The Visitor

Ruth looked at the letter one more time. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter one more time...

Dear Ruth,

I am going to be in your neighbourhood Saturday
afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.

Love always,
Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer."

She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty-five cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.

A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey and a carton of milk …. leaving Ruth with a grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

"Hey lady! Can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans that she hadn't even noticed the two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags.

"Look, lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's gettin' cold and we're gettin' kinda hungry, and, if you could helpus, lady, we'd really appreciate it."

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly she was sure that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."

"Yeah, well, okay lady. I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned, and headed back into the alley.

As she watched them leave, she felt a familiar twinge in her heart. "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag.

"Thank you, lady. Thank you very much!" "Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife and Ruth could see that now that she was shivering.

"You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then, smiling, she turned and walked back to the street …. without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you, lady! Thank you very much!"

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it ….

Dear Ruth,

It was good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal.
And thank you too, for the beautiful coat.

Love always,
Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

John Grant

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