A man is stumbling through the woods, totally drunk. 

And he comes upon a preacher baptizing people in the river. 

The drunk walks into the water and bumps into the preacher. 

The preacher turns around and is almost overcome 

By the smell of alcohol, whereupon he asks the drunk, 

“Are you ready to find Jesus?” 

“Yes, I am,” replies the drunk. 

So the preacher grabs him and dunks him in the river. 

He pulls him up out of the water and asks the drunk, 

“Brother, have you found Jesus?” 

The drunk replies, “no, I haven’t.” 

So the preacher dunks the drunk in the water again. 

This time holds him down for about 35 seconds. 

When the drunk begins kicking his arms and legs, 

The preacher pulls him out of the water. 

The preacher asks the drunk again, 

“For the love of God, have you found Jesus?” 

The drunk wipes his eyes, catches his breath, 

And says to the preacher, 

“Are you sure this is where he fell in?” 

[Laughter] 

That’s so funny. 

You know, in life, we sometimes miss the whole point. 

We see things not as they are, but as we are. 

This raises a question. 

Might there be an area in our life 

Where I’ve closed my eyes to life, 

Closed my life to the Lord Jesus? 

We listen in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, 

“Have no anxiety at all. 

Then God’s peace, which is beyond all understanding, 

Will stand guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Think about this for a moment. 

If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills, 

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, 

If you can resist complaining 

And boring people with your troubles, 

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it, 

If you can understand when loved ones 

Are too busy to give of their time, 

If you can overlook when people take things out on you 

When through no fault of your own, things go wrong, 

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, 

If you can face the world without lies and deceit, 

If you can conquer tension without medical help, 

If you can relax without liquor, 

If you can sleep without the aids of drugs, 

You can give and forgive quickly. 

If you can do all these things, 

Then you are probably the family dog. 

[Laughter] 

You know, unfortunately, most of us worry way too much. 

We’re filled with way too much anxiety. 

Where too often we begin the day 

In a mood which is anything but pleasant. 

But it was the fox who taught the little prince, 

“It is only with a heart that one sees rightly. 

What is essential is invisible to the eye.” 

It was the fox who taught the little prince 

That it is only with a heart that one sees rightly. 

What is essential is invisible to the eye. 

Don’t let the busyness of the season of Advent 

Get in the way of Advent’s real meaning. 

For Advent is about joy and forgiveness. 

And if we are open to really, really seeing, 

Advent can make Christmas awfully beautiful.