A brand-new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October.  They were excited but the church was very run down and needed much work.  They set a goal to have everything done in time for Christmas Eve.  But, on December 19 a driving rainstorm hit the area.

The pastor’s heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked.  An area of plaster had fallen off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit.  He cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do, postponed the Christmas Eve service.

On his way home, he noticed that a local business was having a flea market sale for charity, so he stopped in. He found a beautiful, ivory-colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors, and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

It had started to snow and he saw an older woman running to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor 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. It was beautiful!

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle, her face white as a sheet.  “Where did you get that tablecloth?” she asked.  The pastor explained. “See if the initials ‘EBG’ are crocheted into the lower corner?” she asked.  They were. These were her initials; she had made this tablecloth 35 years before in Austria. In total amazement, she explained that before the war, she and her husband were living in Austria.  When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.  Her husband was going to follow the next week, but he was captured, sent to prison, and she never saw him again. 

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth, but she insisted he keep it for the church. He drove her home that day to Staten Island.  She had only been in Brooklyn for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare. The man asked where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria. He told the pastor how the Nazis had come, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety but how he was arrested and put in prison. He never saw his wife or his home again in all the 35 years between.

The pastor asked if he would come with him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island, the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

When the road you’re traveling on seems difficult at best, just remember we are praying for you and God will do the rest.

This blog was adapted from a true story by a Pastor Rob Reid who says God does work in mysterious ways.

Submitted by my friend Diana