The passage from Hebrews has been coming back to me about "entertaining angels unawares" --
This morning I got up and went to breakfast after a very good nights sleep (all the way through from 11:30 – 6:30). When I got to breakfast I joined Yohai (our guide), Ellie, Dick and Jo, and Jim at table. After a brief discussion and Jo and Dick had headed back to their room, Yohai and I got in an energetic discussion on the Palestinian – Israeli issue (he is very pro-Israeli). I hope it will seed more discussions throughout our time together. Afterwards I went to the desk to make plans for transportation for the small group of us to go to Ibillin and meet the group who was on the tour today. When I talked with the woman at the desk she seemed surprised when I said we were going to Ibillin. I asked if she knew where it was. She said – “of course.” She had gone to school there. She arranged for some transportation to Ibillin – much cheaper than the arrangements I had already made. After part of our group left for Akko – G.B. Tours arrived to meet us. But since I wasn’t sure that they were going to show up I had made alternative arrangements. He received this news calmly and left. After returning to the room briefly and calling Yohai – (who told me that they would pick up the rest of our group and take us to Ibillin) I went down and canceled the trip I had just scheduled and then went for a walk in the neighborhoods around our hotel. While walking I was struck with the stones on the hillsides. I saw garbage, liked crushed cars, piled up on the sides of hills. I walked through what appeared to me to be an Arabic neighborhood. On my walk back I stopped to talk with some young boys – 10-13 years old – who had greeted me on my first pass through. One was named Amir. While talking with them one of the men working on a construction project across the street invited me over for some coffee. (the boys had played a joke on my- which I didn't believe - by telling me that they were building a school - it was much too small for that -- the workers confirmed it was a house). I don’t drink coffee – but it seemed like a good opportunity to talk with people. I talked with Assam (my inviter), and his co-workers, Mohammed and Hosni (“like Hosni Mubarak” he said). They explained that they were Arabs and Muslim. I told them that I was a Christian. They had seemed to think that I was Jewish. We couldn’t communicate a lot – they offered a cigarette and I did decline that offer. They gave a thumbs down to George W. Bush (because of Iraq, from what I gathered) and showed a “wait-and-see” attitude toward Barack Obama. Mohammed seemed surprised that someone with an Arabic sounding name had been elected president! We attempted to chat with our limited language – they did much better than me. They offered to speak in Hebrew – which I could not do. They wanted to know why I was there – and had a hard time understanding pilgrimage. They did mention that they understood that I was a follower of “Yeshua.” And one of them in trying to ascertain what I was made the sign of the cross on his chest – “yes,” I replied and made the sign of the cross myself. I was struck by the ways in which strangers were so quick to show hospitality toward me and share what they had with me. I would not say that in any way we became friends - but it did cause me to think a few moments about how we welcome strangers - treat strangers -- when they cross our paths. They worked very hard to understand me and for that I'm very grateful.
I was thinking as I was talking with the folks working on the house in Nazareth about our many travels - the people we have met and the hospitality we have received. I think of how gracious Pratapan was to us in India (of course we knew his family) - and others who welcomed us to their homes and poured themselves out so graciously for us. I think of Father Wim in Capetown and Peter-John who offered us his coats when our luggage had not arrived. i thought of the couple who we talked with as we flew through the trees in Tsikama. And the nuns in Daka and the nuns in Durban. It makes me think that perhaps I should work hard to recognize the strangers around me and return some of what has been so graciously showered on us. I'm not sure what that will look like - but I look forward to the challenge of seeing it and acting on it.
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