My Christmas sermon was so good, I thought I'd share it
What you need to know:
- Two days before Christmas, a storm damaged the plaster behind the altar and when he tried to repair it, he noticed a ragged hole.
- Beautiful stories like this, which were common in the post-war years, repeat themselves again and again in our own lives.
Sometimes I ask myself what this fuss of Christmas is all about. Why is this “season” different?
Why do we wish people a happy season when in the tropics we have only two seasons (rainy-dry)? Why should we celebrate a season in which, statistics show, more people die in accidents, more people get drunk and many spend family savings recklessly?
There is something extraordinary about Christmas. On Christmas Day, I listened to a wonderful sermon.
The priest narrated a story written by the Rev. Howard C. Schade for the December 1954 issue of Reader’s Digest. It is the story of “The Gold and Ivory Tablecloth”.
READY FOR CHRISTMAS
A young pastor had been asked by his Bishop to reopen an old church which had been closed for many years. He wanted to have it ready for Christmas Day.
He had a few days to repair the building, which was dirty and almost in ruins. He set himself to work. Two days before Christmas, a storm damaged the plaster behind the altar and when he tried to repair it, he noticed a ragged hole.
The pastor rushed to the market and bought an old, second-hand beautiful tablecloth for six dollars. He used it to cover the hole and it gracefully did so.
That evening, before the celebration, he met an old lady at the bus stop opposite the church. It was cold, and she had missed the bus. She would have to wait for long.
He invited her in. She could wait for her next bus inside, on a warm pew at the back of the church.
When she entered the Church her eyes went immediately to the tablecloth. She was shocked and asked, "Where did you get this?" The priest explained. "Well, there was a hole in the wall which I hadn’t noticed. So I bought this to cover the hole".
The woman said, “You will not believe this, this cloth is mine”.
She continued. “My husband gave me this tablecloth as a gift.” She explained that she was from Austria. She and her husband had been thrown out by the Nazi regime.
They had gone separate ways, and she was taken to a concentration camp. She had never seen her husband again. He had been killed.
The pastor didn’t know what to say. He wanted her to take the cloth but she wouldn’t agree. They exchanged contacts and he accompanied her to the bus stop.
I NEVER SAW HER AGAIN
That same evening, after the Christmas celebration, a man approached the pastor and asked, “Where did you get this tablecloth from?”
“This is strange”, the pastor said. “You are the second person to ask,” and he explained.
“Father”, the man said. “I had this cloth made many years ago, and I gave it to my wife. I’m from Austria. During the war, she was taken to a concentration camp and died. I never saw her again.”
The pastor was in shock. He said, “Look I can’t explain to you now, but please come tomorrow, for I want to show you something.”
The following day, the pastor reunited husband and wife...the rest is history.
Beautiful stories like this, which were common in the post-war years, repeat themselves again and again in our own lives. Often they pass unnoticed and we take them for granted.
Rev. Schade ends his story by saying: “To all who heard this story, the joyful purpose of the storm that had knocked a hole in the wall of the church was now quite clear. Of course, people said it was a miracle, but I think you will agree it was the season for it!”
The season is not just a time for shopping, for goat-eating, merrymaking and partying.
For this blog, I thought it best not to bring up any legal issue, but write about what I heard on that Christmas night’s sermon.
Whether true or not, many of us have similar amazing stories, and we often take them for granted.
Christmas is a season for reflection, for personal change, for making new resolutions.
We will accomplish some of them; others, we will not...but we need to keep up the courage; and reflect upon the legacy we are called to leave behind.
I wanted to bring up the extraordinary beauty of an ordinary season like Christmas. Merry Christmas!
Dr Luis Franceschi is the Dean of Strathmore Law School.Twitter: @lgfranceschi
