You're probably not much different than me in at least one regard. You want your life to count for something -- to be meaningful, to have eternal value.  When we stand before God our Creator, we want to hear God's voice in all its glory, ring out, "Well done my good and faithful servant!"  

But all too often our lives seem, well ... so ordinary.

Our scripture reading shines the light on something that will change the ordinary in our lives to extraordinary.  Matthew tells us about a miracle Jesus performs when his journey from Jericho to Jerusalem is interrupted.  

The story starts out very ordinary.  A crowd follows Jesus out of Jericho.  Two blind men cry out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us."  Other crowds had followed Jesus; others sought to be healed.  Nothing extraordinary so far. 

Then Jesus begins a series of moves that changes the ordinary in life to the extraordinary.  He stops.  He asks questions.  He listens.  Then it says, "Jesus had compassion on them."  He touched their eyes.  As a result of his expression of compassion, the blind men were healed; they were healed on two levels.  They regained their sight.  But it also says, "... they followed him."  (20:34).  They could see again visually, and more importantly they were given their sight spiritually.  They could see the way, the truth, and the life, and they followed him.

What does this miracle story say to us?  Through faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us.  We become the very hands and feet of Christ in this world.  We are called to be compassionate, like Christ.   

This passage challenges us to do ministry in the midst of the interruptions of our lives, and it teaches how the expression of compassion in our ordinary encounters with others will transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.   

Blessings to you and yours in this New Year. 

Pastor Michael