Mark 14:22-24 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.… "A poor widow sent me a dollar and thirty-three cents, in silver change, saying that it was all she found in her dead husband's pocket book, and she wanted to give it to God. I told this to the children and their parents in the Church of the Ascension, in Chicago, and they soon found a way to use this widow's mite 'for God.' They said: 'We will make a communion service of it.' So they added to it their gold rings and pieces of jewelry, and pocket pieces of silver, and a lady gave her dead boy's silver cup, and so they kept on adding pieces of silver and gold till we had enough; and then the artist made us a very beautiful chalice and paten all of silver and gold. Now I must tell you what came of it, and that shall be my second story. When that dreadful fire which destroyed our churches and homes in Chicago was seen approaching our little church, a little girl, seven years old, came with her father to see what they could save. It was four o'clock in the morning, and there was no light except what came from the fire. But little Louisa Enderli found the Communion Service and saved it. She was soon lost from her father, and for four weary miles she made her way among the crowd of people who were hurrying away from the burning district. The wind blew the burning sand and cinders in her eyes, and almost blinded them; but she defended them as best she could with one hand, and clung to her precious treasure with the other, refusing to give it up till she had it in a place of safety. For three days she was lost from her father, she having been sheltered and cared for by a kind German family. When her father at last found her, she threw her arms about his neck, saying, 'O, papa, I saved the Communion! I saved the Communion!' But even then she could not give it up till she had placed it safely in the rector's hand. I think that was an act of Christian heroism worthy of the martyrs who died for their Lord's sake in the older days." (Rev. Charles P. Dorset, rector of the Church of the Ascension, Chicago, Illinois.) Parallel Verses KJV: And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. |
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