Romans 10:15b – How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! (NIV)

Every Christmas, one special person in Jesus' nativity story remains in the shadows. We rarely see this person on Christmas cards or in carols. Today, I wish to shine the spotlight on this one. You'll soon know who I mean.

The setting is the temple in Jerusalem. For centuries, worshippers gathering here have been awaiting the promised Messiah. Then one day, an elderly woman arises from her sleeping quarters and is seen shuffling about, intensely excited. She's got good news! She's seen Him! The Messiah has arrived! Imagine the commotion she created in the temple that day.

You know who she is. She's the prophetess, Anna. Anna had lived a quiet life in a room allotted for widows. She "never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying." Anna did not need an angel or a star to guide her that special day; she was in tune with the Holy Spirit and was in the right place at the right time. She instantly recognized the Christ child, and at once, "she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2:36-38 NIV)

Of Anna, it can be said that she had beautiful feet. That's how today's verse describes those who bring good news. Anna was the first one to preach the good news of Christ's arrival to the people in the temple: God's chosen people. She deserves a place in our nativity retellings.

Scripture says nothing about angels or stars being beautiful. Yet, we read about feet being beautiful — the dusty, smelly feet of those who bring good news. Anna was one of them. She may have been withered and bent over from age. But her feet were beautiful in God's eyes.

This Christmas, while you enjoy lovely ornaments and carols of angels and stars, remember the beautiful feet of Christmas: Anna's feet. And don't forget the beautiful feet of unnumbered saints who have proclaimed the good news of Christ's coming down the centuries. Will your feet be among them?

Prayer: Dear Lord, enrich our joy this season by opening our eyes to see new beauty in the account of Jesus' birth. Amen.

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About the author:

Diane Eaton <dianeeaton6@gmail.com>
Paisley, Ontario, Canada
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