It was the fall of 1946. World War II was over and things were getting back to normal — if ‘normal’ exists after such a tragedy.  A middle-aged bride eagerly awaits the arrival of her husband from the battle field.  Hours turn into days, days into months, and…nothing.  Then, she receives a letter.  Expecting the worst she slowly opens the envelope prolonging the inevitable.  But it’s not from her husband.  Instead the letter was from a group of 21 men imprisoned in Nuremburg.  These men were awaiting trial for some of the most horrific crimes ever committed.  Men like Joachim von Ribbentrop, Walther Funk, Albert Speer, Fritz Sauckel; all high-ranking official in Hitler’s regime.  The letter acknowledged her desire to have her husband home but requested he stay a while longer.  Her husband, a chaplain, had become a spiritual advisor and support system to this group of, as the world referred to them, “monsters.”  Half of these men would hang by mid-October of that year following admissions of guilt for the crimes they were being charged.  In their own way, each man had a hand in the deaths of nearly 60 million Jewish lives taken.

Have you ever considered who you will be spending eternity with? Want to share heaven with a Nazi?  You will.  The work of one World War II chaplain has made that possible.  Your mansion may very well be right beside one of these men.  We like to think of heaven as a glorious and wonderful place full of beauty and perfection.  No doubt we all would rather our mansion be beside Paul’s (the writer of most of the New Testament), or David (the ‘man after God’s heart), or………WAIT!  At Paul’s hands (formally Saul) many lives were also taken.  David was a murderer too– and an adulterer.  Then there’s…..no…..Noah was an alcoholic.  Abraham was a liar.  Moses was a murder.   By today’s standards Samson was a sex-addict.  Rahab was a harlot.  Failures.  By the worlds perspective all were failures.  But they all had ONE thing in common–the redemptive power of Christ at work in their lives.  Mark 2:17 reminds us those who are well don’t have need of a physician, rather those who are sick (sinners).  One man’s actions led a group of unworthy murderers to Christ.  If that chaplain had chosen who to minister to based on whether someone deserved redemption, well, we know what the outcome would be.  Had someone chosen to minister to you or me based on whether we deserved it, I’m sure we would be on the fast track to hell.  We pass hundreds of people daily who are in need of a Savior.  None of us deserve Him, but we all need Him whether they realize it or not.  Ministering to the lost isn’t like going to a grocery store.  We should never pick or choose who is clean or worthy enough to be minister to.  “…the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…”  Let’s get to work, my friends!

Closing remarks and encouragement:  People can change.  Don’t ever give up on yourself.  And never give up on the lost.  God never will.  There is ALWAYS hope in Christ.  Point the sick towards the Doctor today!!!