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The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned - a, Q |; J% |7 Z
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
! @0 j0 J+ ]7 M3 Din suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
: |/ Q/ {! H6 F" F# X6 Jexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
, e# P0 n% y+ `( [7 R6 Y `their church, it was very run down and needed
0 Z2 L, n0 E5 @* mmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
4 I# ^1 h0 q$ W/ \# R) cdone in time to have their first service
6 U3 p- S/ n/ }% r0 D9 V: Qon Christmas Eve.
: Z* M. q0 o" [' R. z2 y- kT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,3 T% J3 s& A( O0 e9 C f
painting, etc, and on December 18 4 U7 c3 H0 Q5 T
were ahead of schedule and just about finished. " }4 H/ z% v, Q; S
O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving 2 i5 b" f' Z( f* r4 r, S0 l
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. " \1 U/ K# y R1 d5 I: H
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
. }1 h8 x: E4 F+ UHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
4 X7 `9 O3 F; n( u; G/ H6 ^leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
* L$ o6 z& U- e# `: A4 z20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
$ L2 F4 p6 q8 T% s% {. Iof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, 0 R! z) M5 g: S" n' G! T5 ^
beginning about head high.
6 C5 z3 Y( g% m z1 q. `$ kT he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
; i5 w+ r9 D5 H- \2 Y3 k; Iand not knowing what else to do but postpone / t6 {1 U- r4 z. i- y$ d& T1 T& U
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
" U. E4 u O7 oOn the way he noticed that a local business was 8 U' o) G- a* p
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he , \- G& p2 ?& c- r4 t
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, 5 y* x; _ [6 O/ M2 d
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
/ x6 [ [8 x' X6 C( ], |with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross , G7 f1 n0 ]- d6 K. h
embroidered right in the center. It was just + s1 t2 W+ M7 [$ _
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the right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church. 8 ~$ t5 @) v) Q$ V
B y this time it had started to snow. An older
2 D+ D, a$ e' wwoman running from the opposite direction was 9 ~, y5 R" v0 Y; M+ a1 R
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor ) q8 b6 a X' |9 e
invited her to wait in the warm church for
" Z/ w1 p) M3 }& U# lthe next bus 45 minutes later. # H4 X7 X; r1 R% h: C2 S0 |& F
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She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor ' p' G/ ~& C% N
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put # p0 Z( V1 p& f- s' n
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
9 H, F2 \: L% k/ W$ I! M0 rcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. 4 I" {8 O1 ^' L. `9 ]6 j" D
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center0 F1 [' W6 @4 J3 }( C6 ?5 a9 T3 r2 {
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
! u9 S0 D5 O- |9 j/ Pshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" , c8 ]' u- u, T) r" H# M6 H
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
! D( M8 v$ @# S6 @* `the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into- }3 U& i9 c* a" \' X6 X% u2 C
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had ' ^! S# l3 U0 U4 e' T0 T
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria . 9 `5 S/ Q, e# z# t/ \
T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
, y+ e$ J u4 w1 f8 R* Mtold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
! ?( {6 V3 v7 T' Rwoman explained that before the war she and
4 r" X' c- X/ h+ Aher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. ' Q6 ^9 W6 z$ S, u# e
Her husband was going to follow her the next week. + G2 p6 K+ y( j7 o$ Q
He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her 2 @" [0 X1 v/ v% W2 |5 _1 ^
husband or her home again. ( |* r$ Q: z1 Q1 u3 x* `4 D
T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
# \" k8 w; o0 j% L( W& h/ q* y' Obut she made the pastor keep it for the church.
0 k H2 k \/ L) D3 CThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
" {# S8 h4 q, e, m4 qwas the least he could do. She lived on the other+ V# V5 [; b- A2 e
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn
0 ]6 G% q7 }4 b$ l* jfor the day for a housecleaning job.5 q9 i0 { b% u) ^8 T% b; r
W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas $ _3 M# Z. a% K4 c
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the ) K$ T7 \) _( s% v9 Z2 n1 y
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the 5 z9 M) y4 P* [9 n) w
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
" l5 ?- l, y9 {& E9 C9 pand many said that they would return.. & m9 ^ C3 Z- l2 A! T* |5 Q
One older man, whom the pastor recognized , U M6 X8 e( m! |3 K- H
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
, [# f2 W" R5 d" b2 spews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he ) ?) v Y; V; v! f7 [
wasn't leaving. ' l: s w. z/ z( h7 g0 X
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on " S7 O1 m/ k D i/ C! \
the front wall because it was identical to one
6 x% e$ \* y- \# a/ ithat his wife had made years ago when
6 @) I+ f8 N. G( c" hthey lived in Austria before the war and how
9 S8 D# }# a3 T0 kcould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
, r4 c. K( |) u9 N; F. t& t0 O" pH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
# R$ b8 ^7 p$ Q( Z" k) b) mforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was ; J) L, Y9 R0 H& C5 C5 X
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
5 j5 T* a. L$ d: V+ ?0 K% X0 Z5 m+ jput in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home
- H( V# L# O. z2 N$ s1 ^again all the 35 years between. 4 Z- y {0 R5 V7 m
T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to % _& L1 e4 M$ `, E
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
2 g. S: S4 T- {2 T3 p, m% a8 o, BIsland and to the same house where the pastor ( _8 g+ y5 c B3 L% |. U
had taken the woman three days earlier.
' W Z* e: C K+ e" ZHe helped the man climb the three flights of
$ x( t2 z+ g' l% @; Pstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
7 e/ A- _# C( ^# n' E9 f, R. Qthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas
9 t# ]) O, Z6 ?9 K& J% g$ K yreunion he could ever imagine.$ a s/ I u: n9 r
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid 6 i w5 d7 K% k j, ^
who says God does work in mysterious ways.. v; X8 W: y) W" l4 C2 k
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
) d' _! h5 N8 G+ zyou today, to guide you and protect you as you go 0 X+ h* A% }1 y
along your way. His love is always with you. His
( w' D9 s. S8 kpromises are true, and when we give Him all our " Y0 y9 A3 D: R5 ?% T$ G+ y
cares we know He will see us through. h/ A. H8 ~0 t2 h
S o when the road you're traveling seems . V0 q- L$ a) c
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
3 u4 M' q, F4 f$ wpraying and God will do the rest. Pass this on 3 d# Q) Z j0 Z# l, i
to those you want God to bless and remember $ ]8 h/ L. V$ I. |, h$ D
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless 6 u% \8 M8 [, _
you first.
. W% f% a' h3 O1 {+ LW hen there is nothing left but God, that is when% `1 x' b5 x( _- p5 s7 o* C
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
6 X* o2 U! ?4 e1 t- Wseconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply1 m; P6 O! G$ c& M" Y0 i
say the following small prayer for the person " c; e# h, }# d( u
who sent this to you.
6 d, ~& k8 r- n& V6 ^9 SFather, G od, bless all my friends and family in what ( \) ^4 x+ D8 U/ Y# [
ever it is that You know they may be needing this 9 w# G% C2 L$ T* o$ k
day! May their lives be full of Your peace, ! b( l6 C* f5 s; j
prosperity and power as they seek to have a ( F) T* C5 T" X* ^
closer relationship with You. Amen. |
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发表于 2009-10-30 12:04
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