wrapping things up. The pastor looked out over the audience and smiled. “To close, I’d like to remind you of the admonition in Hebrews 13:2 — ‘Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.’
“That’s exactly what happened to Abraham and Lot, and it ties in nicely for us today. I believe this is a call to God’s people to be genuine in their generosity. Reach out to those around you, be they friend or stranger, and give them a smile, a helping hand, a listening ear, a kind word, a shared meal. You never know when you might be entertaining angels unaware.”
Afterward, Prissie followed Jude through the line, carrying his plate as he pointed to the foods he wanted to sample. Once he was perched on a chair next to Grandpa, she watched carefully, waiting for Pastor Ruggles to get into line and slipping into place behind him. He chatted amiably with one of the deacons, but when he finally picked up his silverware, she saw her opportunity. As he spooned chicken and rice onto his plate, she spoke up. “Excuse me, Pastor Bert?”
He glanced up and smiled. “Hello, Prissie. What can I do for you?”
“I was hoping you could answer a few questions, since you’re an expert on God and things.”
The pastor’s brown eyes warmed, but he didn’t laugh, for which she was grateful. “Well, let’s see, I don’t know about the ‘expert’ part, but I’ll do my best, young lady. What’s on your mind?”
“Angels, mostly,” she admitted, cutting a glance in Milo’s direction. “I guess I’m a little confused. I thought they mostly lived in heaven.”
“I’m sure they call heaven home,” he agreed. “But I suspect they leave from time to time, carrying out the Lord’s work.”
“They have jobs?” Prissie asked. “Like working in a store or as a teacher or something?”
He laughed softly. “Wouldn’t that be something? No, I meant that God has given them responsibilities. Some may spend their lives in heaven, singing the Lord’s praises, but others serve as messengers or guardians.”
“And observers?”
“Well, let’s see,” he mused aloud. “It does say in First Peter that they’re eagerly watching God’s plans play out in our lives — ‘things which angels desire to look into.’ I wonder what they find so fascinating, don’t you?”
“So they’re really real?” she whispered, half to herself. It was harder than she expected to mesh the Bible stories she’d grown up hearing with real life.
“Why, yes,” Pastor Bert said as he took a scoop of spaghetti hot dish, not noticing the way Prissie paled. “As real as you and me. They’re referred to throughout the Scriptures in a very matter-of-fact way, and those who encountered angels knew they were dealing with supernatural beings.”
Her questions felt stupid, but she needed to check. This was too important, too close to home to leave to chance. “Do you think they’re here in West Edinton?”
“Of course! They’re probably all around us — the unseen armies of heaven!” he replied enthusiastically.
“Oh,” she murmured, hugging her empty plate to her chest. “But wasn’t that mostly in Bible times? Nobody sees angels anymore, right? That would be strange.”
“Messengers from God may be rarer now because all we need to know can be found in the Scriptures,” speculated Pastor Bert. “Or maybe we’re like Elijah’s servant, and we don’t have eyes to see what’s all around us.”
The man reached the end of the serving table and picked up a glass of iced tea. “Anything else, Prissie?”
“One more question,” she begged. “What would you do if you saw an angel?”
“That’s a puzzler,” he said, gazing upward. “If I was face-to-face with an angel — or face to floor come to think of it,” he interjected with a wide smile. “There must be a reason they always introduce themselves with the words, ‘Fear not!’ “
“Yes they do that,” Prissie mumbled, trying not to fidget as she waited for his answer.
“From what I’ve read, angels don’t turn up without a reason,” said Pastor Bert. “If I had the incredible privilege of meeting an angel face-to-face, I believe I’d want to know if they had a message for me.”
She blinked. “Is that all?”
“All?” her pastor echoed incredulously. “Think for a moment! The messenger may be a dazzling angel, but the message is God’s! Whether it might be encouragement, direction, correction, or a call to action, I would definitely want to hear a personal word from the Lord!”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Prissie managed.
“One thing’s certain,”