Do You Suffer from SAD This Holiday Season?

Houston -- 10:14

Baltimore -- 9:24

Detroit -- 9:05

The Netherlands -- 7:41

Those are the hours of daylight for each of those locations on December 21, 2017, the Winter Solstice.

I have family members in each of those places. As Houstonians, my wife and I will enjoy the most sunshine. Our son in Baltimore and my parents in Detroit will have roughly the same amount of daylight. Our daughter and son-in-law in the Netherlands, however, will spend more than two-thirds of the day in darkness.

For many people, the shorter days and lack of sunlight that characterize the winter months bring on what might be termed the Winter Blues. We might feel more tired than usual, maybe put on a little weight, or perhaps undergo minor bouts of depression.

Some folks, however, experience more exaggerated forms of these symptoms, a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.

For them, the winter months of decreased sunlight or working in buildings without windows cause depression that saps energy and causes work and relationships to suffer.

Aside from Seasonal Affective Disorder, millions of people this month will suffer from another type of SAD, what could be termed Savior-Absent Disorder.

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Symptoms of Savior-Absent Disorder include an over-emphasis on presents and parties, the noticeable lack of peace and joy, and a Christmas celebration devoid of Christ.

Savior-Absent Disorder can afflict the young or old, and men and women are equally susceptible.

Those most likely to contract SAD are those whose December schedules run them too ragged to attend a Christmas Eve service at a local church. Others at risk are those who don’t take the time to ponder the words of carols such as "O Come, All Ye Faithful" ("Come, see in the manger our Savior and King!") and "Silent Night" ("Christ, the Savior, is born!").

Long-term effects of SAD include holiday seasons lacking in meaning and even a Scrooge-like resentment toward those who offer a joyous "Merry Christmas!" greeting.

However, there is relief from Savior-Absent Disorder. Not just a short-term pain killer, but a lifetime cure. The treatment is found in the words spoken to shepherds by an angel: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

Possible side-effects of this treatment include the following:

• a renewed sense of hope (Luke 2:25-35)
• freedom from guilt and shame (Luke 1:50)
• an increase of love and compassion for others (Luke 2:16-18)
• a desire to praise God (Luke 1:46-47; 2:13-14, 20)

If these side-effects persist, keep calm and be grateful. For further information about this cure, contact your local Christian church.

Now with the angel's words to the shepherds in mind, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a SAD-free new year.

Prepare the Way of the Lord

John the Baptizer from Godspell

I've been reading the opening chapters of Luke to get into an Advent and Christmas frame of mind.

This morning I gave thought to Luke 3, which focuses on John the Baptizer.

(I will confess that the Isaiah quote from Luke 3:4 has the Godspell song "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord" running through my head [and maybe yours now, as well].)

John the Baptizer was a very bold and direct prophet, but also very humble.

He knew he wasn't the Christ and would not pretend otherwise (John 1:20).

He admitted that he wasn't worthy to untie the straps of Jesus' sandals (Luke 3:16).

He understood that he must decrease and that Jesus must increase (John 3:30).

Nevertheless, John was not bashful in his preaching.

He calls the crowds the offspring of serpents, charges tax collectors to stop cheating people, and exhorts soldiers to quit extorting people and making false charges against them (Luke 3:7, 12-14).

Imagine how they felt when John called them out that way! Today John would be called a "hater" and be eviscerated on social media.

John certainly had a different approach than Jesus. No wonder John had his questions and doubts about Jesus while he was prisoner in Herod's dungeon (Luke 7:18-23).

It's tempting to say that we need to be more like John -- bold, in your face. And that may work for some.

However, John's portrayal is descriptive, not prescriptive. In other words, it's not meant to prescribe how we are to act. John's conviction and courage are to be emulated, but his manner of ministry was all his own.

Scripture isn't telling me to set up shop on Buffalo Bayou and cry out to the joggers running past. That's not my calling. I'm a pastor, not a prophet. These are two different callings with two different job descriptions.

On the other hand, Scripture is telling me (and you) to display the courage of John (and Paul and Jeremiah and Isaiah and Jesus) in speaking the truth despite its unpopularity.

We are called to afflict the comfortable with God's law and to comfort the afflicted with God's promises.

In short, like John, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord.