What Child is this?

Of all the holiday specials about to barrage us this season, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" remains one of my favorites. The climax of the show comes at Linus' speech, where he quotes the first century historian Luke's account of the birth of Jesus. This, Linus says, is "what Christmas is all about." But unfortunately, Linus does not tell us why. Anyone not already familiar with the whole Christian story does not feel the punch the author intended to deliver. It is as if one walked in late to a movie -- the surprise plot twist means nothing to him. And that is precisely what has happened, for the birth of Jesus Christ is not the beginning of the story -- it is the middle.

Linus recites, "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 shown round about them. And they were sore afraid. 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 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, goodwill toward men.'"

To understand, we need to know what's come before. First, who were these shepherds? They were ordinary Jewish men. As Jews they had probably been going to their synagogue all their lives, hearing the Scriptures read from their earliest days. Those writings told them there was but one God, all-powerful and all-knowing. Being the Creator of the earth and sky and everything in them, this God was the ruler of all. God existed before all things, before even time itself. This was the God whose glory shown round about them that night.

So why were they so scared? We may not know, but we can speculate. Maybe one man didn't know quite what to expect from this God. Perhaps he spent many sleepless nights wondering where this almighty God was when his daughter did not make it through the previous winter. Perhaps he often shook a clenched fist at the cold night, seeing his neighbors steal his livelihood and watching them go unpunished. Where is this so-called Lord? Why doesn't he do anything? Does he even care? Maybe God just hates me, the shepherd thought.

The angel's arrival would seem to him a bad omen, just another raw deal in an unjust world. But this shepherd would be surprised by the angel's message, for it is not more bad news but good news for all people, including him. Neither he nor his cries for justice have been ignored. The Lord has come to earth.

The shepherd cried out, "why?" Rather than send reasons, God sent himself. Huddled in a filthy manger. This God is not a cold, impersonal force of the universe. He does not come with the detached sterility of a court-appointed attorney. Amazingly, he is a God who is - I beg his pardon for bluntness - not afraid to get his diapers dirty. God does indeed care, enough to suffer alongside the suffering.

Doubtless not all shepherds were hoping for justice that night, however. Justice is a fine thing for those who have been wronged, but it is no fun at all for those who have done the wronging! Perhaps that thought terrorized in the mind of another shepherd. He had heard the sermons. He knew what God must think of the things he had done in his life. He knew that God demanded promises to be kept, neighbors loved. An all-seeing God could not have missed all his convenient lies and hateful remarks. And even those times he tried to be good he failed more often than not. Instead of doing the things he knew he should do he did the things he hated himself for doing. Along the way he hurt many people. All people whom God promised to defend. And now God has come. Is this the end?, the shepherd thought. Has God come to finally smite me dead?

But the angel's message would surprise him, too. Look again at how God has come. Not as a general, riding upon a battle-stallion, ready to make war with his enemies. No, not yet. Here he is a baby, possibly the most defenseless creature in the world. What could this mean?

The angels proclaim "peace". But haven't I, asks the shepherd, put myself at war with God? Yes-but that doesn't stop God. Shockingly, God has not abandoned people to their own self-inflicted messes. He declares peace to bring them out of them. These are the angel's tidings of great joy! Christ the Lord is born a _savior_. He has come to not only to save the wronged, but to also save the wrongdoer. To the one who aches for justice he brings hope, and to the one who fears justice he brings mercy.

The angel's tidings were not just for shepherds. The three wise men from the East were not Jews. They were not raised with a belief in one God. They were never told that the universe had any reason for being, or any purpose. They were stargazers. They searched the skies for signs. They were kept awake at night by that question that slowly gnaws the insides of anyone who has stopped to think it-are we alone? Is there any meaning behind this great cosmos, or am I just a speck of dust? These men stumbled and groped in the darkness for answers, looking for any kind of sign of life from the great beyond-a signal, a message, a word.

And a word came. Wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. When man could not (or would not) find God, God revealed himself to man. He made the first move. God took on a human nature and dwelt among us to make himself known. The painter stepped into his own painting. The Author became a character.

Is this absurd? Yes. You expect to understand everything? Love itself is absurd. Love desires the good of the beloved no matter what it costs the lover. Love keeps no record of being wronged. Love is tireless, relentless, and removes all obstacles. Love does the impossible-even healing the great divide between the creature and his Creator. Christmas is the middle, not the beginning (and not the end!) of a love story. It is the surprise plot-twist in the story of God's sacrificial love for men and women. And that, Charlie Brown, is what Christmas is all about.