Many families from Austria and Holland barely escaped before the Nazis occupied both countries and they fled to England. Justin Jackson, a postmaster friend of mine from Ohio, tells this story:
My brother and I started traveling many years ago to trace our family’s heritage and it’s taken us to many Holocaust sites and death camps.
While visiting a small Austrian sleepy village near Innsbruck with my brother a few years back, we came upon this beautiful old church dated back to the 17th century and the stained glass in the church was absolutely the finest in all of Europe. That being said, it was the pride of the village! People would come from all over to see the stained glass. So naturally, we, like so many others, went in to view the stained glass panels.
When the NAZIS began shelling the village during WW II, the locals all ran to the hillsides taking cover in the forests as the bombs were being dropped on the little hamlet. After the bombings and shelling were over the townsfolk began to return to the town and found homes and shops destroyed. The village was in utter ruin, but much to their surprise there stood their church with the famous stained glass all INTACT!
As the townspeople began to assemble at and in the church, they discovered that the roof had not been spared as part of it was struck from a nearby structure and the roof collapsed. At the front of the church there stood a 12-foot-high marble statue of Christ with outstretched arms and hands welcoming his flock into the church. The collapsed roof had sheared off both the hands of the immaculate statue and the townsfolk were crushed.
They quickly repaired the roof and then began looking for a master craftsman who could repair and restore the hands. A famous sculptor, “whose name I can’t remember,” offered after the war to come and repair the statue for free.
After much thought about the subject the village priest declined the offer. The sculptor was, of course, offended and asked, “Why?” The priest had told the sculptor and his people that the statue would stay as it was, as a constant reminder that Christ has NO hands here on earth but OURS. He challenged his parishioners with a message, “What have your hands done for Christ today?”Watch sermons and read sermon texts and other articles by going to tomahawkmbc.com. Listen to Pastor Jack Ward’s sermons on WSIP FM 98.9 every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Watch his sermons on his Facebook page. Find him on Rumble, Bitchute and Brighteon video platforms.