What are we afraid of?  

Ten Decembers ago, I watched the 50th annual airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas with my family. It has always been one of my favorites, especially because I played the role of Linus in the 1st grade. 

After everyone had gone to bed that night in December 2015, I sat down and wrote about Linus dropping his blanket during the pivotal scene. I am at heart an English teacher, and English teachers are always looking for clues, colors, actions, nuances that lend meaning to literature.  

Even when literature is an old cartoon.  

Perhaps it is that instinct that made me notice and then write about this small but meaningful moment Charles Schulz added to this beautiful telling of Christmas. 

As Linus recites the Scripture from Luke 2, he lets go of his ever-present security blanket when saying the words, “Fear Not!”
It occurred to me that this was not coincidental. Linus was symbolically dropping his fears.  

I soon had a quick realization of just how much fear I was carrying around. Just like Linus carried that blanket around, I realized all of us are carrying too much fear. Yet the birth of Jesus gives us permission to let go of our fears. To set them down and move forward, towards Him, free of fear.   

Ten Decembers have rolled around since that writing went viral – racking up millions of readers, finding its way to radio, print, and inspiring the ever-popular “Drop the Blanket Sermon” (Seriously. Google it).  

But the question now, ten years later, is whether we still cling to these same fears. 

A lot has changed since then.  

Ten Decembers ago, my five kiddos all lived at home. I was a homeschool Dad shuttling them all to baseball, to ballet, to church, to movies, to friend’s houses.  

I was driving a lot back then. 

Today they are all successful adults, and they all drive on their own. 

Ten Decembers ago I drove a different car, lived in a different house in a different state, and had a different career. 

Ten Decembers ago, remote work was a rarity, and our social feeds were not yet dominated by Tik Tok and AI reels (we were still watching Vines).  

Ten Decembers ago, a lot of us were paying with cash, because ‘tap to pay’ was not yet a thing. 

Ten Decembers ago, no one talked about COVID.  

Ten Decembers ago, I didn’t have any grey hair. But anyway… 

The point is a lot has changed, and that we have changed. But our fears, and the need to set them aside for Good Tidings of Great Joy are absolutely the same.  

The You Version app recently announced the most searched verse in 2025 is Isaiah 41:10. 

It is a verse about fear: 

fear not, for I am with you; 
    be not dismayed, for I am your God; 
I will strengthen you, I will help you, 
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Fear Not.  

The same words spoken by an angel the night Christ was born.  

The same words that were spoken by a cartoon character that still inspires us 60 years later.  

The same words we still clearly desperately need to hear.  

We humans are prone to fear, but God tells us to ‘fear not’. Repeatedly. Across centuries. 

Apart from Christ, we have reason to fear. The world is scary. Nothing is certain. 

In Christ, we have assurance that whatever happens, we are not alone. That God was here and walked among us. That we have hope. That we have nothing to fear. That we can trust Him and know that His everlasting peace is greater than our temporary fears. That the events of the day don’t have to control our emotions.  

This world is not easy.  

We suffer, and we experience deep loss.  We can find ourselves angry, divided, and afraid. 

But the birth of Jesus allows us to live without fear. 

The birth of Jesus promises us freedom from fear. 

The birth of Jesus frees us from the pain we are unable to escape on our own. 

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. 

This is the first message of Christmas, proclaimed by angels and confirmed over two millennia of believers who have devoted themselves to Christ, who have learned that we can live in confidence, in faith, and confidently let go of our fears.