[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during December 2025]
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 91 v11 [NIVUK]
It was a wintry evening in Bucharest, the temperatures were dropping, the winds were blustery, the snow was piling up in drifts. Inside the airport it was warmer but crowded with people anxious to complete their journeys. Then came the dreaded announcement – all flights were cancelled. As we tried to get more information from the airline desk there came a second announcement – the airport was closing. What was I to do?
A man tapped me on the shoulder, grabbed my suitcase and said “Come!”. Despite a plethora of thoughts I had no choice and rapidly followed him. He got us onto a bus and took me to his parents’ apartment where a hot meal and comfortable bed were provided. In the morning he took me back to the airport where a substitute flight was available.
Was he a Christian? Probably not, by our western reformed understanding. Was he an angel? Who knows, but he was certainly God’s man of the moment. A modern ‘Good Samaritan’ who helped a traveller in distress.
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13 v2 [NIVUK]
In this season of goodwill are we willing to offer hospitality to strangers? Does our modern society advise against it?
Offering hospitality entails a risk. It is not uncommon to hear stories of how gestures that were well-intended ended in misunderstanding or even hostility. The Chinese philosopher Confucius was no doubt well aware of such situations.
All our guests bring happiness – some when they arrive, others when they leave.
More than a few of us would have to confess that his observation contains more than a smidgen of truth. Indeed, when Jesus came to visit the earth some 500 years after Confucius there were many people who were happy to see him but there were also people who were happier once he had gone.
Offering hospitality or making a similar gesture is, of course, only one side of any such relationship. We need to learn how to accept hospitality, to respect those who are offering it and to be grateful. The King of kings has invited us to a wedding banquet in heaven.[1] Do we know what is expected of us?
The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25 v40 [NIVUK]
At this time of year, surrounded by angels made from paper, tinsel and chocolate, do we still have time for ‘Goodwill to all men’?
References:
[1] Revelation 19:9
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys