Hospitality

Question for you: Have you ever seen the face of an angel? I think I may have several times today. It’s Monday and it looks like it may be a long Monday at that. Beyond the normal Monday activities and e-mail to handle, I was kept busy with phone calls and other things to check off my To-Do-List. The morning went by fairly quick but when I got back from lunch, things changed.
When I got back from lunch, I got ready for our weekly staff meeting. After the meeting was done, I received the second of four visits from individuals who needed assistance with their utilities. The woman was 45 minutes early for her appointment with me and I had wanted to get a few things done before her and the other two people came for their assistance. Anyway, I decided to go ahead and help her. She entered my office and began to ask me numerous questions about our church, where she could get additional help, etc… I didn’t think she was going to stop talking. Anyway as she handed me her paperwork, she asked me if the church had an extra-large print Bible to give her. When she asked the question, I “knew” she was just making small talk with me until I gave her the check she needed, or at least, that’s what I thought.
I finally got everything done for the woman and handed back her paperwork along with the check she needed. She then asked me again if the church had a large print Bible for her to have. After checking with Annette to see if the church had one, I remembered I had one on my shelf that I didn’t use anymore. I wish all of you could have seen the woman smile after I handed her the Bible.
Shortly after she left, the next person needing help showed up. The gentleman was genuinely excited. The reason was that he had found full-time work earlier that day so he knew he would be back on his feet again soon. The gentleman praised God when he left and told me he would be back sometime to pay back what he could so we could pass it on to the next person.
And then final person came. She was a young woman of 30 years of age. She appeared to be embarrassed having to be in a church asking for help with her bills. As she handed me her license, I noticed her birthday was two weeks away. When I commented on that to her, her face lit up with a big smile and thanked me. As I handed her the check for her assistance, she asked me if she could take a couple of Tootsie Roll pops from the bucket on my desk for her kids in the car. I told her sure and to get one for the birthday girl too. She again smiled, took the three Pops and went on her way.
Later as I was cleaning up my desk to leave, I thought about the four people who had visited me that day seeking assistance. As I was thinking about them, Hebrews 13:2, came to mind, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
It was a sobering reminder for me and I pray for all of us, each and every time someone approaches us for some form of help individually or as a church, we will always offer hospitality and the Love and Grace of Christ. We should offer nothing less than what God has shown us.

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