KORSAKOFF'S PSYCHOSIS (LUKE 1:67-79)  

12/ 10/ 2000  Worship service            
         
An engineer, who had recently died, arrived at the gates of heaven.  Paul looked over the man's credentials and said, "Ah, you're an engineer.  You're not qualified to come to heaven."  The engineer was immediately sent to hell.  Upon arriving in hell, the engineer experienced great discomforts due to the harsh and terrible conditions of hell.  Displeased with the ambience of his eternal domicile, he decided to utilize his technical knowledge to improve the environment of hell.  Because of the efforts of this engineer, the inhabitants of hell soon found themselves in the midst of such luxuries as air conditioner, bathroom with plumbing, escalators and such.  The engineer became a very popular man in hell.  

One day, God called Satan over the phone.  God asked, "How is it going down there in hell?"  Satan replied, "Hey, things are going great!  We've got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and there is no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next."  God, startled, asked, "What???  You've got an engineer?  Send him up here to heaven as quickly as possible!"  Satan quickly replied, "No way.  I like having an engineer on the staff, and I am keeping him."  God said, "Send him back up here or I will sue you!"  

Satan replied, replete with amusement and laughter, "Yeah, right.  And just where are YOU going to get a lawyer?"
When Queen Victoria of England looked out of her window one day, she was welcomed with a sight of beautiful flowers in full bloom.  The day was in early spring, and it was very unusual for flowers to be in full bloom at that time of year.  To preserve the flowers, the queen ordered her guards positioned around the garden to prevent people from walking over them.  And then the queen forgot about the flowers.  Years later, Queen Victoria passed away, and hundreds of years later, to this day, Victorian guards stand watch over the garden.  The guards who watch the garden today do not know the reason for their watch; all they know is that they are following a tradition that has been kept for hundreds of years.  

Christmas is similar.  People get excited during the holiday seasons--full of happiness, exchanging gifts with loved ones--while not knowing the reason behind such happiness; most people are merely content following the age old traditions and customary celebrations of the season.  The centerpiece of Christmas, Jesus Christ, has long disappeared from the thoughts of many who celebrate Christmas today; these people, naturally, celebrate Christmas for all the wrong reasons.  In truth, there is no record, anywhere, that Jesus was born on the 25th day of December.  According to Christian history, Christmas became a celebratory holiday after Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 4th Century A. D., about 1600 years ago.  

The important aspect of the Roman adoption of this holiday is that Christmas was memorialized as the day of birth of Christ, worthy of celebration and rejoice by the world.  As years and generations passed, however, this day of memorial--day for remembering that Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem to save the world--gradually became a day of celebration that glorified all the wrong things about this holy day.  Just as the Victorian guards do not know the reason why they stand watch over a garden, many people of today do not understand the true meaning of Christmas and are caught up in the holiday spirit for all the wrong reasons.  
Statistics reveal that United States is first in the world in terms of number of cases of diseases caused by aspirin abuse and stress.  

Many people suffer from depression, and in the United States, about 35 million people take Prozac, an anti-depressant, on a regular basis to combat depression.  According to statistical analysis, by the year 2020, depression will became second leading ailment, behind heart-related diseases, that will afflict the people of this world.  The World Health Organization ranks depression as the number one disease among women and number four disease among men in the world.  The interesting fact is that people tend to become more depressed over holiday seasons; about 41% of Americans feel more stress during the Christmas season.  

This is probably because people do not understand the true meaning behind Christmas.
Three elderly ladies were having a discussion over difficulties and pains associated with aging.  One lady said, "Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of mayonnaise in my hand in front of the refrigerator and can't remember whether I need to put it away or start making a sandwich."  The second lady replied, in agreement, "Yes, sometimes I find myself on the landing of the stairs and can't remember whether I was on my way up or way down."  The third lady entered the conversation, saying "Well, I'm glad I don't have that problem; knock on wood," as she rapped her knuckles against the table; then she told them, "That must be the door.  I'll get it."

Reading a book, I came across a term, Korsakoff's Psychosis, or Korsakoff's Syndrome, which denotes a type of mental illness.  This mental illness is associated with excessive forgetfulness or lapse of memory.  For example, those who suffer from this illness may place a set of keys somewhere and forget where the key are ten minutes later.  Another symptom might be asking a neighbor what the name of his dog is one day, then next day not being able to remember the name of the dog.
This illness was discovered by a Russian Psychologist Korsakoff some one hundred years ago, when he discerned that an excessive lapse of memory is a prevalent mental illness among alcoholics.  This illness can result after severe trauma or as a result of hereditary conditions, but it is mostly correlated with malnutrition associated with excessive alcohol consumption.

However, those who suffer from Korsakoff psychosis, in addition to excessive forgetfulness, often have the tendency to replace their lost memory with outrageous and imaginative stories and thoughts.  For example, someone who is afflicted with the Korsakoff psychosis might exaggerate that this Christmas, "my family with fly to Paris on a Concorde supersonic jet and spend 3 weeks of most wonderful Christmas vacation.  We will drink 100-year old wine and spend the most fantastic Christmas Eve."  Those who are suffering from this illness will deviate from the truth and reality, and spend endless days caught up in fantasy, confusion, and daydreaming.

The Christmas seasons of recent years seem to be filled with fantasies and daydreams of people who are deeply afflicted with Korsakoff psychosis.  The deep meaning behind the birth of Christ has long disappeared; in its place are fantasies--plastered all over our walls, houses, and minds--where true meaning of Christmas is reduced to Santa Claus climbing down chimneys and people exchanging extravagant gifts with one another.  

Christmas is a season to reminisce about the love and grace of God.  Christmas is the season to rejoice in the fact that God, in His love of mankind, sent His only Son to save humanity.  Too many people can't understand this true meaning of Christmas and are caught up in extravagant celebration and excitement.  Christmas is the season to remember, most of all, the great work of God.

In today's scripture, the father of John the Baptist, Zacharia, as a devout and deeply spiritual man, glorifies and celebrates the work of God, done for the people of Israel, and God's upcoming salvation of mankind through Jesus Christ.  Today's scripture is often referred to as "Benedictus," or Song of Blessing.  In Luke 1:  11-23, Zacharia became mute when he did not believe God's Angel, who came to inform him that God will allow him a son, to be named John.  When his wife, Elizabeth, gave birth to a son, Zacharia named him John the Baptist; only then did his mute tongue loosen and he was able to speak again.  This scripture is a song of benediction, where Zacharia, full of joy after receiving his son John the Baptist--who is to pave and prepare the way for Lord Jesus Christ--sings in praise of God.  

Zacharia believed, and confirmed, that God is indeed alive, and that as He had promised, He sent forth a great savior from the House of David in order to save the human race.  Advent is the period of waiting for the holy birth of Christ with the purest and most reverent of hearts.  Advent is the period of confirmation, where we believe, beyond a shadow of doubt, that God, as He had promised to His people since the days of Abraham in the Old Testament, will send forth His Messiah.  It is a period to reflect upon the omniscience and sincerity of God.  I pray, in the name of our Lord, that all of us understand the true meaning of Advent and Christmas and, through hope and faith, earnestly wait for the reincarnation of our Lord.