AN ANGEL UNAWARE?
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hebrews 13:2
A Christian couple had retired for the night, but were awoken by a loud and persistent knocking on the front door.
The husband hurriedly responded.
Opening the door he saw a young man.
Without introducing himself the stranger blurted out, ‘Get out quickly, there’s a fire!’
Fire, what fire? I But such was the stranger’s extraordinary earnestness the bewildered husband did not stop to ask questions, but returned to his wife and told her to prepare to leave the house immediately.
Still bemused by the young man’s persistence he then phoned the local fire brigade!
The couple quickly found themselves outside on the kerbside, but in whichever direction they looked there was no sign of the young man.
In the meantime, the firemen had arrived to discover the house ablaze.
Apparently, as was later revealed, a faulty electric wire had caused the inferno.
The young man was not seen again.
(A true story as related to Dr. Peter Trumper, the editor of 1521)