"Tis the Season" - Luke 3:7-18 - December 14, 2003

This is the time of year when most everyone is touched by the "Christmas Spirit." People tend to be more generous and kind then they are the rest of the year. It’s also the time of year when you receive letters from organizations who are requesting financial gifts. Just about every group I have been associated with in the past wants me to remember them during the Christmas season. I recall one letter that concluded their appeal by saying, "Remember, tis the season."

In a manner of speaking, John the Baptist was saying, "Tis the season," too. He was telling his converts to be more giving, by sharing their clothing with others. He told the tax collectors to be "kinder and gentler" not taking advantage of the poor. He told the military to restrain from using force and not be greedy.

Of course it wasn’t Christmas but it was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. People were in expectation of his coming, ready for a Messiah to save them. To prepare them John was preaching a message of repentance. People were to "bear fruit that befits repentance." The fact that they were connected to Abraham meant nothing. What mattered was their behavior toward others. It wasn’t who you knew, it was who you were as a person. In other words, how one treated others would determine the quality of one’s baptism.

John preached during a time when people were oppressed with excessive taxation. In addition, their country was occupied by a foreign, military, power, the Romans. John was advocating social and economic reform and his message was to all of society, virtually anyone who would listen.

"Tis the season," John proclaimed. Share what you have. Be kind to others. Don’t abuse your power. John, however knew it would take more than doing good works to reform society. It would take the presence of Christ in their lives to transform them.

I believe that people don’t give out of the goodness of their heart without experiencing something internally that has changed them. What moves us to be generous? What motivates us to be kind? What causes us to withhold the power we possess? For me it is (1) acceptance, (2) forgiveness and (3) love.

The movie and television actor, Andy Griffith, once suffered from Guillian-Barre. At the time the disease was untreatable with surgery or drugs. Guillian-Barre is an inflammation of the nerves which sends scrambled messages to the brain. The symptoms are severe pain and periodic paralysis. Griffith’s problems started with the flu, but he ended up with an all-encompassing pain and he had no feeling in his feet.

He went to a team of doctors but they weren’t able to do anything. They told him there was nothing he could do but ride it out. He could take pain medication but only a minimum. But, the pain got worse and then Griffith went to several specialists, but they weren’t able to help him either.

Finally, an old friend, Dr. Rosengarten, convinced Andy to go to a clinic in Northridge, California, where they specialized in pain management. The doctor assigned to Griffith’s case first acknowledged his pain. "We know you’re in impossible pain and we’re here to help you through it," he said. When the doctor said those words, Cindi Griffith, Andy’s wife, noticed that Andy relaxed. Just to have the severity of his condition acknowledged was the first step in his journey to wellness. Northridge had a reputation of treating the whole person, not just the body. Through a process of therapies and being in a support group with others who experienced the same problem, Griffith got well. Both he and his wife were thankful to God for Andy’s recovery.

It took Griffith nearly two years to recuperate to a point where he could resume normal activities. It was a difficult time for him and the Griffiths were nearly broke. By Hollywood standards Griffith was old since he had been out of work for awhile. Cindi decided they should get out and meet with their agent. Although he had nothing at the moment they kept going back every day just sitting in the lobby. Finally, other agents noticed the Griffiths and the upshot of it was that Andy received four TV movie contracts that year and an invitation to have the leading role on Matlock. Griffith said, "Challenges and pain will continue all my life, I know but with Cindi at my side to remind me to accept God’s grace, I’ll go forward and continue to work with love and happiness. (from Guideposts for the Spirit, Ideal’s Publications, Nashville, Tennessee)

To acknowledge who and what we are is a crucial step in the transformation process. We can change when we accept our gifts, our limitations, our personality traits and resolve that for whatever reasons this is what God has given to us to work with. Tis the season of acceptance. Christ is coming. He will love you for who you are. You don’t have to be anyone other than your authentic self.

The second dynamic that transforms us is forgiveness. John was preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The one who was coming was all about forgiveness. When a person experiences forgiveness they are free to love others without feeling guilty or judged. Forgiveness enables us to start over, to begin again, having failed or made a mistake. And when we truly experience forgiveness we are able to pass it on to others.

Christmas time is a season when we overspend. It’s easy to run up our credit cards all in the spirit of Christmas. Lisa was shocked when she discovered that David had run up thousands of dollars on every one of their credit cards. Not only was she furious about the mountain of debt, she was frustrated with herself for not recognizing David’s compulsive spending habits. In the days that followed, she wondered if she could ever trust her husband again and whether they would ever be able to get out of debt.

Rather than wait for something to happen, she took two bold steps. The first was to convince David he needed help, and the second was to seek out a financial planner. She learned if she carefully monitored the family funds, they could be out of debt in a few years. This brought hope for their financial future, and for the future of their marriage.

Another turnaround in their marriage came when David asked Lisa to forgive him. She found that forgiving David freed her to turn away from the matter of money and to focus on their relationship. She decided it was possible to love someone even though they had "messed up." Forgiving David made trust possible again, and once trust was reestablished, their marriage began to heal. (from God’s Little Lessons On Life for Mom, Honor Books, Tulsa, OK)

Forgiveness transforms us. It sets us free. It enables us to move forward in life which in turn motivates us to be loving and forgiving toward others. Tis the season to be forgiving others.

Acceptance, forgiveness and living with the spirit of God’s love within us changes who we are. As John said, when the Christ comes he will "baptize you with the Holy Spirit", meaning; you will have a greater appreciation for the love of God and the power of love within you. Tis the season, to be more loving, to open our hearts to the redeeming power of God’s love.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio