Drop the Blanket

By Anonymous -
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.
(Luke 2:10-11 KJV emphasis mine)

 [Jason] Soroski, [a writer for crosswalk.com], observed that in the animated special "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown," something very unusual happens when Charlie Brown’s best friend Linus, recites Luke 2: 8-14. Right when Linus says “Fear not” (verse 10), he literally drops the one thing he holds most precious in the world – his security blanket.



As I was re-reading this Scripture and reflecting on Saroski’s reflection about the symbolism of Linus dropping the blanket in which he writes, “The birth of Jesus allows us to simply drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Him instead.”  It made me think about how much we cling to the temporal things of this world; our money, our appearance, our possessions, our position and reputation, even our health. I thought how difficult it us for us to fully embrace the Word of God and the will of God when we’re clinging to our security blankets – that thing or those things that gives us self-actualization or false security in a fragile, volatile and imperfect world.  

 I pointed out that in three scripture passages associated with the Christmas story (Luke 1:30, Matthew 1:20, and of course Luke 2:10) the angel of the Lord tells Mary, Joseph and the shepherds to “Fear not!”:  “Drop the Blanket Mary!  What man says is impossible – God has spoken into existence.”  “Drop the Blanket Joseph! Let go of your doubt, your reputation, your standing in the community and know in all things God works for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose.”  “Drop the Blanket Shepherds!  Let go of the notion that you are somehow unworthy to receive God’s favor because of your social status, your race, your age, your.. (you fill in the blank) and know that God can use you in a powerful way.”   “Drop the Blanket, people of God, Let go of your fears of the unknown, your preconceived ideas and your tendency to put God in a box.”

 I encourage you now, as I concluded then, to pray and ponder: What are those fears and security blankets that you’re holding onto that is keeping you from fully embracing the Word of God and the will of God for your life? 

 Fear not, and ‘Drop the Blanket!’  With God’s help and the leading of the Holy Spirit, you can do great things for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in [2018] and beyond.
In Him alone,   
Pastor Win Davis
Cambridge Baptist Church 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.” - Esther 4:14

By -
The story of Esther is a famous one that has been recounted everywhere from Sunday school classes to the Hollywood big screen over and over again.  The sort-of Reader’s Digest version is that an orphan girl from no means finds favor with the King and ultimately saves her people from mass genocide.  But there is more to Esther’s than just that, right?  I mean there are only two books of the bible that are named after women:  Ruth and Esther.  So we have to ask ourselves what it must be that makes these women so worthy.   Ruth’s story can be summed up in a sentence  as well:  A woman’s husband dies, she follows her elderly mother in law to a foreign land where she finds favor with a wealthy land owner and ultimately becomes something like the 28-times great grandmother of Jesus.  The obvious commonalities in these two women’s stories are that they are both displaced from their homes, they both find favor with wealthy, powerful men- but risk their lives in doing so. These women stood i
Read more

New Beginnings Make New Endings

By -
Image
I recently saw this quote, "No one can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending" (Unknown). I really began to think about that statement. The conclusion was that we don't start over; but we begin again right where we are, making things better in our lives. As a believer in Christ, it is not about saying I will do this and I won't do that and then dropping the idea or falling short. It is more about asking the Lord to help us each day, to fall deeper and deeper in love with Him. This way our focus will be set on the things of heaven and not on all this earthly stuff. If I were to make a New Year resolution, it would be to have a deeper commitment, a deeper love, and a deeper worship for the Lord. In the beginning of this past year, He spoke to me in that still small voice in prayer and said, "I am more than enough. I am more than enough in every area of your life." He also said to tell others the same thing.
Read more

Oh the Places You'll Go!

By -
Image
Have you ever read the book “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by the incredible Dr. Seuss? If not, stop reading this and go get a copy of this amazing piece of literature. If you have, then I’m sure you remember the great encouragement given throughout. For example... “Today is your day! You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!” “Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.” “And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)” “Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” But, the real life advice comes in the pages between the above quotes, where we are reminded that sometimes we “won’t”... (see what I did there?!? Yes, I love me so Suess talk… anyway…) In John 16:33, Jesus tells us “In this world you will have trouble.” Not that we might or its possible, but that we will. Dr. Seuss refers to these troubles as silly rhymes, but the truth of life is still there. “I’m sorry
Read more