Entertaining Angels

A few nights ago we met a woman at the church who began immediately to describe that she was in a dire need of some money and food, etc. She was very nice, and yet very agressive. We had just finished having a meal when she came in. After having given me a letter to explain her plight in more gruesome detail, she sat down and participated in our prayer meeting, during which she requested prayer for her daughter going to college somewhere in the northeastern U.S. so that she would pass a test. After the prayer meeting, I briefly summarized her situation to the group and asked if anyone could give and wanted to do so. The lady received quite a bit of money for a bus fare to take her to work, along with a big bag of leftover food from our pot luck supper. Moreover, I also gave her a ride to her house (with my niece Hannah aboard), so she could put the food in her refrigerator. Finally, she expressed tremendous joy for our helping her, as well as her assurance that we would see her at church on Sunday morning. We have yet to see the woman, and you'll have to forgive me if I am not standing outside to look for her.

As you can probably imagine, there are mixed thoughts about people like Rosa (this is not her real name by the way). Thoughts like, "you're probably not the first person who got ripped off," or "what a waste, " or "God will judge her for taking money like that from his people." But the truth is, there has to be a lot of assumptions made before someone can come up with any opinion about Rosa. You have to assume that she intended to manipulate and lie and steal to get help or things or money that she really did not need. The truth is I don't know anything about Rosa except what she told me, and I might could just give her the benefit of the doubt. "But, " you say, "she did say that you would see her Sunday." Right, kinda like you tell your family that they are welcome anytime, and they can stay as long as they want. That's o.k. as long as they don't come in town during the football playoffs, or as long as they don't stay till you start hurting in the wallet. My point is that words in this culture are tacked on to sentences like cliches of old. They sound good but they don't mean a whole lot.

What is the proper response then? I think what we did is all you can do (not that we should be given the nobel peace prize or anything), but I also think our mindset is important for it to have any lasting value. I have always believed that if anyone comes to me in the name of Christ (as she did) that I should help him or her if it is in my power to do it. I don't mean to say that if someone comes to me that does not know Christ that I kick 'em to the street. I just mean that there is a higher priority in doing that. In addition, the Bible talks a lot about being hospitable to the stranger (I think he even required the Hebrew people to do that for people coming through their land). There is one scripture I do think is worth glancing at: Hebrews 13:2 (New International Version).

It says, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Now I am sure that you could say a lot about this verse, but I am not really interested in getting bogged down with a quagmire of theological jargon that will bore the tears out of you (if you're not already). I take the verse at face value like you just read it. In other words, there might be Rosa's out there that may not have been real people? You mean "Highway to Heaven" was right on theologically? Exactly, every bit of it! Just kidding. All I am saying is that there is a lot of stuff in this life that we should n't pretend like we know (if we truly don't), and leave that to God. That doesn't mean hope God kills all the Rosa's to get even; that means love people genuinely and unconditionally, and trust God to get the glory and give you the benefit of serving others. After all, you never know when you may have been entertaining angels.