The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
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The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
2 o5 n. A4 q8 Vto their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
4 a$ {/ N! W5 d9 F  Y9 Z- hexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
$ U; G8 J0 }% T: Rtheir church, it was very run down and needed
  _) G$ Y' L0 umuch work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
) ?  {1 ?  w: D7 ~on Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
! e/ q8 l" C9 kpainting, etc, and on December 18
+ q0 U* _. g6 g* b5 H7 K( uwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
% g; G6 |3 f2 ^O 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.
$ v( G+ u" y0 c& W8 V  K1 lHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
2 C# V! D' K' \  `+ i: p20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
. M3 _3 \$ V5 L4 U; k0 ~* Nof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
: o) H. z9 i% U" fbeginning about head high.
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
5 V$ l5 s( C' c! c8 Aand not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
3 W1 r/ y* U0 T4 D, z; A" @with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
5 G7 S4 g7 w0 l8 g8 Hembroidered right in the center. It was just  
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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
! C! ?0 m$ t4 S4 j( S9 |woman running from the opposite direction was
0 L# C0 _" _0 j) o: F; Etrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
/ y$ q; A7 ^- p8 j* ]5 Cthe next bus 45 minutes later.
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1 X9 s. H9 E" [She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
; Y4 X( t" [" A7 Xup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
0 Y- B' J3 Y# j2 Qcould 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?"
  W  @$ Z+ ^& A& U7 T( sThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
) C3 D9 B3 _7 f9 P6 Z' git there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
- x) A  d! t9 y) Q$ ~+ Smade this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
9 O# u  U: g% kT he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
( }$ c( E: Z9 q7 qtold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
+ `  L3 H* t2 g5 W, pwoman explained that before the war she and
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
9 T8 h9 o$ J& H3 {+ z9 q4 GHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
7 x8 J) E$ S6 c; e# X4 Whusband or her home again.
+ P  Y* Y3 W* ?: X$ uT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
( s+ x" D+ z+ I; r- wwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
2 ]6 K9 Z+ M  P! e2 a8 ^" iside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
for the day for a housecleaning job.
W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
. W7 Q0 Z: t: |, D. w+ N8 [Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
/ _) c( t# I1 w$ _spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
; R" h4 Z8 a/ z* m: aand many said that they would return..
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
. J" Q6 J3 j, M; R$ k9 _) f! lpews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
# \; ?2 b6 H/ P6 h  @* j  ~The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
8 e7 Y# x+ W1 |; Uthe front wall because it was identical to one
. q! {: R% k% f* g4 B# Xthat his wife had made years ago when
they lived in Austria before the war and how
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
' @; D( B$ g2 _5 f% L$ X) d7 V0 L6 kH 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
put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
9 T! k- e% d4 k* dagain all the 35 years between.
0 l8 D9 y  O0 j- p+ {" j* V; lT he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
: }; ]7 H. g8 m; f8 v* [Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.
% n( T# h3 F0 n0 }& P+ uHe helped the man climb the three flights of
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
0 q4 n' {' H0 bthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas
' [2 C7 q/ c* n+ ]" treunion he could ever imagine.
' \1 G2 s: i: X5 [6 RT rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
4 D# J9 ]; B  `7 a1 I. H5 n0 [8 G8 Kwho says God does work in mysterious ways.
6 \9 D8 m6 b5 V2 p. R( _/ KI asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
along your way. His love is always with you. His
& \6 `) `8 \5 spromises are true, and when we give Him all our
( n+ t( a' G" [; {: w2 gcares we know He will see us through.
S o when the road you're traveling seems
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
+ @8 I6 s! d; L2 e( jpraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
  o9 }7 e5 U9 s2 i. }) W. ^. L& ?to those you want God to bless and remember
5 C, k- r: R8 [/ O0 X9 e. @/ qto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
0 H' M2 P+ h5 {& Q) `you first.
8 L0 |) u  ]% |- [7 b, C) gW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
3 |$ V7 _6 S; _7 F/ Ryou find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
$ I% ?( j- \0 a! zsay the following small prayer for the person
+ y* g- N; u. B$ [who sent this to you.
2 n9 c+ A" P: @% AFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
5 x! S5 c2 C7 `4 D/ d! G' c! ~ever it is that You know they may be needing this
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
$ T4 p: t- A9 |! I+ c2 X, sprosperity and power as they seek to have a
0 X- n& a) S, G8 \closer relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!