Good News Shoes, Romans 10:5-15
Introduction
One of the most beautiful of all Christmas stories was told by the American poet, Edwin Markham, about a cobbler, a godly man who made shoes in the old days. One night the cobbler dreamed that the next day Jesus was coming to visit him. The dream seemed so real that he got up very early the next morning and hurried to the woods, where he gathered green boughs to decorate his shop for the arrival of so great a Guest.
He waited all morning, but to his disappointment, his shop remained quiet, except for an old man who limped up to the door asking to come in for a few minutes of warmth. While the man was resting, the cobbler noticed that the old fellow’s shoes were worn through. Touched, the cobbler took a new pair from his shelves and saw to it that the stranger was wearing them as he went on his way.
Throughout the afternoon the cobbler waited, but his only visitor was an elderly woman. He had seen her struggling under a heavy load of firewood, and he invited her, too, into his shop to rest. Then he discovered that for two days she had had nothing to eat; he saw to it that she had a nourishing meal before she went on her way. As night began to fall, the cobbler heard a child crying outside his door. The child was lost and afraid. The cobbler went out, soothed the youngster’s tears and, with the little hand in his, took the child home.
When he returned, the cobbler was sad. He was convinced that while he had been away he had missed the visit of his Lord. Now he lived through the moments as he had imagined them: the knock, the latch lifted, the radiant face, the offered cup. He would have kissed the hands where the nails had been, washed the feet where the spikes had entered. Then the Lord would have sat and talked to him.
In his anguish, the cobbler cried out, “Why is it, Lord, that Your feet delay. Have you forgotten that this was the day?” Then, soft in the silence a voice he heard:
“Lift up your heart for I kept My word.
Three times I came to your friendly door;
Three times My shadow was on your floor.
I was the man with the bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave food to eat,
I was the child on the homeless street.”
Transition
This morning I want to talk to your about shoes; good news shoes! The cobbler, the shoe-maker, in the story I just shared with you, woke up the morning after his dream, ready to meet Christ. Instead he met an old man whom he shoed, an old woman whom he fed, and a young boy whom he helped to find his way home.
In meeting the needs of those three individuals the cobbler, the shoe-maker, met Christ. You see, Jesus is to be found in serving others; we look into His eyes every time we look into to the eyes of someone in need. Each act of compassion, every gift of love, and every deed of kindness done in His name, takes us closer to Him because it brings us closer to knowing the heart of God.
Matthew 25:34-40 says, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (NKJV)
I want talk to you about choosing to strap on your good news shoes each morning, each day. The Christian life is about strapping on your sandals, picking up your walking stick and following after the Master of Mercy; Jesus Christ!
Treading out the Gospel
In today’s Gospel reading the Apostle Paul, quoting the Old Testament, says, “As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15 NIV) To properly understand what Paul is saying, it is important to consider the passage that he is quoting in its original context.
Remember, the two most important principals in understanding the Bible are grammatical context and historical context. When we come to any passage of the bible these two principals will help guide us into an understanding of the what the writers intended to say within their context, as well as what the Holy Spirit is saying for us today that we can apply in the context of our daily experience, walking with Christ on the pilgrimage of this life.
In this passage Paul is quoting from Isaiah 52:7, where the prophet writes, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!” (NIV)
This is a two-fold prophecy whereby Isaiah the prophet is speaking of the time of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus who would suffer and die for our sins, and also pointing to the time of His ultimate return, that we still look forward to, when He will come to reign, when Jesus returns in glory as King of Kings.
Isaiah declares how beautiful a thing it is to be able to tread the dusty trails of this life declaring the good news with others. Isaiah the prophet and Paul the Apostle are both declaring the beauty and wonder of what it means to have been chosen by God, to participate with God, to declare the good news of God’s grace and hope and redemption to this hurting and often hopeless world.
Isaiah declared the beauty of the good news which was promised but Paul declared the beauty of the good news which was revealed. While Isaiah looked forward to a time when the Messiah of Israel, the savior, would come, the Apostle Paul, also a devout Jewish man, saw the beauty of that promise revealed in Jesus Christ!
Psalms 22:27 says, “All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.” (NKJV)
The mission of the Church is primarily two-fold; to glorify and honor God and to multiply disciples who glorify and honor God. God’s chief aim in this universe is to express His glorious nature. Ultimately, that is the purpose behind creation. God created to express His glory. Psalms 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” (NKJV)
The chief aim of God’s Church is to multiply disciples not just so that people find satisfaction and peace in Christ – though that is important – the chief aim of God’s Church is to multiply disciples because as we do that, as we put on our good news shoes, we gather the people of the world into a place of worship of their creator.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil… and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”
(Ephesians 6:11, 15 NKJV) The biblical command to go into all the world and make disciples is not simply for those who have been called to the mission field; we all have a very important part to play in spreading the Gospel.
The gospel is not a story simply to be told but a life to be lived out! We must ask ourselves each morning when we strap on our sandals, our Nike’s, our dress shoes, or whatever, we must ask ourselves, above all; am I wearing my good news shoes. Is my life a reflection of the Gospel of God’s grace? Above all, am I wearing my good news shoes? Have I strapped on my sandals, picked up my walking stick and am I following after the Master of Mercy; Jesus Christ!
Wherever we go our mission is to reflect the love of Christ; to share the love of Christ; to leave footprints of Christ’s love wherever we have been. That is our chief aim, just as it is the chief aim of the Church; to reflect Christ; to glorify Christ. The chief purpose of this life has very little to do with our comfort and everything to do with the glorification of God in Christ; in us.
Sure Footing
Inasmuch as the Christian life is about reflecting the love of God as shown in the Cross of Christ, the beautiful thing about our good news shoes is that not only do they help us to leave footprints of Christ’s love wherever we journey, they also are good news to us. Our good news shoes also give us tremendous stability, a firm foundation, in this life in which we are so often standing on shaky ground.
I am a fan of ancient history and I love ancient architecture. I am always amazed at the modern perception that we are the most educated and knowledgeable while ancient peoples were dumb and ignorant; this simply is not the case. Some of the ancient builders did things with ancient materials that modern engineers and builders marvel about to this very day.
In Rome stands just one of these ancient marvels, the Pantheon. The Pantheon was originally built in 125 A.D. by the Emperor Hadrian to honor the ancient gods. Pantheon means, in fact, “temple of the gods.” The Pantheon is the oldest structure in the world which has been in continuous usage in some form or another of its intended usage; a place of worship.
Since the seventh century it has been used as a Catholic Church. The front of the Pantheon has large Corinthian columns supporting the edifice of typical Roman fashion. If you have never seen a picture of the Pantheon, perhaps you have visited or seen the Jefferson memorial on the mall in Washington D.C. That monument is a very similar, though scaled down, structure.
The Pantheon’s defining feature is its huge domed roof which is made up of more than 4,500 metric tons of ancient concrete layered in cubic patterns.
There is an opening at the top of the dome, an eye, which is the only source of the light which floods the structure. Under the floors there is a drainage system in place to handle the rain waters which comes in through the oculus.
The fact that the dome remains after nearly 2,000 years is a great testament to ancient engineering. It is also a testament to the strength of its foundation. The concrete used in the structure, including the foundation, is a brilliant mixture of pasty hydrate of lime, with ash and lightweight pumice from a nearby volcano. Since concrete of this type hardens with time it is as though the foundation of the Pantheon actually grows stronger the older it is and the longer it stands.
So it is with the sure footing and strength of the foundation of our faith. As we wear our good news shoes, as our feet are shod with the gospel of peace, our foundation is sure, our hope is secure. We are able to withstand the attacks that this life brings because our hope rests secure on a solid foundation.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ‘But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV)
Conclusion
As we strap on our good news shoes, we follow after Jesus Christ, our Lord, where He will take us. As we follow Him we tread out, we live out, and we walk out, the Gospel of Peace in palpable ways. The Gospel is not an idea, it is a way of life that influences every decision we make and every path we take.
As we strap on our good news shoes, we find ourselves wearing shoes which give us feet of great footing in spite of what may come our way. We don’t always understand why the things in this life happen, though we know and trust in a merciful God who is sovereign over His creation and our lives.
Reinhold Messner was a skilled mountain climber who was recognized as the best in the world. He was one of two men who first climbed Mount Everest without using bottled oxygen. Messner then decided that doing it with a partner was not good enough, so he went back and did it alone.
He was asked, as most mountain climbers are, “Why do you do it?” He replied, “Because at the top all the lines converge.”
Even though we may not always have the “view from the top,” it is a great encouragement to know that God does! He is sovereign! He has said, “I am the Lord. I do not change!” (Mal. 3:6). Because He sees the “overall picture,” He is worthy of our trust!
Even when we do not understand the why’s of this life; Even when we are not sure where the path is leading us; ours is to daily strap on our good news shoes so that we can reflect the love of God in Christ to this world and have the sure footing needed to traverse the trails of this life.
God alone understands the big picture. Our task is to take each step of faith, reflecting grace to the world around us and leaning on that grace to sustain us.
Amen.
