The Christmas Stranger

I first saw her that Friday night. I saw him a week later. Both of them were strangers to me.
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In busy downtown Nashville is a church called New Hope. I am a member of that church. I'm also the welcome team director. It's my goal to welcome every single person to church every Sunday with a warm welcome, a handshake and hug. It's my personal goal to meet two new people and get to know them every week.
My team is very diverse. Ten of us make up the group. We range in age from 16 to 75. I'm the only white guy on the team. Every one else is either Hispanic, black, or a mixture of a lot of other races. Like I said, we are very diverse. I am the only 35 year old. We call our team Diverse City.
On Friday and Saturday nights I manage our church's nightclub, GodZone. Anyone is welcome and we have live bands, a dance floor, prayer rooms and a huge bar stocked with pop and water. There are two parts of the club I am most fond of.
The Friendship Table is the first one. It is a place to sit and get to know new people and make new friends. I can be found sitting there most Saturday nights. The table sits 35. I met my best friend at this table.
The second, is the alter. In a private area of the club is a long velvet bench. In front of it is a huge wooden cross. Anyone at anytime can come, kneel and pray. Countless hundreds of people have been saved here. I am one of them. Every night before opening and after closing, I come here and cry out to God.
New Hope boasts 350 members and 100+ visitors every Sunday. Our pastor is a man on fire for God. His simple sermons bring everyone to tears and he always ends each service with one challenge. Meet one new person before going home and give them God's love.
Our praise and worship leader was the keyboard player for Michael W. Smith in the early 1990's. He quite often plays at the club, with his own praise/rock band. He is my best friend. He challenges my thinking in scary ways. His enthusiasm for God is sincere. He is the most real and honest man I've ever met.
The story begins like this. It starts before church one Sunday, 2 weeks before Christmas and it ends Christmas eve at the club, at the alter. I wish this story was a happy one. It's not. There is hope though. You might want a box of Kleenex. I'm just warning you now.
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I am a recovering drug/alcoholic junkie. I started when I was 13. My last high was on Christmas eve 3 years ago. I was rushed to the emergency room, covered in blood. I was pronounced dead. Two weeks later, I walked into GodZone, and knelt at that cross and gave my life to God. I've been clean ever since.
Two years ago I became New Hope's Welcome director and a year ago I became GodZone's manager. In the last two years I've personally saved over three thousand hurting and lost people. It is my personal three minute testimony that has saved people and brought countless others back to God. I am nothing special. Just another man.
Three weeks ago, I started loosing my belief in God. He just stopped becoming real to me. And then on a Friday night I was headed home from work, when I stopped to pick up supper. A case of beer later, I was passed out on my bathroom floor. I couldn't tell anyone. This was my private shame. I stopped believing and gave up hope.
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This was to be a special church service. The church was giving every single person a gift as they came into church. Then select people would share their testimonies, give someone a special gift and sit down. There was to be special praise and worship, a Christmas message and a special surprise. I was asked to share my testimony.
10Am and my welcome team was lined up and ready to go. I stepped into a private room, fell to my knees and began weeping. How could I possibly testify, when I had done what I did. I'm not even sure God would hear me. I didn't feel love from him since my slip. I had lost all hope.
I got up, composed myself and went back out. People were arriving and I had a team to lead. I too would be handing out presents. Half an hour later, I released my team to go into church and I stepped outside and lit up a cigarette.
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There he was. This homeless man. Standing across the street, staring at me and smiling. I blinked and he was gone. I went back inside and then she walked in. I had never seen her before. I greeted her and reached for a present to give her. There weren't any left. I felt horrible. She just smiled and went inside, but not before hugging me and kissing my cheek.
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It was my turn to get up and give my testimony. I knew I couldn't do this. I couldn't lie and I definatly wasn't going to tell the truth. Everyone was waiting. I walked up, took the microphone and in a quiet voice apologized and said I couldn't do this. I set the microphone down and walked out of church.
Ten minutes later I slipped back in, took a seat in the back and waited for service to end. I was a total wreck. I was also crying.
Service ended and I got up to quickly leave. I felt a small hand grip my arm. I turned and there she was. She hugged me, and smiled the hugest smile I'd ever seen.
“It's gonna be OK. I love you”
She handed me a small present.
I handed it back and turned to leave. I made it all the way to the front door.
There she was.
“I Love you”
She tried to hug me and I rushed outside. I had to get out of here. Something made me turn around. I looked back inside and she was hanging her head in tears.
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I looked up, and there was the homeless man. Just standing there, smiling at me.
I ran all the way to my car and sped home.
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Friday night and the club was packed.
I just sat in my office. I had no hope and I couldn't go out there and be a part of a lie. I lost all my belief in God. I had an empty heart and I was depressed.
Something however made me get up and go out to the bar..
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There she was.
She walked in, tears in her eyes and sat at a back table, all alone. She sat there the entire night.
Ten minutes before closing and there was just the two of us.
I saw her go to the alter, set a package down and rush out in tears.
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I locked the club up and turned for my car.
There he was. The homeless man.
“I love you”
He reached out his hand.
“He forgives you. Come home son.”
He stepped closer. Hand still reaching out to me.
“All she wants is your love. Can you not give her just that?”
I ran for my car and sped home.
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Saturday night the club was packed beyond capacity. My friend was rocking out on keyboards. We were short staffed so I was working the bar.
Halfway into the night she walked in, tears in her eyes. She went to the back table and just sat there, all alone.
An hour later, he walked in, walked back to her and sat down and hugged her.
Just before the club closed I turned and saw the two of them knelt at the alter. I could here her crying. It was just the 3 of us. He turned to me and stretched out his hand.
“We love you. Come home son. You are forgiven.”
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Sunday came and I stayed home.
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Friday night.
Christmas Eve,
The club was dead.
She walked in, smiled at me and went to the alter.
He walked in. The homeless man. He walked right up to me.
“I came here to bring you home son. You don't have to carry the guilt anymore. I forgive you. I love you. Come to the alter. It's Christmas.”
. He went to the alter, hugged her and they knelt in prayer.
I began weeping. I couldn't fight this any longer. I sat at the Friendship table and wept.
In the background I heard the keyboard begin to play “Amazing Grace”
I rushed to the alter. Unable to contain it anymore.
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She took my hand.
“I love you.”
She handed me the present.
“I know you can't love me right now. It's OK. I love you and won't leave you.”
I opened the present and removed a small necklace with a key on it.
“I love you. It's the key to your heart. I was sent to help you love again. You don't have to feel lonely anymore. I love you.”
She hugged me and began weeping.
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He took my hand in his.
“Son, I forgive you. Tonite I am unlocking your heart and filling it with my love. Don't fight it any longer. I came here to give you love. I died to save you.”
He hugged me and I wept on his shoulder. He just held me.
“Let it all out.”
And I did.
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The clock stroked midnight.
“I have a very special Christmas present.”
He took her hands and put them in mine.
“You don't have to be alone anymore. I give my love freely. I will never ever ever leave you. I love you”
With that she hugged me and began weeping.
“I love you”
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I looked up but he was gone.
It was just the two of us.
She looked me in the eyes.
“I love you”




Merry Christmas Everyone!!!