How Beautiful Are Our Feet - Part 2

Prepared for Sunday April 16, 2023

Last week we left church, setting the intention to commit to living Easter, one intentional step at a time.; leaving a trail of resurrection in our wake. We reflected on how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.

 

It is the first day of the week, early when Mary encounter Jesus in the garden, and she runs to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” In the evening of that same day, the disciples meet behind locked doors. Jesus stands in their midst and says, “Peace be with you.” Excitedly they tell Thomas who had not been with them at the time, “We have seen the Lord.” A week later they are again in the house when Jesus stands in their midst and says to them, “Peace be with you.” The Gospel of John continues with more stories of Jesus appearing to the disciples.

 

Beautiful feet don’t happen overnight.

Looking back at the stories it seems like the disciples are taking their time getting it – that Jesus is risen. With compassion to allow for the disciples to wrap their hearts and minds around this ‘new thing’ God is doing, Jesus keeps showing up in their midst. Jesus appears amid the activities of their daily life.

Mary proclaimed, “I have seen the Lord.” The disciples share with Thomas good tidings, “We have seen the Lord.” Their feet are becoming beautiful…and then the feet stop moving. “We have seen the Lord,” is stopped in its tracks, as the disciples take some time to figure it all out.

 

I am a long-distance runner.  I get excited when I sign up for a race; I will tell people right away. Then people forget because it appears that I am taking a long time getting it done. To prepare I have a 19 week training schedule. Pre-race I study the race route, carefully pick race day attire, work-in a new pair of shoes just enough, carb-load, prepare my kit with other items needed, and run through the race day plan over and over.

 

The disciples are not out and about bringing goodness, proclaiming peace, sharing good tidings, or proclaiming salvation --- other than amongst themselves. They are preparing for this new thing God is doing. Jesus has them on a training schedule, unbeknownst to them. Jesus appears. Jesus shares peace. Jesus does other signs in their presence. Jesus helps them fish. Jesus makes a fire to cook breakfast. Jesus speaks with them.  50 days of training – this season that we call Easter, we are in training too; filling ourselves with resurrection accounts of Jesus; fueling our spirits and hearts for the task ahead. We know that for the disciples the Spirit came on Pentecost (50 days after the resurrection) and what appears like a slow start, becomes a fast race and a long marathon. Feet become beautiful -as good news, peace, good tidings, and salvation are proclaimed.

 

Tomorrow is the 127^th running of the Boston Marathon. The race has 30,000 runners from over a 100 countries. For the past few weeks, the Boston Marathon Twitter feed has been highlighting the beautiful feet who will be running in the race. Posts have shared runner’s answers to ‘Why We Run;’ a spotlight has been given to the Adaptive Program for Runners – a program that works to make the race accessible; and an emphasis has been placed on charity team stories. On the day of the Boston Marathon, broadcasting outlets focus on the stories – good news, and tell stories of good tidings that often come out of an experience of suffering. The Boston Marathon tells their story and the stories of those who run with them, and their connection to the larger community and charities that benefit.  The stories are good news, good tidings, that inspire people to participate – whether running or giving or participating in other ways. The stories build community, excitement, determination, hope.  How beautiful are the feet… 

 

The Boston Marathon has had 127 years to perfect the telling of their story and the story of others. As a congregation we have had almost as long, 108 years. How beautiful are our feet?

 

Since the annual congregation meeting, you have been invited, and given prompts to assist you, in the proclamation of good news, peace, and salvation. In many and various ways, we can articulate, “I have seen the Lord.”

 

When I think about the disciples and their meetings in the aftermath of Jesus’ resurrection; I wonder if there was a delay in proclamation because the disciples didn’t have the words, or they weren’t quite sure, or they were confused as to who to tell, and I am sure they were scared for their lives. In my experience as a pastor, no one has ever come to me saying, “I have seen the Lord.” This is our hurdle.

People have shared with me stories of feeling a presence, being wrapped in peace; a moment of clarity, of knowing exactly what to say, of being filled with a passion to act. People have shared with me coincidences – or as I call them God-incidence. People have articulated being healed and forgiven. People have shared with me starting a relationship with God and how the relationship changed their life, and all their relationships. People tell me stories of the hope that comes through prayer, belonging and empowerment that comes from participating in community, love that sinks in through powerful music and congregational singing. All of these are “I have seen the Lord” experiences (it doesn’t necessarily mean your ‘eyes’ did the seeing) In the running example – The highlighted runners have beautiful feet by their participation in making the world around them a better place; runner’s actual feet are not so physically beautiful unless you are into blisters and missing toenails. How have you, and do you experience, –‘see’- the living Christ?  Identify these stories and tell them over and over again in a myriad of ways.

 

Donald Miller, an American author, CEO of StoryBrand, and founder of the Mentoring Project, a non-profit that partners with churches to mentor fatherless young men wrote:

Once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can’t go back to being normal; you can’t go back to the meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.

 

Easter. Resurrection. What a good story. And this good story has me think about my own story and possibilities of life and love that are way bigger than I can comprehend. The stories people have told me – proclaimed to me- in the “I have seen the Lord” category; and the interaction with faith community worshiping and participating in charity—gives me a taste of a kind of meaning in life. I can’t go back to being normal, I can’t imagine not being a part of a community of faith because it changes me. If nothing else, it has me continually reflecting and being challenged to make life more than meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time. Each week I come, I experience an ‘I have seen the Lord’ moment because my daily life is interrupted – like a water station during a race- I get filled with something other than my own pursuits, the negativity and self-centredness in the world, or the continual barrage of all things lacking hope and goodness.  Easter – Christ- greets me here.

Thanks be to God, I have seen the Lord!

 

And so… I invite you to line up at the start line, for a race you have prepared for. Let us leave here surrounded by a sense of peace, to run the race set before us.

And despite the possibility of getting blisters or losing toenails – let us not waste time, let us run to bring good news, proclaim peace, bring good tidings, and proclaim salvation.

Resurrection time is now!

Run Beautiful feet run!