anniversary special in 2005 (which received the highest ratings in the timeslot), and a 50th anniversary special in 2015. Apple TV+ purchased exclusive rights in 2020.
The question is why does something the experts predicted to be a dismal failure continue to be an unmitigated success far beyond the original creator’s hopes? It’s the same reason that we continue to observe Christmas. We celebrate Christmas because Jesus Christ came to give us hope even hope beyond this life. People in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, China, North Korea, India, Egypt, South Africa, Argentina, Columbia, the Arctic, Australia, and Siberia will observe Christmas because of the hope Jesus brings. Repression and persecution cannot quench this hope. Coronavirus and doubtful economics won’t douse this hope. Communism, racism, hedonism, and atheism try to stomp this hope out but it just can’t be extinguished. Even bad behavior by those who call themselves Christian won’t kill this hope. The two fastest growing Christian movements in the world right now are Iran and Afghanistan. When human hope is lost, God steps in. Watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas and listen to Linus read from Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus lives. Come to Him and let Him give you hope for today and tomorrow.
Bud McConnaughey serves on the staff of North Summit Church, 201 N. Division, Sandpoint. If you want to know more about Jesus Christ and His hope, contact us northsummit.com. We’ll be glad to help you or refer you to numerous local congregations and pastors in Bonner County.