This is the biblical text that I used on Sunday, December 2 when I preached at the ordination of 24 new pastors in the Central Diocese of the Lutheran Church in Tanzania:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”
Feet are not usually considered to be the most beautiful part of the body. At least that is certainly true when it comes to my feet. I wear a size 14 shoe. It takes a big shoe to balance this tall body. But my feet are also rather ugly from 40 years of playing basketball on hardwood floors and 50 years of running on hard roads. I don't know how your bare feet look, but I know that some in my family try to make their feet more beautiful with pedicures and polish. Even if they don't look better, they feel better. But that’s not what makes for beautiful feet according to Romans 10.
There, the beautiful feet are the feet of those who bring good news, the good news of God’s compassion, grace, forgiveness and love.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”
I’ve been thinking about those 24 new Tanzanian pastors who this Christmas will declare to the congregations they serve, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” And I’ve been thinking about the hundreds of people, who upon hearing this good news, will join that multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”
And then I think about the tiny feet of that newborn infant lying in that manger in Bethlehem; and the 12-year-old feet of that adolescent sitting among the teachers in the temple in Jerusalem; and the 30-year-old feet of that young man in the synagogue in Nazareth declaring: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”
During this Advent and Christmas season, may our feet be beautiful because of the good news that we bring, the good news we declare in the hymn, “He Came Down” (ELW 253):
He came down that we may have love,
He came down that we may have light,
He came down that we may have peace,
He came down that we may have joy;
Hallelujah forevermore.
Peace & Joy in Christ,
