In the Philippines where I grew up, there was a president who used to occasionally dress up in a big hat and workers clothes and ride public transportation around the country. For him, it was the best way to really get a sense of what the country was like. On a few occasions, people would even comment on how he looked so much like the president.
When I was a kid, I remember my mom pointing out the passage in Hebrews 13 where the author says “do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some have entertained angels unaware.” I remember thinking it would be pretty cool to make a snack for an angel.
But even more than an angel, Jesus tells us in Matthew 25, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Could it be possible that like that president or those angels that we could even be in the presence of Christ? That is what Jesus seems to say.
Likewise, we know what it is like to feel like a stranger. Maybe a few of us are gregarious enough extroverts that any room we walk into is just a bunch of friends that we haven’t met yet, but for many of us, we know what it is like to be a stranger. We can notice it because we’ve been there. We see them sitting by themselves and just waiting for someone to involve them, and we know, we’ve been there.
It may seem out of our “spiritual gifting” to welcome them. But would you use that excuse with Jesus?
Especially when you think that Jesus had every right in the world to see us as strangers, as simple creatures and characters under His almighty gaze. But instead, He came to us to be our friend, to visit with us and to invite us into His home.
This week your red letter challenge is to look for the people that could use a friend, the people who might feel they are a stranger. After all, who knows who they might be?