Angel Unaware Pt1 of 4

Angels?
Scripture: Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”.

Hmmm, have you ever thought about what it would be like to entertain an angel? For many of us the opportunity would be a remote possibility. First, because many of us are not in the habit of entertaining strangers. Shucks, I can still here my own mother’s voice crying out from behind the screen door as I ran towards the play ground as a child, “Son, don’t talk to strangers”. Duh, how do you make friends if you don’t talk to strangers? Oh well, my children will tell you that their father has never met a stranger.

For most of my life I have picked up hitchhikers, and people stranded on the road and assisted them in reaching their destination. I just figured that after several years of being a minister, if the story of the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10: 30-37), was a factual account of a someone aiding a stranger in trouble, then I felt it was my responsibility to allow the words of that story to come alive in my own life. After all, I had preached the message on several occasions, but actually living the message, well, that took a little more effort. After all, what if they tried to rob me, or steal my car, or even threaten me with bodily harm. And some where, in the hollow halls of my conscience, and I can still hear my mother’s voice, “ And don’t pick up strangers…EITHER!

I laugh about it today, but my children will tell you, we pick up everyone and anyone in need of assistance. When my children were smaller, their eyes would scan the highways, just looking for people who’s car’s were broken down, or hitching to the next town and yell “there’s one daddy, they need help, lets get them”. Sometimes we would have to double stack in the back seat and the front seat, (this was before the seat belt law…: ) just to get everyone in the car.

Those in need of assistance were always very gracious, and my children, well, to this day they have never met a stranger. I can recall an occasion in the early 80’s. I was pastoring my third church, in Glasgow Ky. and attending Western Ky. University. It was a forty-minute drive from school to home and I considered the road between Western and Glasgow to be my personal Jericho road. I picked up everyone and anyone that needed a ride or a place to rest for the night.

That’s right, I would take total strangers home with me and they would sleep in the twin bed next to my children. At that time my sons were very small and I would pick one up from his bed and place him in the bed with his brother, then allow the stranger to sleep in the bed next to my children. I remember picking up two young men, in their early 20’s, standing in the rain late one night on I 65, soaking wet, hoping someone would stop and give them a ride. I picked them up, took them to my home for the night. They ate dinner with my family. My wife Denise washed and dried their clothes.

Later that night one slept on the couch and the other in the twin next to my sons. The following day we had breakfast and I took them back to I 65 and they were on their way to their destination. In two and a half decades this story has repeated itself over and over again.

Crazy you say. My mom thinks so. And every now and then my wife does too. But, my fear, if I had a fear, would not be what would happen to me or my family if I picked them up, but what would happen to them if I didn’t pick them up. Now, I don’t have guns in my home, I can’t even imagine poking someone with a knife. Someone tried to teach me how to whittle once and I almost lost a finger and an eye! So, what is my defense? LOL, I believe you already know the answer to that. The Good Shepherd.

Everyone knows that it’s the Shepherd’s responsibility to lead the flock, and feed the flock. But sometimes we forget get that it is also the Shepherd’s responsibility to protect the flock. So…I choose to believe, simple faith, simple trust, that My Shepherd will protect me and my family from harm as I try to exemplify His teachings in the Story of the Good Samaritan. And maybe, just maybe, one of those strangers will be…an angel unaware.

Be Blessed