Fourth Sunday of Advent
God’s Feet on Earth
Some time ago a friend commented that when she was growing up, she never had a sense that Jesus’ feet touched the ground—that is, that Jesus was really human, as you and I are.
As I write this in late summer, I can see lots of feet—in sandals, in flip-flips, perhaps barefoot in yards. On Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, many families gather barefoot around a tree. Feet may help us understand Christmas.
Jesus lived in a different century, in a small country far away. But he lived a real human life. His ministry was not settled in one place. He told stories about daily life, especially about things growing. He associated with all sorts of people, rich and poor, healthy and sick. And his feet needed to be washed (Luke 7:44). He died naked, with nails in his feet, in a public execution, comparable to lynchings of persons of color in the United States.
Christmas is a celebration that God, the loving Creator of the universe, has come to us in human form, has placed feet on our human-mismanaged planet, to call us back to God, the God to whom we really belong, to whom we are made to relate, and in whose loving service we live our fullest lives.
Hermann Weinlick, retired pastor
Minneapolis, Minnesota