Welcome on this holiest of nights. I want to begin with a story about a young man named Marty. Marty was a bright, lively eight-year-old who suffered from a minor disability he was deaf in one ear. He lived in a rural community of farms and fences. Marty’s mom, Diane, was proud of her son. She knew he had a kind and loving heart.

Several weeks before Christmas one year, Marty shared a secret with his mother. He had been doing extra chores and saving up his allowance in order to buy a Christmas present, a pocket compass, for his best friend, Kenny. Kenny was being raised by a single mom and life for their family was a daily struggle just to acquire the most basic of needs of food and clothing.

Diane knew that Kenny’s mom was a very proud woman. Diane doubted that Kenny’s mom would allow K…