Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 NRSV
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to them, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’” Matthew 22:36-40
I’ve been blessed by wise men this week. I did not expect to be the recipient of wisdom, but I think that’s how it works. When we expect someone to be wise - to be the giver of answers - we are too often disappointed. Wisdom is best received and perceived when it bubbles up from unthinkable places or from unlikely people.
What surprised me the most by my two wise men (sorry there were not three), was their messages had to do with love, tolerance, and acceptance. We want to categorize “the other” and certainly men in their 80s and 90s don’t seem to fit in the categories of acceptance, tolerance, or diversity. But these two men were the unexpected carriers of wisdom lessons about embracing the stranger, loving, and being loved.
Oh, and my wise men were “disaffected” from the institutional church. Go figure.

With these few sentences, he dispelled my biases about people “of an age” and how they feel about brown-skinned immigrants. He showed compassion and empathy. For that conversation, he served as the voice of Christ to me, reminding me to show extravagant love toward the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the imprisoned, and the stranger. Such a wise man.
Later, when his wife joined us, he identified himself as a non-Christian. For him that meant someone who was not brought up in "the church” and who never embraced “the church.” He believed in a Higher Power and said that occasionally he went to church with his wife. “But I feel like this every time,” pulling is arms to his sides and making himself as small as possible. “I’m so afraid that I will do something ‘wrong.'” How sad. How sad that the wise man who has a Divine understanding of welcoming the outsider does feel welcome in the house of God.
My other wise man was the elder of the two. As he reviewed some of the events in his long life, he interpreted their meaning from an intellectual perspective. He was articulate, educated, reflective. He divided his life into the “romantic” and the “practical.” The romantic was when he allowed himself to embrace his creative, artistic tendencies. The practical was when he accepted the responsibility of running his father-in-law’s business when his father-in-law died. He had initiative and sought out education and training to achieve his highest potential. He provided for his family and hoped that he was fair to his employees. When he sold the business, I assume making enough of a profit to provide for his needs, he returned to “romantic” pursuits of creating and craft.

Early in our conversation he wanted to clarify for me, the chaplain, that while he greatly admired his female pastor’s sermons and “ideas,” the liturgy of the church no longer held meaning for him. His health prevented his attendance for the most part, but in truth, he confessed, the “stuff” of church was no longer relevant . Because of this admission, he assumed that he “wasn’t much of a Christian.” As he told his stories, of which the above was just one, I tried to tie them to the stories of our faith. His paying attention was Imago Dei I told him - seeing the image of God in the other. This seemed to comfort him and from the little I gathered in our brief relationship, would cause him to ruminate on this suggestion for a while. Even a wise man can appreciate a positive lesson now and then.
My life has been blessed by the wisdom of old men this week. Old men who others might marginalize because of their age, their health, or their occasional loss for the “right” word. These men, however, know what it means to embrace the other as Christ’s love embraces us. They are not “church” men, but I believe the church can learn from them. My prayer is that I reflected Christ’s loving embrace back to them this week. My prayer is that the sometimes awkward, frumpy chaplain helped them to feel as unconditionally accepted as they made me feel.
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