A Charlie Brown CHRISTmas
I am packing to take another trip across the country for a 2 hour meeting with a cool well-known mega-mega-church pastor. He has good doctrine, creativity galore. I am psyched but very busy. And the TV says “major storm heading our way”. I take a break with my fam to catch the warmth of the 30 minute special (well…23 minutes).
For years I’ve said, partly tongue in cheek: Could the Charlie Brown Christmas TV special, in some ways, be the most important TV program on anywhere, all year?
In the middle of all the fun, Charlie Brown poignantly pleads the question “doesn’t anyone know the true meaning of Christmas?” Then to a captive audience Linus humbly gives the elegant Gospel in all its power and glory. And along with Lucy, Snoopy and Pig Pen, millions of the everyday people (the ones we marketing and preaching types try to reach all year), hear it and are moved by it. Year after year, time after time, since around 1965. And we all know TV networks do not repeat programming unless it is making a serious impact on audiences/advertisers.
Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.
PS – One could go on for hours about the difference, generationally & culturally, between Charlie and the amusing but very vulgar Shrek the Halls.
