MORNING MANNA        1-6-22

Two producers working closely with Charlie Brown creator Charles Schulz remember their desperate efforts to first convince a network to show the special.  All the major networks were hesitant.  Finally, one agreed, and the great cartoonist got to work.

A memorable part of the animated tale occurs when Linus answers Charlie Brown’s plaintive cry, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”  Linus walks to center stage, requests a spot light, then recites from Luke 2 the biblical account of Jesus’ birth.  “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” he concludes.

While the program was in development, the producers cautioned Schulz about putting the scene in the special.  They were convinced the religious message wouldn’t go over well with the network.

Undeterred, Schulz faced both producers and said, “If not us, then who’s going to do it?”

And there’s a lesson there for us.

As Christians we all realize that people need the Lord. We all have family or friends who are unsaved and in need of hearing the gospel, yet we fail to tell them. Whether we figure that someone else will do it or that they would not listen to us, we neglect our responsibility. It makes you wonder if we really believe in a literal hell and heaven. A simple invitation to church or a tract can make a big difference. Sometimes a conversation with a meal can be more effective than a sermon from the pulpit. However you do it, do it! As Schulz said, “ “If not us, then who’s going to do it?”?  – HDS