"Lucy comes from that part of me that’s capable of saying mean and sarcastic things, which is not a good trait to have, so Lucy gives me a good outlet. But each character has a weakness and Lucy’s weakness is Schroeder."
Charles M. Schulz on Lucy van Pelt
In a recent sermon at Christmas time, a very famous Christmas special was mentioned at my church. A Charlie Brown’s Christmas. I think it must have been a theme this year, because I had bought the DVD of my favorite Christmas special to show at our church’s Christmas party to the kids. I bought a Blu-ray instead of the stock standard and wouldn’t you know it, I had to pick an alternative movie because I am in the techie world deemed “Amish” by my techie husband so go figure. Something very interesting about this Christmas was that one theme seemed to keep popping up everywhere was the comic, “Peanuts”. It is with no irony that my mom used to call me Lucy 2 Shoes, Lucy for short because...well...I was a lot like Lucy. I was the one who would yank the football from poor old Charlie Brown. I have a younger brother and I think I even tried this a couple times...it didn’t go over too well.
In this wonderful sermon, Lucy was mentioned as being “the epitome of the Law”. I can vouch for Lucy and yeah, boy she got such a bad rap in the Christmas sermon this year I almost blushed. I have a soft spot for Lucy, despite her bossy shortcomings but who really wants after this sermon to identify with Lucy? I mean yikes! She is so demanding, bossy and critical. She is portrayed as a great analyst sitting in her psychologist stand shaking her nickel in a can, relishing in her accomplishment of having a client in Charlie Brown. She’s prouder of having Charlie Brown come to her for help than she is of actually helping the depressed Chuck. She means well with her sense of purpose and speaking out for injustice but all she can do is tell people what their problems are and what do with their problems. She always seems to set poor Charlie Brown up for failure! Poor Chuck doesn’t even have a chance. I remember thinking, will he EVER kick that football? Not if Lucy keeps moving that ball the second Charlie goes to punt. I have always wondered why Lucy kept doing that to Charlie Brown. It seemed like a funny practical joke for a while, and even Lucy seriously thinks she is doing a great thing in presenting her suggestions of how to fix his failures. You really want to kick the habit of failure Charlie Brown? Just ONE more try! Until the pain of failure seeps so deep that Charlie Brown gives up because he realizes he is following Lucy’s demands for success to no avail. According to Lucy, all his failures are because he’s not seeing the world a certain way, his personality, his style...even his looks. Good grief!
Lucy isn’t without her own issues and internal conflict. She has massive crush on Schroder, a musician and artist who plays Beethoven and other classics all the time. She really goes out of her way to get his attention and to no avail he just keeps playing Beethoven, never giving her the time of day. A love estranged is tragic theme! So what do we do with Lucy of the Law? Lucy’s weakness is Schroeder. She is obsessed with getting Schroeder’s attention because under all that bossy demand for perfection...is her absolute need for grace in love. This issue with Lucy and Charlie Brown’s relationship is that both of them are failures. Lucy in convincing Chuck can be successful and kick that ball, she keeps moving the ball...that is a wild expectation and hopes are always crushed. Charlie Brown for giving into Lucy’s convincing that THIS one time will mark a new beginning of success! Satisfaction guaranteed! No one will ever be able to kick that ball for Lucy if she keeps moving it around. And poor Chuck, he is a sucker every time for her manipulative tricks. I wonder if she’d let Schroeder kick the ball, simply because her love for him is her weakness? Maybe if Schroeder initiated a love song to Lucy on his piano she’d stop moving that football for poor Charlie Brown because it would satisfy her need for perfection from others and scrutinizing of Chuck. The theology of Peanuts is deeper and more complex than we take for face value obviously, but a closer look will show us that we all have a little Lucy of the Law in us. Longing for love and grace to satisfy our needs we often think ourselves "righteous" to point out other people’s faults, when really...they are faults of our own making and a false image of who we are in Christ.
If I could say one thing to my alter ego Lucy, I would give her some analytical psychological philosophical and theological advice. Stop moving the ball and let poor Charlie Brown kick the ball!
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