Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. – Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)

Did you know that the word “angel” comes from the Greek word aggelos, which means “messenger”? The matching Hebrew word mal’ak has the same meaning.

Sometimes, the Bible uses these words for human beings:

ordinary people who carry messages (Job 1:14; Luke 7:24; 9:52)

prophets (Isaiah 42:19; Malachi 3:1)

priests (Malachi 2:7)

church leaders (Rev 1:20)

Sometimes, the Bible speaks figuratively of things or events as “messengers”…

the pillar of cloud (Exodus 14:19)

pestilence or plagues (2 Samuel 24:16-17)

Usually, though, the word describes the whole range of spirits whom God has created, including both good and evil angels, and special categories such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel.

Angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament.

When human beings see angels, they generally appear in the form of men. In Genesis 18, Abraham welcomed three angelic guests who appeared at first to be nothing more than some travellers. In the following chapter, two angels went to Sodom where they were assumed to be simply a pair of human visitors.

With the possible exception of one passage in Zechariah 5:9, angels always appear as males rather than females (Mark 16:5).

Of course, those of us raised in Christian Homes, have been told of God’s angels all of our lives. Our parents and grandparents have told us that we have a Guardian Angel, assigned by the Lord, to watch over us.

The unchurched among us, learned of Angels through the television series “Touched By an Angel” featuring Della Reese and Roma Downey, who recently produced a series on the Bible for The History Channel.

That televison series about angels started a countrywide fascination with them, leading to all sorts of angel-themed merchandise sales, and what seemed like a nationwide fit of idolatry of them, in which Americans seemed to lose sight of the fact that angels are our servants, assigned to watch over us by their…and our…Master.

A story out of Center, Missouri exploded over all of the Internet yesterday, which has set tongues wagging, as Americans discuss their faith…or lack thereof.

TheBlaze.com has the story…

KHQA-TV is reporting a story that seems virtually unbelievable. After Aaron Smith, 26, struck Katie Lentz, 19, in a head-on car crash on Sunday morning, authorities claim they began a long rescue process. After 60 minutes of trying to get Lentz out of the vehicle (she was pinned between the steering wheel and the seat), rescue crews, at Lentz’s request, prayed out loud for the trapped woman.

And that’s when a mystery priest allegedly appeared. According to accounts, he came out of nowhere and brought intense calm upon the situation.

“He came up and approached the patient, and offered a prayer,” New London Fire Chief Raymond Reed told KHQA-TV. “It was a Catholic priest who had anointing oil with him. A sense of calmness came over her, and it did us as well.”

Considering how many people were at the scene and interacting with the mystery faith leader, the story is a fascinating one.

“I can’t be for certain how it was said, but myself and another firefighter, we very plainly heard that we should remain calm, that our tools would now work and that we would get her out of that vehicle,” the firefighter added.

Now here’s where things get weird. After another fire department showed up, the rescue proceeded easily and the tools worked, as promised. But when nearly a dozen firefighters turned around to thank the priest, he was gone; the road was empty. Considering that the road was blocked off for a quarter of a mile during the rescue and that no cars were around, the scenario, on the surface, seems a bit bizarre.

Lentz’s friends and family want to thank the priest, but, so far, he’s nowhere to be found.

“Where did this guy come from?” Travis Wiseman said, speaking rhetorically about the faith leader . “We’re looking for the priest and so far, no one has seen him. Whether it was a priest as an angel or an actual angel, he was an angel to all those and to Katie.”

Smith has been charged with a DWI, second degree assault and failure to drive on the right side of the road. And the search for the priest forges on.

As I was hanging out at my favorite Conservative website, hotair.com, the inestimable…and atheistiic…AllahPundit, posted the story of the Angelic Priest. It was fascinating to read all the comments of the posters there.

Even though 78% of us Americans proclaim Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior, and 92% of us believe in God, there are still those among us, both believers and non-believers, who have trouble accepting a supernatural event may have occurred Sunday Morning.

I can understand why. The idea of an omnipotent God, filled with love and concern for each one of us, is difficult for our tiny human minds to comprehend at times.

People have a hard time grasping the fact that, as ol’ Billy Shakespeare wrote,

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. – Hamlet (1.5.166-7)

Man has struggled with the reality of God, ever since Adam said to Eve,

I’ll Bite.

And, nowadays, our Christianity is being challenged like never before in this nation, given to us by God, by a dark, libertine culture, where man is his own god, morality is relative and ethics are situational.

Seeking answers, non-believers and those who have wandered away from their American Christian Heritage, turn to whatever they feel will work for them; including, but not limited to, their Horoscope, Buddhism, EST, Self-realization, or substance abuse.

Eventually though, they find that those finite things, cannot fill the gaping hole in their heart. Only the infinite love of the One who became the expiation for their sins can make them complete, and wash them white as snow.

The story of the Angelic Priest causes us all to reflect on our own faith or, as I said before, our lack thereof.

What do you believe? Do you have the faith of a mustard seed?

I firmly believe “Greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world.”

I don’t know how people, nowadays especially, live without Him.

I also believe, that, Angel or Priest, that ministering messenger was sent by God.

What do you believe?

Until He Comes,

KJ