October 10th - Matthew 9:9

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. There are moments in all our lives that act like hinges. In themselves they are small but when we look back on life, they changed everything. I think of the moment in Israel when I met a 19-year-old student in a hotel foyer. She is now my wife. I also think of that incredible moment some years later when my wife told me that she was pregnant for the first time. I couldn’t stop smiling. I think of the moment as a teenager when I was first asked to preach a sermon. The moments came and went, but the whole of life has looked different ever since. This was clearly a hinge moment in Matthew’s life. One moment he was busily at work collecting taxes and the next he had left all of that behind him and was following Jesus. This encounter probably happened near Capernaum, where we know that there was a customs post. Tax collectors were particularly despised because they were working for the hated Romans and it was well known that they were often dishonest. The only reason someone would do a job like that was because it was lucrative, so no doubt Matthew lived very comfortably. However, Jesus’ word of invitation was enough to change everything. We are not clear exactly where Matthew ministered in later years. Some sources claim that he worked among the Jews in Judaea before travelling to other countries. While we can’t be sure where he ended up, I am sure that he often looked back to the moment when Jesus called him in the middle of a normal working day. We cannot know when one of those hinge moments will happen in our own lives, so we need to head into each day with our ears tuned in to the voice of God. Today might seem completely ordinary and unremarkable but, at any time, the Lord might speak to us and lead us on a new journey of faith. Question What have been the most significant hinge moments in your life? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you love me so much that you are continually leading me by your Spirit. Help me to listen out for your voice today. Amen