Rob Reid 목사의 첫 부임지는 뉴욕 브룩클린 외곽지역이었습니다. 첫 사역지라 부인과 같이 몹시 흥분되어 교회로 가 보았습니다.  그런데 교회건물은 보통 낡은 것이 아니었습니다.

그 해 12월 18일 페인트를 칠하고, 여기저기 구멍을 막고 , 목수일과 여러 잡일을 하며 리모델을 하였습니다. 여간 일이 많은 것이 아니었습니다. 지친 몸으로 집에 돌아온 부부는 다음날 다시 교회로 가보았는데 밤새  폭풍으로 인하여 지붕이 새고  벽에  20x8피트 정도의 상처가 나있는 것을 보았습니다.

과연 12월24일 성탄 전야 예배를 드릴 수 있을 까 염려하며 집으로 가는 도중 동네에서 작은 크리스마스  바자 장터가 선 것을 보았습니다.  이것 저것 구경하고 있었는데 십자가를 수놓은 테이블보가 눈에 띄었습니다.  폭풍으로 망가진  예배당의 벽을 커버하기에 충분하였습니다.  Reid목사부부는 그 테이블보를 사들고 다음날 교회에 가서 애써 벽에 걸어보고 또 다른 청소도 하고 있었습니다. 그 때 어느 연세 많으신 부인이 예배당안으로 들어 왔습니다. 브루클린에서 가정부로 일하고 스테이튼 아일랜드에 있는 집으로 돌아가려고 버스를 기다리고 있는데  버스를 놓쳤다고 합니다.  바깥이 추워서 안에서 다음 버스가 올 때까지 좀 기다릴 수 있느냐는 것입니다.  목사는 벽에 테이블보 거는 것이 끝나면 자기 차로 데려다 줄 수도 있다고 하였습니다. 그 부인은 갑자기 테이블보를 향하여 넋을 잃은 사람처럼 걸어 왔습니다. “목사님, 저 EGB라는 이니셜은 저의 이름이고 이 식탁보는 제가 만든 것입니다.”

그 녀는 계속하였다. “35년전 오스트리아에서 나치를 피해 도망나왔습니다. 저의 남편이 저 먼저 피난을 가게 하였지요. 그는 나중 곧 잡혀 수용소로 끌려갔다는 얘기를 들었습니다.”

그날 밤  Reid목사는 그녀를 그녀의 허름한  아파트까지 데려다 주었습니다.

12월24일, 크리스마스 이브에 드린 예배는 매우 아름답고 성령이 충만하였습니다. 동네의 많은 사람들이 이 첫 예배에 왔고 다시 오겠노라고 얘기하며 떠났습니다. 그런데, 유독 한 노신사가 예배당을 떠나지 않으며 벽거리로 걸려 있는 테이블보를 바라보고 있었습니다.

“이런 똑같은 것이 두 개가 있지는 않을 텐데…”. 그리고 그가 전하는 회고입니다. “ 제가 아내보고 먼저 오스트리아를 탈출하라고 하였지요. 저는 곧 나치에게 체포되고  모질고 힘든 캠프생활을 하였습니다.”

목사는 이 노인에게 잠깐 시간을 내줄 것을 청하였습니다. 그리고 스테이튼 아일랜드의 아파트로 안내하였습니다. 그 연세 많으신 여인의 집으로 안내한 것입니다.

고요한 밤, 거룩한 밤,아기  예수가  오신 기쁜 밤이었습니다.  

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2012  
Merry Christmas! 김영굡니다


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 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 initials 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 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 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
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
cares we know He will see us through.

So 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
to those you want God to bless and remember
to send it back to
the one who asked God to bless
you first.

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 this to you.

Father, God, bless all my friends and family in what
ever it is that You know they may be needing this
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
prosperity and power as they seek 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.