Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Charlie Brown Christmas Miracle - #4422

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

A lot of us have it just about memorized - but it's still a Christmas classic - the Charlie Brown Christmas special on TV. You may be able to hear that familiar piano theme in your mind even now. Charlie's efforts to find the meaning of Christmas are, of course, repeatedly frustrated by Lucy's big mouth and Snoopy's garishly decorated doghouse. But then there's Linus on stage, in the spotlight, reciting the story of the first Christmas from the Bible. And Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. It is, of course, the last tree on the lot - bedraggled, broken, and pitiful. But Charlie insists on giving that miserable little tree his tender loving care. And by the end, that tree, fully decorated, has become the beautiful center of the whole gang's Christmas celebration.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Charlie Brown Christmas Miracle."

It's amazing how a broken tree can become special with some tender, loving care. Or, more importantly, a broken person. With all the joy of the Christmas season, it can also be a time that reopens a lot of old wounds - a time that intensifies your loneliness and highlights the broken parts of your life.

And yet there is hope in the simple birth announcement the angels made the night Jesus arrived on earth - "A Savior has been born to you." A savior is a rescuer - like the emergency workers who rescued people from the rubble of the World Trade Center towers. Jesus has, in fact, been pulling people out of the rubble for 2,000 years. He stands ready this day to do that for you.

His invitation - recorded in Matthew 11:28 , our word for today from the Word of God - is hope for a hurting heart. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." "Come to Me" - that's Jesus' gentle invitation to you this Christmas season - come to Him for things that no one else has ever been able to do for you. Things that no one on earth can do for you.

Like beginning the healing of your broken heart. The Bible says of the Lord, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." His unconditional love for you, the value He gives you, the emotional safety He provides - those provide a healing harbor for your life. Jesus' "Come to Me" invitation is also an invitation to come to be forgiven. Ultimately, what has broken us is the sinning that's been done against us and the sinning that we've done against others - and, most of all, against God. That's why we need a Savior, a Rescuer. We've hijacked our life from our Creator and lived it the way we wanted to instead of the way He wants us to. And that has put us in an orbit far from His love and purpose. In the word the Bible we're "lost."

But that's why that baby came to Bethlehem. That's why Jesus went to that horrific cross to die - He was paying the penalty for every wrong thing you and I have done. So He could forgive you and erase every sin from God's book - which means you can go to heaven when you die. Jesus loves you so much He gave His life so you could be with Him forever. And then He came back from His grave to prove He's got the power to deliver on all His promises.

Charlie Brown's love made something special out of a broken tree. Jesus' love for you led Him to be broken for you on the tree where He died - so you could have a brand new beginning. This is a great time of year to finally give yourself to the One who gave Himself for you; to find the One you've been looking for your whole life. If you're ready to bring the sin and the broken pieces of a lifetime to Jesus and begin your personal relationship with Him, tell Him that. Then let me sent you the booklet "Yours For Life" that I wrote about this relationship. Just let me know you want it.

This could be your first Christmas with Christ in your heart. It's time for you to experience for yourself the most awesome love in the universe. That tug you feel in your heart? That's Jesus extending His invitation to you - "Come to Me."