We Are Each Other’s Angels

Several years ago when I was away on continuing education, a young homeless couple pulled into the church driveway on a Wednesday night. One of our elders had just arrived for our weekly dinner, and she noticed that this couple looked like they were in distress. They had three children all under the age of three. The father was in the back of the car mixing a bottle for the baby. And so this elder invited the family to come in for dinner. The father, shook his head no. The children didn’t have any clean clothes and the woman had no shoes.

It was a terrible, sad situation. But folks from our congregation reached out and ministered to this couple. They listened to their story. They quickly got together a dinner and gathered canned food. Someone made a call and got them a secure space in a local family shelter. 

Our church is not in an urban setting, and I wonder how this family ended up here. Had it been any other night, no one would have been there. But as it was, they came at a good time, and I’m proud to say our congregation rose to the occasion.

All of this just reminds me that you never know who God is going to bring into your life at a certain point in time. You never know how God might use you to minister to others. And, you also never know when they might be there to minister to you.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, we remember that you often come in the guise of a stranger: the lost, the hurting, the hungry, the homeless. Keep us open, O God, for opportunities to serve others; and by serving them, serve you. We pray especially today for those who are hurting. Bring the right people, at the right time, into their lives to give them the strength and resources they need to carry on. In your name, we pray. Amen.