One year during Advent, our high school youth group put on a Leo Tolstoy play, “Where Love Is, God Is.” Some of you might also know this short play as “Martin the Cobbler.”
The play is about a cobbler who had endured great tragedy in life. He was happily married and he and his wife had many children, but all had died in their infancy, save one. When the child was about three, Martin lost his wife. He struggled and even thought of taking his son to live with his sister and their family. He couldn’t think of life without him and together they found their way. When his son was reaching his teenage years, he developed a fever and died. Martin fell into despair and became angry with God for taking his only son.
One day a missionary from Martin’s home town visited his cobbler shop. During their conversation, Martin poured out his heart and how he was mad at God and no longer wanted to live. The missionary showed him kindness, but told him he had no right to be mad at God. He told Martin that once he learned what it meant to live for God, he wouldn’t grieve any more. He told Martin to buy a copy of the Gospels and read them. Martin did. Soon Martin was reading the stories of Jesus each night until his lamp ran out of oil. The words sank into his heart and Martin began to find new purpose and joy in life. One night Martin fell asleep while reading and he was startled awake to a voice that told him to look to the street for God would visit him tomorrow.
Excited, Martin woke up the next morning, lit a fire and put on a pot of soup, some porridge, and baked some bread. Martin sat down to work, but he was distracted and found himself looking out the window. As was his habit, he would look at people’s feet rather than faces. He recognized people by their shoes and boots. One of Martin’s neighbors came by shoveling the walk, he looked cold and Martin invited him in and they shared tea together. Martin shared his story about God visiting and the some of the Gospel stories he’d been reading. His neighbor then thanked him for the warm tea and the stories of Jesus that warmed his soul.
Martin sat down again to work and after a while a woman he did not know stopped by his window. She was carrying a basket and had on summer clothing. Martin heard a baby cry and immediately called her inside and told her to sit by the fire and get warm. He set the table and put out soup and bread. He played with the baby while mom ate. Martin again shared his story of the promised visit from God and the stories he had been reading. Martin then went and found a coat, boots, and an old cloak for her to wrap her baby. She asked God to bless Martin for his generosity and told him she had to go.
Martin was hungry himself and finished up the soup and some of the bread and went back to work. It was getting late and Martin was beginning to wonder if the voice was real. Martin was interrupted by a scuffle outside. A woman with a basket of apples and a load of sticks on her back was struggling with a boy. Martin went out to calm things down and was told by the woman the boy had stolen an apple from her. The woman wanted to call for the police, but Martin looked at the boy and told him to ask the woman for forgiveness. Overcome with guilt the boy began to cry and beg the woman to pardon him. She told Martin that the boy deserved a whipping and spoiling the boy would only cause more trouble. Martin explained how this might not have been our way, but it was God’s desire to forgive. Martin then asked what we deserved for our sins. This caused the woman to become silent. Martin then shared the story of the two servants who had great debt. The woman bowed her head and sighed.
She leaned over to lift up her pack of sticks and the boy said, let me carry that for you, I’m going that way. Martin watched as they walked into the darkness together talking to each other.
Martin went back inside, a bit disappointed as the day was coming to an end and still not visit from God. Martin lit his lamp, filled his bowl with porridge and sat down to read. He thought he heard footsteps and asked who was there. He heard the same voice as last night, it is I Martin, don’t you recognize me. Martin turned and there stood his neighbor (snow shovel in hand), the woman and the baby, and the old woman and the young boy. “It is I,” the voice said again.
”I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
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God visited you today, did you recognize Him?
Prayer: Father, forgive me when I haven’t recognized you. Please come visit me again and again, I want to serve you, I want to welcome you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.