The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
- u% q- ^* A$ I! P. Y6 R


The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
, t% H' u! Q8 v; O- n: ^to their first ministry, to reopen a church
* a# [9 o' C$ n/ ]) A7 o9 Win suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
0 F# d! w6 ^, o6 g' c8 {+ L% Jexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
( O! t0 X; r5 jtheir church, it was very run down and needed
much work. They set a goal to have everything
- b: B- w; \8 J' _* B& }done in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
* I+ x, b8 F' k" X4 i- G: hpainting, etc, and on December 18
# X6 |4 |1 S$ k! b6 G. uwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
7 c# }. s9 ]$ \  o& h: YO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
% F  ]" W4 E1 Q% }leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
* a- e) ^+ h) dof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
) A. b1 W) r! \" N8 a3 Rbeginning about head high.
7 q' w! ?6 b! [T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
! Z1 k$ h5 p, X8 m0 d* j* Iand not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
9 Z2 ^6 v/ s4 S  L3 R( f3 W4 ]- oOn the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
! G" e+ P9 R9 z, c( C' D  Q% nstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
1 e% s9 [/ v2 |handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
( Z% D  R( u( ^0 W* b3 qembroidered right in the center. It was just  

  D0 s( Q; Y" q' {  ]1 j; l



1 S. j# A: \0 D; _% z
the right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
B y this time it had started to snow. An older
5 f8 O# X2 [0 r/ |woman running from the opposite direction was
+ E1 R( U* w; L. b; x+ ]) J, Ttrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
% z# K8 o/ J4 L- Zinvited her to wait in the warm church for
0 E) h2 m% L6 ]8 mthe next bus 45 minutes later.
) C$ f+ }8 P' f9 R% `8 L0 y9 f
5 i4 d) a( [# J) HShe sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
3 d4 g. }% k$ B' C& gwhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
7 C) p9 @% G, j9 [up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
- ?: A2 S5 [& \; p) r7 O/ `9 Tcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
5 F+ B) ^7 Q- zThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
# Q+ U0 a, j' E& K  z% C- i2 g! |it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
: Q$ S& K* R7 s( P) J6 [$ ymade this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
woman explained that before the war she and
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

# E9 t# g( U3 I8 A" _! ]When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
4 P* B, Q& l! r. j6 E8 i. X! u# C# Rbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
) m, t& f+ {4 q' j' o) rThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
3 [8 v# p  Q; G- n" p8 f) B# L: M+ Gwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
! F2 f- U$ h% U8 H* r: r) k/ hfor the day for a housecleaning job.
9 o, Y0 p* v& m2 @W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
6 Y4 A7 }. i9 c2 LEve. The church was almost full. The music and the
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
5 ~6 U: n2 [8 rpastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
and many said that they would return..
$ ~! @1 p  k  k- F- _, o( g3 EOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
: c# A$ L$ Q) p: B. l5 iwasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
' i  l0 ?* P4 z0 J5 @+ ?( X# uthe front wall because it was identical to one
1 K, I* }# y5 J2 Y+ }. ^" hthat his wife had made years ago when
# U+ h/ s$ j- |* y/ V2 o) sthey lived in Austria before the war and how
0 m! M4 ?0 ^9 V( _8 c9 X9 E! Xcould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
; ~4 u, x: B& }$ e( U. Oput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
  c- o1 i+ X$ U5 vagain all the 35 years between.
5 J0 H% v( A, \1 \+ |" U3 ST he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
Island and to the same house where the pastor
* u  A+ N8 x. m) ehad taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of
* h8 F+ T  ~( A: F2 Astairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
" ?" W. V3 H& ]the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
. ?- _6 b$ u" S: W7 hreunion he could ever imagine.
; S( @; q8 E9 P' Z1 kT rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
2 ~5 e: ]4 }6 A- YI asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
2 n1 i1 T2 l6 ]you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
& \; n! o2 p. `along your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
$ T. J  N% q# o  v8 g8 Z4 ncares we know He will see us through.
- j/ D0 ~0 f, W) d8 tS o when the road you're traveling seems
) m" e# y3 t4 K: ^5 L. H  v3 J* `, Hdifficult at best, just remember I'm here
. l- `8 c9 ?# v0 I( u9 |praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
& k4 b  p* e8 i+ X! pto those you want God to bless and remember
% j! `. q1 ?0 t5 i- R0 tto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
. i' Z! \9 F% c. a7 {you first.
; g0 B1 ^) Y, f5 z- lW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
say the following small prayer for the person
7 N( v+ u0 J! P* m, P* ^who sent this to you.
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
$ L3 o/ x7 A2 _, H4 H: e5 ]/ Q% _ever it is that You know they may be needing this
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
. S0 F, u4 |1 g4 d4 p5 zprosperity and power as they seek to have a
0 m7 G& t' Y% l. h  s5 U$ Z0 Kcloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!