I grew up in a family that went to church every Sunday. And I remember how my parents insisted that our Sunday shoes should always be clean and polished. As the youngest boy, I had the Saturday duty of polishing many pairs of shoes. When I preach, I still make sure my shoes are shiny. But that’s not what Paul is referring to when he talks about beautiful feet bringing good news.

Paul quotes a line from Isaiah that has to do with bringing news throughout the land. In ancient times, messengers were sent to the king and to major cities to bring news about battles or attacks from other nations. The messengers often ran a long way, and their feet got dirty and bloody. But when the message was good news, those tortured and bleeding feet were considered beautiful. So Isaiah used that imagery to describe a messenger who brought the good news of salvation and peace, announcing, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7).

In our world of bullets and bombs, we need messengers of good news. There can be peace. Being reconciled with God and one another is possible! Jesus, the Savior, sends us with his good news, saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

We have good news to bring! People won’t look at our feet, but they will see the joy on our faces as we share that God reigns and loves us.