Sent: How Beautiful Romans 10:14-21 Mother Teresa is the saint of our lifetime. Her work in the slums of Calcutta is legend and has been an inspiration to millions. She has taught us what it means to be a servant to the least and last of this world. Social activist, Shane Claiborne, once spent a summer with Mother Teresa ministering to the poor. In reflecting upon her life and ministry he had this to say: People often ask me what Mother Teresa was like. Sometimes they wonder if she glowed in the dark or had a halo. She was short, wrinkled, and precious, maybe even a little ornery like a beautiful, wise old granny. But there was one thing I will never forget her feet. Her feet were deformed. Each morning in Mass, I would stare at them. I wondered if she had contracted leprosy. But I wasn t going to ask. One day a sister said to us, Have you noticed her feet? We nodded in a curious sort of way. She said, Her feet are deformed because we get just enough donated shoes for everyone, and Mother does not want anyone to get stuck with the worst pair, so she digs through and finds them. After years of doing that, her feet have slowly deformed. In effect, years of loving her neighbor as herself deformed her feet. A lifetime of putting neighbor above self, mangled her feet. In the Lord s eyes, her feet were beautiful, more beautiful than any that may have had a full blown spa treatment. Hers were feet that showed the wear and tear of sharing the good news about Jesus. How Beautiful How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! writes Paul. This verse that was originally voiced by the Prophet Isaiah. In talking about the feet of those who bring good news, he was referencing those who went to Babylon to announce to those in
exile that their captivity would soon be over. The news was good. Freedom would soon be theirs. For Paul the good news that was now being preached brought release from captivity as well, only this time it was from sin. Freedom came to any who would respond. Four Questions and an Exclamation As Paul wrote his great letter to the church in Rome, he was mindful that some argued that the Jews hadn t had a fair opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. In an effort to outline what it took for someone to hear and then respond to that good news Paul asked four rhetorical questions, all beginning with the word, how. Those questions are followed by the great exclamation we have already rehearsed, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! The four questions are as follows: How are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in one whom they have never heard? How are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And, How are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? These four questions might best be understood in reverse order. Persons are first sent. They then proclaim the message. People hear that message and they believe. The Power of Preaching The emphasis in this passage is on the power of preaching and the response of people to that preaching. This is an age where preaching has been much maligned. Persons don t want to be preached to. They would much rather be affirmed. At most they want to be taught about those things that make them feel good without having to face the need for their own repentance. Preaching these days is more often called teaching these days. It s a bit more seeker friendly.
Paul said, We preach Christ crucified, because he knew that everyone was in need of repentance. He knew that everyone needed to turn from what they were doing so they could more readily turn to Christ. The new life that was offered was something that couldn t be earned. It was first, last, and everywhere in between a matter of grace. The good news was all about new life. The old was laid aside, so the new could now rule the day. The preaching of the early church called persons to repentance so that all the gunk of a person s life could get out of the way so Christ could reign supreme. No wonder the feet of those who brought this good news were considered beautiful. God Is Depending on Us God could have chosen all sorts of ways to get his message across, in the end though he chose us. God presents himself in all sorts of ways. The heavens are constantly declaring his glory. The circumstances of life offer a glimpse of his providence. The whisper of his still small voice can awaken us to what he is trying to say. There is nothing though that is quite as effective as one person sharing with another person the good news. We are God s plan. He depends on you and me to be his ambassadors. The adage rings true, Christianity is always one generation away from extinction. If we don t come up to the plate and carry on the legacy of outreach that has so affected our lives then the faith really is in jeopardy of dying out. There is no more effective way of understanding the things of God than with a clear, concise witness by a faithful follower to one who has not yet decided. We are a sent people.
A Christian who refuses to participate in this enterprise is a contradiction in terms. It comes to us all to share. We can t leave it to somebody else. It comes to every believer to spread the gospel. How about Your Feet? How about your feet? How are they looking these days? I can tell you mine are pretty well beat up from all the running I ve done. I wish I could claim that that was because of miles I ve covered witnessing to the good news of Christ in my life. We are sent to every nation, people, tribe, and language. As we said last week it comes to us to go to the unengaged and unreached of our generation near and far. We are sent to every city, town, neighborhood, street, and home. The furtherance of God s Kingdom depends on you and me. It will not happen without us reaching beyond our comfort zones to reach those around us. Shoes of a Different Sort Just this week I learned about some shoes of a different sort. They are being given out by our team in Uganda. They are called expandable shoes. They have the potential to grow with a person s foot. These shoes, much like the shoes of Mother Teresa reflect the love of God. I am confident that those who are giving them out are sharing God s love. I hope they are a firm reminder for those who wear them of that same love. I got a feeling they are doing just that. Let s Hit the Road I am asking you today to hit the road. Don t worry about your feet. God considers them beautiful in every way, particularly when you use them to get you where you need to be to proclaim the gospel.
But first let s prepare. We remember today what took place in the Upper Room right before Christ s death. John has it that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He wanted to model what it meant to be a servant. In a way though I think he was preparing their feet. Soon they would be going to proclaim what they had seen and heard, what they had experienced. Jesus also served them a meal in that Upper Room. As I have said often it was good food for the road ahead. It is for us as well as we prepare to go and proclaim the good news.