Just drop the blanket, Linus.

After preaching this morning on the story from Luke about the angels announcing the birth of Jesus to shepherds--you know it from Luke!-- I ran across this reference to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" from 2015. While watching that TV show, I was always amazed that a child--Linus, in this case, could recite scripture from memory. Some willing suspension of disbelief here. After all, it's "Peanuts."
Three years ago was the 50th anniversary of that Christmas TV classic. In one of many good commentaries on the show, Pastor Jason Sarokski noticed a visual cue that Charles Schultz had used to display a Christian truth. The animator had Linus drop his beloved blue blanket while he was reciting that story from Luke. The truth, from history and from the mouth of a child, is that God's coming to earth enables us to let go of the fake comfort, and embrace the radical truth of the story:
Like the hymn says...
Our hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood (death, for those of squeamish sensibility) and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Who needs blankets. 

Bible in a Year Homestretch

At the beginning of January, I took up a reading schedule that has me reading the whole of the biblical text by the end of 2018. A few years ago our little church had a push to read the whole bible in 90 days! This is a little bit slower.
What's been different this time through? A little more awareness for me of the vast spiritual landscape that is contained within scripture, and a little more sadness that more people don't have access to this wonder. I keep motivated by having a 'checklist' which gives me satisfaction when I see what's been accomplished in the 'to do' list. I wonder what's being accomplished in me. Is God looking at God's own checklist, to see my soul progress? This pilgrim feels like God is accomplishing something for my soul.
In a few weeks, it will be done. Then what is God going to do next?