One of my favourite programs on television was Touched by an Angel. I enjoyed watching every episode, but it was the last episode, which came in two parts, "I Will Walk With You", that really struck home with me. A short synopsis of the story is as follows:

Monica's last assignment before she replaces Tess stems from meeting Zack, a travelling handyman, on the bus to Ascension, Colorado. When they arrive there, they find out that there are no kids in town. Apparently two years prior, all of the children were killed when the school's boiler exploded. Monica finds out that there are people there whom she recognizes as former assignments, and that this assignment is no coincidence. Things soon become clear when the town developer claims to have seen Zack before. He finally figures out where: it was by the school on the day of the explosion. This claim leads everyone to look at Zack as the killer. Zack is whisked off to jail to protect him from the grieving crowd, and Monica sets out to get the best representation that she can. The prosecuting attorney, according to Monica, is the devil, who succeeds in bringing the case to trial, along with witnesses against Zack. The townspeople testify that it was only after Zack arrived in town that little things belonging to their children began to go missing, which according to an expert, is a trait of a serial killer. Zack admits taking the items; he is found guilty, and given the maximum sentence for his crimes, and he is to be transferred to prison the next day. In the meantime, a developmentally challenged young man, Joey, confesses that it was he who set the boiler on its deadly course, because the devil tricked him into turning the heat up so that he could keep some orphaned kittens warm. When Monica arrives at the cell the next morning to tell Zack, she finds the cell empty. Perplexed, she goes to meet Tess, and it is there that she sees Zack once again. Zack reveals himself for who he truly is, her Lord, Jesus Christ. Monica apologizes for not recognizing Him. He answers her by saying, "If you knew that it was Me, you would have done anything for Me, but you did it to a stranger. Well done, good and faithful servant."

Matthew 25:35-40 – "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me." Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" The King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." (NASB)

What if Jesus has returned, but we are still too blind to see Him in the faces of our fellow human beings?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive us for not loving our neighbour as ourselves. Help us to see Your face in every person that we meet. Help us to treat others as we would like to be treated. Help each and every one of us to be a change agent in someone's life whenever the situation arises. Amen.

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About the author:

Rosemary Hagedorn <rosyhagedorn@gmail.com>
Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
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