Bible Readings:
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Have on your feet the readiness to tell the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:10, 15)
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!"
(Isaiah 52:7)
Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
(Luke 2:10-11)
A Thought
News travels fast, and never faster than it does today. If a royal baby is born, the news is beamed around the world in seconds. If there is a natural disaster or a terrorist activity, images and first-hand accounts are in our living rooms in minutes and family pictures are shared on social media as they happen.
Not so in biblical times. Then news of a birth or news of a victory in battle would be sent by a runner; someone sure-footed, fast and with plenty of stamina, someone who knew the terrain.
The prophet Isaiah describes as beautiful the feet of those who travel over mountains to bring good news of peace, probably of a victory in battle, and the angels make quite a fanfare of sharing the good news of the birth of saviour.
We too are called to share the good news of peace; the good news of Jesus, a baby who was born to be saviour of the world and who won a great battle against sin and death when he died on the cross and rose again. He did this to bring peace between us and God and to enable peace to be found between people and nations.
In Paul’s instructions to Christians to put on the whole armour of God, he includes having your feet shod, not with combat boots, as you might expect, but with a pair of running shoes or a decent pair of trainers, maybe; shoes designed for the readiness to tell the good news.
It seems to me that, amidst all the preparation to stand firm against the devil’s schemes, Paul doesn’t want us to lose sight of our primary call, to share the good news of Jesus with anyone that we meet along the way.
We too can have beautiful feet when we put on our gospel running shoes, with the readiness to share the good news of Jesus, the gospel of peace, whenever we can.
A Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to keep in mind the good news of all that you have done for me and give me the readiness and the confidence to share the gospel of peace with those that I meet.
Amen.
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