The Tablecloth

propeller

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason


: ]$ ]. C! W( X4 ]0 {' T( t* k  o
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
0 @4 z1 u9 I- F# Q' Mtheir church, it was very run down and needed
4 {; a% M+ q  [, c7 zmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
$ b0 w: A, B5 j5 J& _& `0 mon Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
1 C' t3 O% U2 I! U  Y% _$ u, upainting, etc, and on December 18
# Q- z# Y2 W+ ]/ f8 e# Awere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
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.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
3 |" x2 Q- S) y+ D$ h) iand not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
/ R4 g% K) q+ U) T+ lOn the way he noticed that a local business was
8 }2 f& Z7 w7 V+ V# Ehaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
. R8 \& G4 s* e7 m, Y, tstopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
/ E0 j+ k& P! s$ T+ nhandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
7 }/ |: k; `8 f6 n5 c( Q/ _6 z+ @with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered right in the center. It was just  
7 l9 j  U% h* }" @1 D# U* X, @
8 A% {  s  d( m! d5 Y% s- M



- S* X8 n0 B* d& _
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
woman running from the opposite direction was
! [' h: h* I1 M3 ?' G( z$ V. @' ttrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
2 g) U, I, W9 Z, s+ b& ~invited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
could 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,"
$ o6 l9 Q6 f+ ]+ Y' [she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
3 V' z7 N! w1 @. D2 A9 W8 mThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
4 S! ~3 c3 _' @1 m" y) K, Zit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
3 R) r# Y3 {* S3 z, y, ]- H/ ~9 b4 `! `T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
4 a" G1 J( \1 Z4 u6 r3 j* o( t4 Wtold 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 .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
& ]8 J1 e9 b' U. ?3 F! p5 c$ j5 A+ THer husband was going to follow her the next week.
# E5 r: I" y% q% C/ @/ eHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.
T 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
3 G' [6 M# p! C  u% L* B7 O1 U4 c" Owas the least he could do. She lived on the other
) z# N" @' \2 f7 z- k& V" bside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
9 s0 x6 s" c: r- _0 C1 Dfor the day for a housecleaning job.
W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
- ^7 I. J7 q' q! t2 JEve. The church was almost full. The music and the
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
  d; O& U* k; w6 ^7 ]pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
+ U4 d, z) p. ]. T, `/ oand many said that they would return..
- B3 ?6 N, b( c2 l/ y8 ]; i9 DOne older man, whom the pastor recognized
) g+ ?5 k. V" Gfrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
2 R% F+ L8 M# }wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
the front wall because it was identical to one
3 v9 P7 m& s; I0 W0 ?3 athat his wife had made years ago when
they lived in Austria before the war and how
could 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
& w5 R% W* D4 o& c2 m3 i. ksupposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
# Z% V. L+ i. T5 S; b6 Hagain all the 35 years between.
+ f% X7 [+ X8 TT he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
. p/ A' e  i# o5 Z6 DIsland and to the same house where the pastor
' y, W6 t% f3 [: rhad taken the woman three days earlier.
  S6 n, h( V9 N3 @0 n9 YHe helped the man climb the three flights of
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
' R' ~) d4 Z: f$ l. v' u' ~the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
- P, J2 t- \  a3 oreunion he could ever imagine.
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
I 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
8 n9 X9 S) i; J: K" r) n3 w! hpromises are true, and when we give Him all our
+ z: m5 [! d9 O: T$ Hcares we know He will see us through.
S o when the road you're traveling seems
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
; Z  c8 W# A; K3 {1 `to those you want God to bless and remember
2 R/ k* J- ~1 }: Kto send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
6 N( d0 z5 {5 ~seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
6 x% d/ [! c5 }; Vsay the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
' G  c% @1 H% o' v9 nFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
! T; Z7 j1 J+ ^) ?6 {ever it is that You know they may be needing this
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
5 A; }& G8 n& O, z1 }+ A6 Pprosperity and power as they seek to have a
+ F# y" L- i* V7 {$ Jcloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!