My first impression was that Matt might be slightly unhinged. He rarely missed a Sunday at church, but he was very much a loner. Definitely a man of very few words. 

But I learned pretty quickly that Matt had a gift for working with children. They adored him. Wherever he went around the church campus there would be a pack of kids trailing behind him, calling out "Mr. Matt! Mr. Matt!" He became one of the most reliable volunteers in our nursery — steady, gentle, completely devoted to those kids.

In another congregation, a homeless man wandered in off the street one day. He had a story, as people in need often do. We helped him as best we could. At the end of our conversation he said, "Thank you, Pastor. I'll see you on Sunday." And he showed up. And the next Sunday. And the next. He didn't always dress well. Sometimes he didn't smell particularly well either. But he had a singing voice that was nothing less than soul-stirring. By the time I left that congregation he was offering solos at both of our worship services, and he was deeply loved.

Matt taught me something. So did the man with the beautiful voice. They arrived looking like question marks and turned out to be answers to prayers we hadn't even known how to pray. I try to remember that now whenever someone unexpected walks through the door — because I have learned, more than once, that God often does his most surprising work through the most surprising people.

I wonder - who God might be sending your way right now… 

It might be worth a second look. You never know who might be carrying exactly the gift you didn't know you needed.

Prayer: Loving God, keep us open to the people you bring across our path — especially the ones who surprise us. Give us eyes to see the gifts they carry. And make our communities places where everyone who comes finds a home. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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