Continue to love each other like brothers, and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1-2)
This is one of those scriptures that finds its way to brick-a-brack and is sold in a gift shops. It smacks of sentimentality, and is an embarassment to some. When a country band named “Alabama” can make good money off of a song called “Angels Among Us,” then you know it must be a suspect part of the Bible.
But as embarassing as that may be, I believe it wholeheartedly. I have been meeting angels unaware for most of my life and sometimes it is good to pause and remember them.
When I was in elementary school, there was a new kid in school. He didn’t speak English well, and had a difficult time in class. The teacher suggested that I make friends with him and help him with his studies. We spent lots of time together during and after school. I got to spend time with his family and he with mine. I learned much about his culture, and enjoyed my first Mexican food at his table. He learned about cornbread and blackeyed peas at my table. It was a friendship that made a difference in my life for years to come.
In college, I welcomed strangers into my life frequently. I learned that they would almost alwayts be more of a blessing to me than I would ever be to them. There was a guy who needed a place to crash for the night who was visiting his girlfriend on campus. He stayed on my floor and we spent the night talking about everything from God to rock and roll. He left the next day and left with me a pocket card with the Lord’s Prayer on it. I never saw the guy again, but I kept the card in my billfold until it disintegrated 15 years later.
I befriended a stranger twenty five years ago who was a Japanese exchange student. We had some classes together, and before long we shared meals, golf, and other adventures. He was a Buddhist, and I was a United Methodist minister. The differences never seemed to matter. We have been in business together, raised families, and kept in touch through the years. One visit I made to his home over 10 years ago I was pleased to see that he was raising his girls in the Roman Catholic Church with his wife who is a devout Catholic. Recently I learned that he had become a practicing Christian himself and was an inspiration to many in his circle of friends.
He has always been a blessing to me, and it was because I heeded the call of the scripture, as embarassing and cliche as it might be, to welcome the stranger.