A wonderful christmas story
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Finding out what I have been missing!
Posts: 1,011
A wonderful christmas story
This is very long but worth the read, have a tissue ready.
> The Tablecloth
> 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 their church, it was
> very run down and needed much work. They set a
> goal to have everything done in time to have their
> first service on Christmas Eve.
> They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
> painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of
> schedule and just about finished
> On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
> rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
> On 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.
> The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
> and 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
> with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
> embroidered right in the center. It was just the
> right size to cover up the hole in the front wall.
> He bought it and headed back to the church.
> By this time it had started to snow. An older
> woman running from the opposite direction was
> trying 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. The pastor could
> hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it
> covered up the entire problem area.
> Then he noticed the woman walking down the center
> aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor," she asked,
> "where did you get that tablecloth?"
> The pastor explained. The woman asked him to
> check the lower right corner to see if the initials,
> EBG were crocheted into it there. They were.
> These were the initial of the woman, and she had
> made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.
> The 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.
> When 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
> husband or her home again.
> The 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 was
> the least he could do.. She lived on the other side
> of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the
> day 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
> and many said that they would return.
> One older man, whom the pastor recognized
> from the neighborhood continued to sit in one
> of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered
> why he wasn't leaving.
> The man asked him 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 before the war and how could
> there be two tablecloths so much alike.
> He 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
> again all the 35 years in between.
> The 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
> 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 he saw the greatest Christmas
> reunion he could ever imagine.
> True Story ~ submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
> Who says God does not work in mysterious ways..
> So when the road you're traveling on seems
> difficult at best..
> When there is nothing left but God, that is when
> you find out that God is all you need.
>
> Take 60 seconds and give this a shot! All you do is
> simply say the following small prayer for the person
> who sent you this.
> Father, God, bless all my friends and family in what
> ever it is that You know they may be needing this
> day! May their life be full of your peace, prosperity
> and power as he/she seeks to have a closer
> relationship with you. Amen.
> Then send it on to five other people, including the one
> who sent it to you. Within hours five people have
> prayed for you and you caused a multitude of people
> to pray for other people. Then sit back and watch the
> power of God work in your life.
> The Tablecloth
> 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 their church, it was
> very run down and needed much work. They set a
> goal to have everything done in time to have their
> first service on Christmas Eve.
> They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
> painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of
> schedule and just about finished
> On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
> rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
> On 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.
> The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
> and 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
> with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
> embroidered right in the center. It was just the
> right size to cover up the hole in the front wall.
> He bought it and headed back to the church.
> By this time it had started to snow. An older
> woman running from the opposite direction was
> trying 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. The pastor could
> hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it
> covered up the entire problem area.
> Then he noticed the woman walking down the center
> aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor," she asked,
> "where did you get that tablecloth?"
> The pastor explained. The woman asked him to
> check the lower right corner to see if the initials,
> EBG were crocheted into it there. They were.
> These were the initial of the woman, and she had
> made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.
> The 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.
> When 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
> husband or her home again.
> The 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 was
> the least he could do.. She lived on the other side
> of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the
> day 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
> and many said that they would return.
> One older man, whom the pastor recognized
> from the neighborhood continued to sit in one
> of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered
> why he wasn't leaving.
> The man asked him 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 before the war and how could
> there be two tablecloths so much alike.
> He 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
> again all the 35 years in between.
> The 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
> 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 he saw the greatest Christmas
> reunion he could ever imagine.
> True Story ~ submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
> Who says God does not work in mysterious ways..
> So when the road you're traveling on seems
> difficult at best..
> When there is nothing left but God, that is when
> you find out that God is all you need.
>
> Take 60 seconds and give this a shot! All you do is
> simply say the following small prayer for the person
> who sent you this.
> Father, God, bless all my friends and family in what
> ever it is that You know they may be needing this
> day! May their life be full of your peace, prosperity
> and power as he/she seeks to have a closer
> relationship with you. Amen.
> Then send it on to five other people, including the one
> who sent it to you. Within hours five people have
> prayed for you and you caused a multitude of people
> to pray for other people. Then sit back and watch the
> power of God work in your life.
Old & Sober Member of AA
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Nursing Home in Brick, New Jersey
Posts: 5,174
May I add my own favorite? Not a true story, but nonetheless inspirational. I used to tell it to my grandchildren every Christmas Eve (a much abbreviated version, of course), with the hope that they would remember it and pass it on to their own children/grandchildren.
----------------------------------
Many centuries ago, as written by Anatole France, there lived a man by the name of Barnaby. He was a juggler who lived from day to day on the small donations he received. He went from town to town and he would take knives or balls and juggle them. And that is all that he could do. He felt embarrassed over his lack of talent. He almost felt totally useless. People in the town in which he juggled would be involved in their business work. Some would run small little shops. Some were doctors and teachers. And Barnaby would see all these people working every day and be more discouraged with each passing day.
One day on his travels he was passing a huge monastery and he started to think and pray. "Maybe if they let me enter this monastery I could do the most menial tasks...do something positive and save my soul and have more meaning and happiness in my life."
He knocked on the monastery door and was greeted by the brother who was in charge of all the monastic duties. Barnaby told him he would perform the most menial tasks for just a place to sleep and a little something to eat. He was admitted and was given a small place in which to live and told when meal time was to happen. He did this for months and seemed to find more meaning and happiness to his life. But then his sense of meaning and happiness started to lessen. He knew all around him that the brothers were preparing for Christmas. One brother was writing a new musical score for the midnight Mass. Another brother was making special bread to be given to the poor on Christmas Day. Another brother was making a beautiful Christmas crib for the birth of the Christ Child. Barnaby, in seeing what was done by others so talented, felt more inadequate than ever. His sense of his own inferiority became more painful than ever. Christmas was coming closer. And what was he doing but the most menial jobs in the monastery. He went to bed each night heartbroken.
But then one night, and no explanation has been found for this, he took his small little blanket and his eight juggling balls and went to the chapel. He stood in front of the statue of Our Blessed Mother and gave her the only talent he had, the art of juggling. At that moment something extraordinary happened. The statue of Our Blessed Mother almost came alive with radiance that Barnaby had never seen before. The brothers of the monastery seeing how the chapel was becoming filled with this new light rushed in thinking that something tragic had taken place. The Abbot was there and as all of them came into the Chapel they saw Barnaby frantically juggling at the feet of the statue...the perspiration dripping from his forehead into his eyes. The brothers, horrified at the sight, thought Barnaby had surely gone mad, and several of them rushed forward to restrain him. Suddenly, the statue of Mary seemed to come to life as she stepped from the pedestal and lifted the hem of her robe to wipe the sweat from Barbaby's brow. The brothers dropped to their knees in adoration, for this humble man who thought he had so little talent had brought joy to Mary, the Mother of Christ, at Christmas time.
(The story of Barnaby, the juggler, the individual who thought he was nothing in anyone’s eyes, teaches us that God has given to each one gifts and talents that if used can bring greater joy and meaning into each one’s life...each one has a purpose, a value, a meaning that will become clearer when you daily use the talent that God has given you.)
----------------------------------
Many centuries ago, as written by Anatole France, there lived a man by the name of Barnaby. He was a juggler who lived from day to day on the small donations he received. He went from town to town and he would take knives or balls and juggle them. And that is all that he could do. He felt embarrassed over his lack of talent. He almost felt totally useless. People in the town in which he juggled would be involved in their business work. Some would run small little shops. Some were doctors and teachers. And Barnaby would see all these people working every day and be more discouraged with each passing day.
One day on his travels he was passing a huge monastery and he started to think and pray. "Maybe if they let me enter this monastery I could do the most menial tasks...do something positive and save my soul and have more meaning and happiness in my life."
He knocked on the monastery door and was greeted by the brother who was in charge of all the monastic duties. Barnaby told him he would perform the most menial tasks for just a place to sleep and a little something to eat. He was admitted and was given a small place in which to live and told when meal time was to happen. He did this for months and seemed to find more meaning and happiness to his life. But then his sense of meaning and happiness started to lessen. He knew all around him that the brothers were preparing for Christmas. One brother was writing a new musical score for the midnight Mass. Another brother was making special bread to be given to the poor on Christmas Day. Another brother was making a beautiful Christmas crib for the birth of the Christ Child. Barnaby, in seeing what was done by others so talented, felt more inadequate than ever. His sense of his own inferiority became more painful than ever. Christmas was coming closer. And what was he doing but the most menial jobs in the monastery. He went to bed each night heartbroken.
But then one night, and no explanation has been found for this, he took his small little blanket and his eight juggling balls and went to the chapel. He stood in front of the statue of Our Blessed Mother and gave her the only talent he had, the art of juggling. At that moment something extraordinary happened. The statue of Our Blessed Mother almost came alive with radiance that Barnaby had never seen before. The brothers of the monastery seeing how the chapel was becoming filled with this new light rushed in thinking that something tragic had taken place. The Abbot was there and as all of them came into the Chapel they saw Barnaby frantically juggling at the feet of the statue...the perspiration dripping from his forehead into his eyes. The brothers, horrified at the sight, thought Barnaby had surely gone mad, and several of them rushed forward to restrain him. Suddenly, the statue of Mary seemed to come to life as she stepped from the pedestal and lifted the hem of her robe to wipe the sweat from Barbaby's brow. The brothers dropped to their knees in adoration, for this humble man who thought he had so little talent had brought joy to Mary, the Mother of Christ, at Christmas time.
(The story of Barnaby, the juggler, the individual who thought he was nothing in anyone’s eyes, teaches us that God has given to each one gifts and talents that if used can bring greater joy and meaning into each one’s life...each one has a purpose, a value, a meaning that will become clearer when you daily use the talent that God has given you.)
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
