Angels and other strangers

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

When my children were quite young, I suffered from terrible depression at times. Performing everyday tasks could be challenging. Sometimes concentration was impaired and things that would normally be only small stresses would become overwhelming.
 On one occasion I took my children to the local shopping centre and did some shopping. I remember coming out of the main doors of the centre and looking at all the cars in the car park, realising that I had not made a mental note of where I had parked my car. I had no idea where my car was. It was a single level car park and under normal circumstances, I quick walk around would probably have located my car eventually. With two small children in the shopping trolley and feeling so tired and alone and stupid, however, I felt overwhelmed and could have burst into tears.
As I stood there, a rather shabby looking van with a rather rough looking man in it drove up and pulled up alongside me. He had long, wildly tousled hair. He looked directly at me and then raised his arm and pointed through the windows of his car. I followed the line of his arm and pointing finger directly to the sight of my blue Commodore wagon. He then drove away. He wasn't an apparition. I saw him driving into a parking spot at the far end of the car park.
How did he know me? How did he know the source of my distress? I truly believe that he was an angel sent by God to encourage and strengthen me. I've never forgotten that incident. Not all angels have wings. Some drive beat up old vans.

The Bible is full of stories of angelic visitations, including those often celebrated at this time of year, in which the birth of Christ was announced and instructions were given to Mary and Joseph. Yet we don't often expect to be ministered to by angels, nor do we expect that those we minister to may be angels undercover. Angels are powerfully protective beings and should not be diminished to the cutsie Christmas card cherubs or disassociated from their Biblical role of beings created by God to honour and serve Him and do His bidding.

Funnily enough, I was once mistaken for an angel. I went to visit a friend from church who was seriously ill in hospital. As I walked through the hospital grounds I passed a lady sitting on a bench who was weeping profusely. I felt moved to go to her, touch her lightly and ask if she was all right. She just nodded, face in her hands and said she was okay, so I said no more and moved on.
My friend recovered, and many weeks later she told me that her sister, whom I do not know, had visited her in hospital. The sister had been outside, sitting alone on a bench, weeping with despair, thinking she was about to lose her sister, when a lady had come to her, touched her and asked her if she was all right. She thought afterwards that perhaps God had sent an angel to comfort her when she most needed it. I don't know for sure, but think it likely that she was the same person I spoke to. I will state here and now that I am no angel, just a fallen human loved by God. I tell this story to illustrate that God may use angels to minister to others but also uses each of us to share His love in many different ways.