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Cal Thomas: Merry Tifton

Some years ago, D. James Kennedy preached a Christmas sermon at his Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, that became his most requested message.

It was titled “Merry Tifton” and it was a metaphor based on a popular television show in the’50s called “The Millionaire.” On that show, a wealthy man named John Beresford Tifton gave $1 million dollars to people he chose seemingly at random. The storyline highlighted the results the gift made in the lives of the recipients – some good and some bad.

The money was delivered by another fictional character named Michael Anthony. In his will, Mr. Tifton instructed that his and Anthony’s descendants should continue the practice.

Kennedy turned the story into a Christmas message about people who had received the gift in another land and came to America to see if they could find people who had received the gift here.

This is where the metaphor begins. The two travelers were astounded to hear people shout “Merry Tifton” in the streets of New York. They said to each other, “Ah, we are in luck. We have found a Tifton. But isn’t it strange that he calls himself Macy? Well, these Americans are an odd lot.” They saw “Tifton cards” and “Tifton specials half-off” in store windows, but with no mention of the gift giver.

They attended a Tifton Christmas party, but no one there could explain why people at the party were celebrating, or who Mr. Tifton was. One man who seemed “tipsy” to the travelers explained he thought it was about a big black book that contained information on how to become wealthy, but no one really believed a guy like Mr. Tifton existed. Still, he thought, the book which he admitted few had read, contained some good principles for making money. Or so he had been told.

While the party was in full swing and getting louder, there was a knock at the door. When no one answered, the door opened and a man entered wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella and a briefcase. The two travelers were excited because they believed someone at the party was about to receive the gift of a million dollars.

“Excuse me,” the man said, trying to get the crowd’s attention over the noise of loud conversation and tinkling ice cubes. He said he was there to present a gift. He tried again and again but was unsuccessful. Disgusted, he left.

As Dr. Kennedy said, “No one saw him come, no one saw him leave and no one received the gift.”

It’s easy to get caught up in the superficialities of Christmas which have little or nothing to do with “the gift.” Receiving the real gift is the unchanging Christmas story – God reaching down to us through a baby so that we might be able to reach up to Him.

In preaching this message, Dr. Kennedy hoped we wouldn’t ignore the gift. Google the entire message and if you haven’t yet received the gift, you might consider doing so this Christmas.

Merry Tifton.

Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).