Irena Part 2

11/23/20 • 29 min

Introduction:

The long night of conversations over the pleasantries of relatively fresh baked deserts (even if there was hardly any sugar in them) was a sweet rarity that warmed Irena’s body and spirit. It was special times like this that made her temporarily forget, (even if it was partial) the fear and the horror that surrounded her and gripped the once beautiful city of Warsaw.

It was hard for anyone with a conscious to indulge in bread that wasn’t old and stale while so many in the Ghetto - just a few streets away, were currently starving - But there was no guilt this night, there was no shame, nor regrets. The small company of loved ones with talk of better times was a true gift to Irena - far better than any wrapped present could’ve given.

And with heavy eyes, it was in this mood that Irena finally laid her head down to sleep. And quickly, she was dreaming:

...dreaming of her youth with familiar and unfamiliar faces in both recent and distant memories. As past experiences seamlessly converged into new dreams, more and more children began to appear, filling the scenes of Irena’s resting mind. And before long, there were multitudes of young ones - so many that Irena nearly felt lost. She could no longer discern if she was in the dream or just a spectator of it. And although at the time, Irena herself was childless, the pleasant emotions of motherhood, like pride, comfort, and joy, were strongly evoked by the throngs of happy children who all seemed to be gathering around an elderly woman. A woman so old, short, and white, that it was difficult for Irena to discern who she was. The ancient woman hardly moved, but when she did, Irena noticed that it was slow, awkward, and looked even painful. And it was in the midst of this euphoric perception of feeling like a mother, that there came an unwelcome and disturbing pain. Irena could feel it in heart and perceived the old woman did as well. It was like the prophet Simeon when he spoke to the proud mother of Jesus, saying that her son’s rise and fall would pierce her own soul like a sword.

Irena’s restful dream ended with a nightmare that was just beginning...

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Suddenly the harsh pounding on Irena’s front door jolted her awake! She knew exactly what was happening and who it was, but it didn’t ease the pounding in her chest. Irena had rehearsed what she would do in this circumstance over and over and like clockwork, she reached down from her bed and grabbed the glass jar.

What was in the jar was more valuable than her own life, and for that matter, more important than the three lives of the other women in her house now - that was her mother Janina, her mother’s sister, and her good friend, Janka. They had spent the night in celebration of Irena’s naming day. But the only thing that mattered now was making sure the Gestapo would not find the jar! And they were about to break the door down.

With jar in hand, Irena ran to the kitchen window which sat above the unkempt bushes 20 feet below in her small backyard. As she lifted the window sash to toss the container down, she saw two guards standing below looking up at her.

Dear God!

This had been her plan - This had always been her plan - to discard the glass jar into the shrubs where it would be kept safe! Irena knew the SS guards were there for her alone so as a pry bar began to splinter the thin front door, Irena threw the precious container to Janka.

“These are our children - They must not be found!”

The door violently burst open just as Janka awkwardly stuffed the jar down her shirt. Nine SS guards swarmed into the small dwelling furiously barking orders. Their presence filled the entire complex with absolute terror, let alone the 4 women inside the small apartment. And that was the precise point! It was three o’clock in the morning and every neighbor’s eyes were on Irena’s flat. After three long hours of turning her small home upside down, searching for anything and everything to incriminate Irena, the Nazi’s finally stopped. It was now six o’clock in the morning and despite all their efforts to find something, the guards missed a bag full of cash and identity documents that had been in fairly plain view, but was now covered by Irena’s broken bed frame. Irena thought it was a miracle. If there were any silver-linings in this nightmare, it was that the Gestapo didn’t find anything, they only wanted Irena, and they never knew about the glass jar still hidden in Janka’s blouse.

As the sun just began to give its light, Irena was ushered into the prison car waiting on the street outside. It was crowded with SS guards, most of whom had already dosed off. Irena had to sit on the lap of one of the agents. It wasn’t far after the sedan had left her apartment, that Irena had time to gather her thoughts about where she was being taken - the infamous Pawiak Prison. It was built in the early 1800’s by the ...

Introduction:

And with heavy eyes, it was in this mood that Irena finally laid her head down to sleep. And quickly, she was dreaming:

Irena’s restful dream ended with a nightmare that was just beginning...

___________________________

Dear God!

“These are our children - They must not be found!”

Previous Episode

Love Becomes / Devotional 5/5

Irena Sendler rescued 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. This devotional will explore Irena's life and the rich example we find in her example of embodying the truth that God's love becomes all things to all people.

1 Corinthians 9:22,23 "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."

Visit the sites below to listen to the sermon, Love Becomes and find out more about the Journey Church in Tucson.

Love Becomes Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADMTg4B7ho8

Journey Church Website: https://www.journeyefc.org/

Journey Church Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Yh-RYbPYXjSIjns7PIw0w

Mayer, Jack, Life in a Jar, The Irena Sendler Project. Long Trail Press, Middlebury, Vermont, Second Edition March 2011.

Next Episode

George on Giving Thanks

If there ever was a time to discuss faith and politics by cheerful hearts with those close to you during the holidays, it’s today! In what is now rare political form, both houses of congress once agreed on something historic and of good nature! What was it? They requested the President to implore the nation to separate a special day of the year to give thanks to God for His many blessings - in particular the gift of being a sovereign and free nation with a constitutional government elected by and for its citizens.

On October 3rd, 1789, (just thirteen years after the Declaration of Independence was written and one year after the Constitution was ratified) President George Washington wrote the short 469 word Proclamation and instituted the holiday that we now call Thanksgiving. A few things must be noted and indeed cannot be overlooked.

The Proclamation was all about the greatness of God, asking for forgiveness, and bestowing our many blessings to others.

Most undeniably, God is the center of the Proclamation. He was described by Washington as the “Almighty God”, “great and glorious Being”, “beneficent Author”, and the “great Lord and Ruler of Nations”.

Secondly, Washington gives witness to the goodness of God. He was “the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” Thanksgiving was then to be humbly made to God, not just for the freedom to gorge ourselves on fattened bites of tryptophan-ed turkey, and watch football, but for His “many signal favors”, “manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence” that led the United States “an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for [our] safety and happiness.” We must remember that the pleasure we have from feasting with friends and family on Thanksgiving is only possible from a government that pursues its people’s happiness and safety.

Odd as it may seem, one way to celebrate our freedom and happiness is to confess sin. Washington also asked us as a nation to beseech God “to pardon our national and other transgressions.” Much can be said about this, but it should be sufficient to wonder how good it would be to have a federal government acknowledge their fallen state by imploring God to forgive both their personal and national transgressions.

Lastly, Washington wanted the many blessings that the United States enjoyed like virtue, faith and science to be given to others. Today, in a time where science and religion are falsely pitted against each other, Washington reminds us that there is no gulf between them. He ends the Proclamation hoping “our national government [would be] a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.”

So, even though our senses might be slightly dulled from over consumption this Thanksgiving, may we not forget to raise a glass to give true thanks to God for our nation, our prosperity and the many freedoms we share. May we consider our faults as individuals and as a country and seek pardon from God all while seeking to be a blessing to both neighbors and strangers.

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By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to...