One of the most vivid and persistent childhood memories is that of sitting down each year to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas on CBS. These were the days before VCRs were commonplace and well before DVDs and electronic video distribution, so viewers were at the mercy of the broadcasters and it was a huge event when normal programming schedules were subverted. Looking back, one of two segments that have consistently stood out was when Linus quotes Luke 2:8-14:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 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. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'

(It was – and continues to be – rare to hear scripture spoken in a positive context on TV.)

The other segment was at the very end when they transform the tiny, disheveled Christmas tree into a cartoon-perfect image of one and then, in unison, hum & sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

This carol is one that gravitates to any Christmas playlist I make and is one of the few tunes that enable me to tolerate the sound of a traditional church organ when played [correctly]. It was written sometime near 1739 by Charles Wesley, the "father of the Methodist movement" but we have George Whitfield (a good friend of Wesley's) to thank for very creative (Inspired?) editing. Here's what we'd be singing (or would have been lost) if it weren't for Whitfield (I have them both side-by-side):

"Welkin" refers to the celestial sphere or the heavens and was a term that fell out of disuse well before Wesley decided to put his pen to it in this hymn. It's good to know God gives us people in our life to set us down to what truly matters when we start ponder too lofty.

As with most Christmas carols, the themes are overt and I won't tire you with a verse-by-verse dissection (this time :-). I do, however, want to leave you with a singular thought from this one. We are called to be imitators of Christ in Ephesians 5:1-20 and I self-admit to being less than "light and life to all" whom I come in contact with (in real or electronic life). I challenge you (and me) to let the words of the carol ring more true in your (and my) daily life as well and pray that they will help you (and me) be bearers of Christ's light so that our friends, co-workers and family members can have a means to see through the darkness that He is the path to eternal life.