Dr. Mike Murphy
December 24, 2022
“I did not even know I could shed tears. Often I have seen them on the face of those I watch, but my eyes have never experienced them before. They brought with them so much more than water to my eyes, they brought with them emotions that overfilled my heart. Emotions I was not prepared for, emotions I did not have the words for. But emotions that explained all, and emotions I have every moment since so desired to share.”
“As I looked around me, the eyes of Heaven were filled with tears that night. Every creature that was posed beside me stood in the silence on that night. Every angel, like me, found himself frozen in the glory of that moment, captured by the amazement of that night. So many years we had known it was coming, often proclaiming to man below the promise that day would bring. But to see it, to watch it that night, brought more than just meaning to the words we had professed. What we saw brought purpose to every promise, it defined every emotions that poured from us.”
“We looked down on our Lord lying there. So helpless, so vulnerable He looked to us that night. The One we had watched create this world with a single sound of His voice, we saw lying in the presence of this world. Surrounded by those He had created, placing Himself in the very midst of the danger this world below us had become. But as we watched we did not have to ask why. The why had always surrounded us, had been ever present to us. His love and His mercy were always with us, filling every inch of the heavens around us. And now we watched as He took that love to the world below us, to this simple and unpredictable creature we knew as mankind. So that they too may know the love He felt for us, the mercy that He desired for each of them. We realized that night even Heaven were not big enough to contain that love, as we watched that love overflow into the earth that laid below us.”
“For over thirty years we watched that love grow. We watched as our Lord grew from a boy to a man. We watched as that boy was taught the craft of his earthly father, a boy who so often found His hands in wood. And it should not have surprised us to see that as a man, that boy would also die with His hands in wood. Hands that would craft before our eyes a plan of redemption, a plan of mercy. Hands that would even then still hold the hope that had filled the hands of the infant we had watched so many nights before. It was what had been held in the hands of that infant that brought us to experience tears that night. It was the hope those hands held that caused our emotions to overflow. For in the hands of the infant that night was held the greatest gift this world would ever know. As we looked down on the earth that night, we saw reflecting in those Hands all the Hope the heavens and this world would ever need.”
Each year we gather to remember with family and friends the miracle of that night. And as we gather, we often create moments we will always cherish. Frames of time we hold tight in our minds, moments we pull out and reflect upon with the biggest of smiles on our faces. But it was in one of these moments that I found myself far from family and friends, that I hold as my fondest Christmas moment. A moment in time the Lord used to give me one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.
As a minister, Christmas can be a very hectic time. We often find ourselves trying to play catch up, just struggling to keep up with all the events of the holiday. From live nativity scenes, to Christmas cantatas, to Christmas Eve services, we rush from one to the next trying to fit it all in. It was after a Christmas eve service that my story begins, as I thought I was heading home following a very long day.
As I got in my car to head toward my house that night, I realized that I had not eaten all day. Not wanting to go home and hurriedly fix a quick sandwich, I decided to stop and grab one at a fast food restaurant in the area. As I pulled in, I realized that the drive thru was already closed for the night, and I would have to park and walk inside to place my order. As I walked to the door, I noticed a middle aged man sitting on the sidewalk of the restaurant. As I approached, he looked up at me and wished me a Merry Christmas. Looking at the man, it became obvious he was homeless, and was out of place for the suburban part of town he was in. I must admit, I expected him to ask me for money, but to my surprise all he gave me was a smile. Taken aback, i stopped to talk to him for a minute. His conversation surprised me, he talked to me about Christmas and how he loved the time of year. Soon he introduced himself, telling me his name was Doug. Not once did Doug ask me for money, or even for something to eat. As a matter of fact, he did not ask me for anything. But at that moment, I heard another Voice that did ask for something from me. And at that moment, my night, and my life, would forever change.
I decided a change of plans was in order, and asked Doug if he would join me for dinner. Doug was reluctant, telling me more than once that he did not want to take advantage of me. But as most will tell you, I can be pretty persistent, so both of us ordered our burger, and soon sat down to eat. As we sat, I began to pray, thanking the Lord for the meal we were about to receive. After the prayer, Doug told me that this was the first time he had prayed in a long time.
Doug went on to tell me his story, and how he had found himself in the situation he was now in. Doug had once owned a construction business, had a nice suburban home he shared with his wife and his teenage daughter. As Doug’s company had become more successful, he hired a few people he had known from his childhood. One of these was his childhood friend, a man who had struggled with alcohol, and Doug was trying to help. Several times Doug had discovered his friend on the job site drunk, and on one particular day, ordered him to go home. He convinced Doug that he was going to sleep it off in the truck, and would then head home when he was sober. Later that night, Doug received a disturbing call that his friend had been involved in an accident that had injured several people. Doug soon realized that his friend had taken the company truck, and was heading to buy more alcohol as he ran off the road and into a busy parking lot. Doug was devastated, and did not know where to turn next.
Doug soon realized just how deep his troubles were. Doug soon lost his business, and was facing endless lawsuits. As the lawsuits piled up, Doug also lost his house. Soon his wife left him, taking his daughter. She also convinced his daughter she should not have anything to do with him, and Doug had not seen his daughter for years. As his business and funds left him, his friends abandoned him also. And with all that had happened looming over him, Doug could not find anyone who would even hire him. Doug soon found himself in another town, just hoping he could change his life. But Doug could not run from his problems, and he soon found himself living on the streets just hoping to survive.
The whole time Doug told me his story, he never looked up, always looking down in shame. A once prideful man, who now felt he had nothing to be proud of. A man who was broken, and just wished he could find a single ray of hope for tomorrow.
As I listened to Doug’s story, I realized that Doug had looked for hope in every direction but the one direction it can be found. Doug had never looked up. To make a long story short, Doug found hope that Christmas eve in a fast food restaurant. For even there, Christ was present. And as the restaurant began to close that night, Doug found Christ in his heart. And Christ’ presence with Doug that night did not end as the restaurant closed. A friend of mine, who headed a ministry that helps people find second chances, met us at the restaurant that night as it was closing. He helped Doug find housing that night, and helped him to find work in the days ahead.
I have talked many times to Doug in the years since that night. I wish I could tell you that Doug’s life had a fairytale ending, but I cannot. Doug still deals with the demons that haunt him, but he has found One who is stronger than those demons who walks with him each day. Doug has never been able to find his daughter, and to talk to her again. Doug still owes more for the mistakes of his past than he will ever have the funds to be able to repay, but to his credit, he works to repay them everyday. Doug now works for a company that helps restore houses for needy families. And each day he heads a Bible study during their lunch break. Doug is also the member of a great church, and is the first one there to help every time the doors are open. Doug may not have found a fairytale ending, but Doug did find the perfect ending. Doug has found the only One who can make his life perfect, and who can show him the Perfect Hope that he has always needed.
As I drove home early that next morning after my night with Doug, it hit me just how perfect my night had been. On that night, the Lord gave me an incredible Christmas gift. He gave this simple, undeserving man a glimpse at what the angels must of witnessed that night so many years ago. He allowed me to look into the hands of the life-changing infant that came into this world over two thousand years ago, and He gave me the absolute privilege to see the hope those hands brought into this world. He helped me understand the love behind the emotions and the tears of that night. And He let me feel the touch of the hand of the Child who would change the world forever.
As you gather with your friends and your family this Christmas, I pray your life will be filled with memories you will forever cherish. As you sip the eggnog, slice the fruitcake, and rip open the presents, I pray your mind will be infused with precious moments you will never forget. But as the day ends, I pray above all that you will take a moment and remember the greatest gift of all. The cherished gift of Hope that was held in the hands of an infant child as He was born into this world on that beloved night. And may that Hope always remind you, the silence of that night should never find you silent!
May your greatest gift this Christmas be filled with Hope!
