LWML The World’s Most Beautiful Feet
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You have heard the saying:
> “beauty is only skin deep------but ugly runs through the whole person. “
> Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—Some people are blind
> Love is blind
Today we are considering beautiful feet. Normally we speak of beautiful faces, beautiful voices or beautiful bodies. I do not consider feet as beautiful. In those days, feet were dirty. People wore sandals, roads were dusty, rocky terrain left feet tough and calloused.
Some people may think Isaiah is using synecdoche, a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole. So for a messenger with good news the part bringing the messenger is feet. It is really the message of Good News that brings happiness, but the part first seen is the feet.
You might imagine that anyone who brings good news might be called beautiful. What is Good News?
When Isaiah lived, the Babylonians held God’s people in captivity. That is present day Iraq and Baghdad was the capital. They were captive in the flattest, hottest city in the Middle East.
Yet they could remember what the hills looked like.
Memories were all they had. For many, hope had evaporated. They were captives in a foreign land. They were helpless.
Do you ever feel helpless when you think of other powers so much greater than the Lutheran Church? We seem to be a small number compared to those who influence the government. Our positions on moral issues are made fun of, our positions on creation are ridiculed, and our concern for people and our kindness to those in need go unnoticed by the world.
For some of us even family puts us down for worshipping the God of the Bible and believing in Him.
You get the idea of despair that the people of God struggled with. Then Isaiah declares some hope for them. They know the words of Psalm 121, “I look up to the hills , from where does my help come, my help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.”
Here comes the hope of Good News. It comes from the Hills, not the plains where we are captive. Our help comes from above, above the problems and stresses of this life.
What is the Good News? The Good News is "Your God reigns."
> He made heaven and earth. He reigns!
> He makes sinners into saints. He reigns
> He forgives trespasses, debts, sins. He reigns
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we say, “forgive us our trespasses… We say trespasses, perhaps because we follow the Translation from the people of England where land is scarce and trespassing was a problem.
Scott, the Presbyterians pray, “forgive us our debts..” because Scotsmen are Scotch, that is tight with their $ and they do not want debts.
What is the meaning of the word? It is sin. “Forgive us our sins…” The Lord forgives all our wrongs- the Lord reigns. Why does the Lord forgive us? He forgives because He loves us. Jesus came to take our place and pay for our sins. He served the time for our wrongs. That is the Good News. Good news of victory by Jesus and freedom for us. That Good news is proclaimed by people. It I s proclaimed by LWML when they encourage and support missions. It is brought by the women of LWML when they work locally to encourage others to trust Jesus. They have beautiful feet.
What color is the worship folder? The one with the hymns in it.
Right, it is purple.
Purple reminds me of Lydia. In the book of Acts we read about Lydia. She was a woman with beautiful feet..
She was a seller of purple cloth. As some of you know purple cloth was difficult to find and make. The dye used in those days was from an ocean mollusk. She became wealthy because she was s great business woman in 50 A.D. a time of difficulty for women in business.
Acts 16:13-15
And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.
Lydia and her household trusted Jesus. She is a woman with strength and determination who had beautiful feet.
The world’s most beautiful feet are those that bring the good news of Jesus.
Isaiah 52:7-10
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." 8The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. 9Break forth together into singing,
you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
John 17:1-3
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
READER
John 17:6-8
"I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
READER
John 17:20-26
"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."
READER
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What is a Family?
Mark 10:6-9
But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 7'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8and they shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."
Mark 10:13-16
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." 16And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
Today we will consider the Words of Jesus spoken to a culture much like our culture. People were confused about relationships. Some people had little respect for children. And today Jesus will tell us what a family is.
Here are some basic points Jesus makes.
1. God created male and female
2. God unites one man and one woman to form one flesh
3. What God unites, marriage, people ought not separate
4. Children are important to God
5. God’s kingdom is made up of His children
6. Believers receive the kingdom of God like a child
God did not create Adam and Sam. God made a man, Adam and a woman, Eve. God made marriage as the union of one man to one woman for as long as they live. Marriage is not merely two people falling in love. Marriage is one man and one woman willingly pledging each to the other for as long as each lives. God does not want this marriage bond dissolved.
The product of one man and one woman joining to become one flesh may produce children. Children are important to God and can only be the product of one man and one woman. (Artificial insemination and invitro fertilization still require uniting the genetic complements from one man and one woman.)
Children are important to God because HE creates children. The Lord wants children to trust him now so that they may live with Him eternally. Jesus came to earth not to preach about love but to love the world and pay the price to free us from the wages of sin. Jesus is love. Jesus came to give us salvation, the free gift HE earned through His loving sacrifice. He came to build the kingdom of God.
14But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
What angered Jesus? What incensed Jesus? His disciples rebuked, reprimanded, scolded, and chided those bringing children to Jesus. The disciples, like adults in worship, might think that children have no place when we talk with the Savior. Children cannot read, cannot understand and cannot participate in worship so, hide the kids in a soundproof room or better yet offer Sunday school during worship so adults can enjoy without distractions, their quiet time with Jesus.
However, that made Jesus angry. It is a righteous anger. But, what do children get from the message spoken by the Savior? Children do not understand the words we use on Sunday. Children do not understand the liturgy. Children do not understand the words of the hymns. Why do we have children here?
We have children here so that we may do what Jesus has done. Jesus welcomes the children. Jesus picks the children up in his arms. Jesus lays his hands on the children. Jesus blessed the children.
When we bring our children to worship, our values are communicated to the children we love. My children grew up watching me enjoy Packers’ football on Sunday afternoons. I did not have to tell them I enjoyed that, I encouraged them to sit with me. I taught my granddaughter to say, ”Go Pack GO!” She says that even when her parents, living in St. Louis watch the Rams. My actions communicated what was important. It is important to bring little children to church with us. Here God’s Word gently lifts the little children into the arms of the Savior. Here the Savior blesses the little children. Here the God’s Word nurtures the faith of little children.
But, what do the little children understand? What can the little children get from the worship service or from my sermon? What we lean when we are young we retain when we are old. The children come to worship and soon learn to say the Lord’s Prayer. The words of the Creed become familiar. Hymns become familiar. When words take on meanings children, realize the comfort and strength that hymns and God’s word provide for them. Even when the little ones do not understand the meaning of the Christmas story they memorize to speak at the Children’s Program, they will recall those words later in life and find them to be words of strength and power.
What did Jesus give the children 2000 years ago? “He took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”
Jesus tenderly held the children. Jesus assured them they were loved. Jesus calmed their fears with His loving touch. Jesus did not correct them, he held them Jesus did not punish them, He blessed them. There are times for correction and disciple however here the Lord encourages children.
If we make coming to church a punishment for children, they will not like to come. If we make coming to church special for children, they will want to be here. If we lay aside special cloths just for Sunday worship when the children are young, they will soon understand that worship is special. If we get up early so we can take more time in a non-anxious way to prepare the children for worship, they will be less reactive and more cooperative. If we take time to hold them rather than drag them to church, they will equate the worship experience with love and acceptance.
You know what else will help children equate church with love and acceptance? Those of you who do not come with children. Smile at the children. Help the mom sitting alone with three toddlers. Dick Smith made worship positive for Becka when Becka was a little child. He gave her a piece of candy for putting his walker in a place away from people. She looks for him every Sunday. He looks for her. Both equate this place with people who share love for the Savior and act that way. We can help by making those with children feel welcome.
What do children get from worship in church? They get what Jesus gives children. They get a blessing. We sometimes act as though children cannot believe because we confuse faith with knowledge.
Faith is trust. Faith in Jesus as Savior is trust. The question is, can children trust? Do children trust? Children are better at trust that adults. That is what Jesus says in the Gospel.
Children have faith. Infants trust. Have you watched an infant when it is being held by a stranger? The infant may cry. Hand that baby to mom and the baby coos, relaxes and falls asleep. An Infant trusts its mom. Infants have faith in mom. Similarly, infants can have faith in Jesus. “receive the kingdom of God like a child”
How does a child receive the kingdom of God?
The same way adults receive the kingdom of God, it is a gift from God, a gift of faith. What does the child do when a parent keeps it safe and warm? The child rests in the arms of the one it trusts.
So what is a Family?
Jesus says a family is one man and one woman united by God. When so blessed a family includes children. Together they gather in the presence of Jesus. Together we become the Family of God. We are His children.
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ONE in Christ
Ephesians 2:11-22
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Grace to you…
There are times when we feel there is no hope; times when we feel far from others and distant from the Lord. Usually those are times when we have walked or run away from the Lord. We have decided to go our own way, to sin. It is at those times that the law of God makes us uncomfortable. When we become too busy for worship, too involved to take time for prayer or reading God’s Word, we alienate ourselves from the One who loves us. During or following those times, attending Church makes us feel uncomfortable.
That is the way with sin and transgression. Unless one’s conscience is seared, one who transgresses avoids contact with fellow Christians and with the LORD.
However, Paul writes to the Christians in Ephesus encouraging them to remain in fellowship. We all struggle with the dangerous situation of becoming comfortable and complacent in our faith and then we could slowly slip away from the Lord. Family appreciates family. Family wants to be with other members of the family. We need to be together we are family, one in Christ.
When people say they are of one mind that means they agree. When people say we are one family it means the strong bonds of blood unites them. When a man marries a woman, the strong bonds of marriage make them one.
A stranger cannot be one with another stranger. We share citizenship with those who are one in Christ.
We are built together. We are built on Christ we are built on the Rock.
Here is how this works in the real world as we become One in Christ.
God calls us to be His people. God also calls us to a vocation. Mine is easy, He called me to be a pastor. God also called me to be a husband, to love and care for Margie, not to make her my slave. Then He called me to be a father, to take care of my children, not abuse them.
Sex is sanctioned by the calling of marriage. The Lord gives no authority to have sex with someone to whom one is not married. The purpose of sex is for one man and one woman to become one flesh, and to be fruitful and multiply (have and nurture children).
I have a good friend, Paul, who is called to be a police officer. He is called to protect citizens, not beat them up. Anything that violates the purpose of our vocation, is not of God.
Doctors are to heal, teachers are to teach. This becomes a moral issue for Christians in the body of Christ. Since the purpose of a physician’s vocation is to help make people better, when a physician kills he violates his calling.
When a woman becomes pregnant, she is called to motherhood. A woman may have the right to decide to become pregnant, but once she is pregnant her vocation has changed. The mother’s vocation is to birth new life and nurture her child as it grows. No mother is called to kill her child, nor does any physician have a calling to kill the child at her request.
Being in the body of Christ makes our vocation clearer. Our calling in life, our vocation is intended to be our work in the body of Christ. Our calling makes us one in Christ.
For me to take a knife and cut someone open is a serious crime. However, if Doctor Kerr takes a knife and cuts someone open he is exercising his vocation as a physician. His training, skill and official licensing goes along with his vocation. If I try to do surgery on someone, I would be arrested, however a surgeon gets paid to cut people open.
The holy temple called the household of God is made up of people called into vocations by God. The Lord builds us together. Our cornerstone is Jesus. He gives us His name he calls us God’s children. We are One in Christ.
The foundation upon which the Lord builds us together is His word. That is what is meant by apostles and prophets, the apostles are the mouth of God in the New testament as the prophets were in the Old Testament.
For you and me to be in the right place in the temple, we must all follow the same blueprint. The Bible is God’s blueprint for His temple. The Word of God tells us how we are to live. It tells us how we are to speak. It tells us right from, wrong.
The Bible tells us about the Savior who suffered and died for us, The Savior who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus is the Savior who gives us hopes in this life and eternal hope. Jesus is the Savior who makes us one.
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