The Tablecloth

propeller

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


+ q# x  }+ C- r* `5 M
% ]- d; F) ]% k0 m* C. [( a8 T, e The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
4 T& z+ O" I6 D! H- ?* M* ito their first ministry, to reopen a church
  O* ]' [' U: oin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
" Q, u( N+ c3 l9 z6 cexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
much work. They set a goal to have everything
% Y. e* u* a9 o, {% ddone in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
' `  `3 K' @. |  T* s$ AT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
( \- i+ T8 J. J- l" r, n! v4 k3 o- qpainting, etc, and on December 18
, m0 D; |% E3 G2 [were 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.
  b, y' q, p& l O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
2 ^! v4 B2 |. D, K$ BHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
+ X- K! ^! P; D8 T9 Wleaked, causing a large area of plaster about
. ?$ A. z' j9 S: ]( |9 {20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.
6 a) K0 U! |8 j; e8 gT he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
5 h( S4 d% w1 v4 A  d: wOn the way he noticed that a local business was
, D2 I+ y8 P. E1 j. N+ h9 mhaving a flea market type sale for charity, so he
) n2 y; q% d# z6 @, ystopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
4 D3 o5 h2 |5 P9 j" M6 thandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
4 T+ |: ~% h0 b9 Twith exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered right in the center. It was just  
, t) F6 D9 e* l3 |# W6 u
0 {. i( [8 g6 d
- K; l6 b2 w5 x/ }+ j

$ `+ u. R) n7 Q1 U$ h
* N* M; s0 b- w! h
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
& A* P0 w; D6 Q+ h) d/ }8 E( ?; Ptrying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
0 r; C/ h% t( N( p4 A+ xinvited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.

3 l3 A; V, Q0 U& @6 l& ?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,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
$ e& T0 J# R1 G7 x- @* ?% ^5 U  JThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
1 v! K9 G5 P3 Y$ i* a% Nthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
3 @' ?6 v: g2 r$ y3 Ait there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made 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 .
  s2 n( V/ u# U- J1 f
  d9 ]7 q8 M7 X+ @# KWhen 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
, O+ f, g# ?6 i) t# x. s+ o9 D) Ehusband or her home again.
' Y) u4 v& q% @T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
8 c0 z- k" p9 I4 F: q, [2 p' r: @9 wbut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
* f4 z7 c4 v6 F, Q1 mwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
1 S7 B/ e! y- tside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn  
for the day for a housecleaning job.
- v7 `- q. z. ^9 H( F7 J# _0 LW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
3 R5 V% b4 S) Q; HEve. The church was almost full. The music and the
+ j9 E  R8 Q% Kspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
0 O4 O( c# H4 Kand many said that they would return..
' \; V0 t& Y5 r" r% p1 W. |One older man, whom the pastor recognized
+ Q& k4 [. [1 C7 ufrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
% p0 q% {& V1 h5 g5 X5 `0 f! k" P. t" G# upews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
1 H6 g1 |- U: C$ |5 `the front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when
, y0 p7 p- m/ W) W5 i6 D% g0 R& ?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
  G4 o/ a" K% P$ I" ^2 @2 Sforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
: k1 P4 g: |, s5 F$ R" G8 isupposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
2 v9 L+ [) U2 I) xput in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home
! K; x: P& ^! h: m8 ]* M  P! Qagain all the 35 years between.
# Z: ?% P' T! a9 [, pT 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
2 A5 d1 @: M7 g9 H  Q" }9 Nhad taken the woman three days earlier.
* V0 F& ^; k% o1 L! e; XHe helped the man climb the three flights of
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
reunion he could ever imagine.
8 Z3 a% j- M  X1 |8 fT 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
; q2 a+ R$ W" ]/ D* E* @along your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
) D+ N6 P3 l0 S# Y8 l- Xcares we know He will see us through.
5 P3 T0 w) W0 C: b) I+ S5 yS 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
& G1 ?4 N. A' i+ i; B5 V4 f/ s4 c% U# mto those you want God to bless and remember
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.
4 H4 b  u  G7 pW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
$ M5 Q1 T/ {1 k: f! N' i  P" i2 Pyou find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
$ @" C# r5 |' Q  ]  c7 G) g, f2 Rsay the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
- A& o4 C8 Z' hFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
ever it is that You know they may be needing this
4 R2 M1 d6 f8 X; {day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
6 O' F( ^: Z1 V# D1 pprosperity and power as they seek to have a
9 M% I7 d, {" @; C" F, z  dcloser relationship with You. Amen.

anne

thank you for your good story!