Easter Feet
/“Look at your feet.” Frederick Buechner
This Easter, it’s time to look at our feet. That’s right, our feet. They’re the key to any spiritual journey, particularly one set out to discover the risen Lord.
On the first Easter morning, Mary and others needed to do something. They could no longer sit around in the darkness of their fear and sadness. They walked to the tomb and found it empty. More than that, they found Christ.
Two followers decided to leave town. Emmaus was not all that far away, and the walk would help them make sense of all the events that had happened recently. As they walked, they were joined by another and soon found that Christ was beside them. They didn’t recognize him at first, but eventually their eyes were opened.
Heading home made all the sense in the world for the disciples. Their souls were troubled, and the idea of fishing again made them walk more quickly. They spent the night fishing and smelled smoke from a nearby campfire when they pulled their boats ashore. “Come have breakfast,” the stranger said, and soon the realized he was no stranger. He was Christ.
The disciples didn’t find Easter in a church, or in some elaborate religious theory. They allowed their feet to carry them into the world and, in doing so, found Christ. Fred Buechner once wrote that to know who we really are, we need to look at our feet. Forget all our clever words and elaborate disguises we use and look at our feet. They tell us who we are. I think the same can be said of our life of faith. Where we let our feet take us determines what, or who, we’ll find.
Are we sitting around or walking this Easter?
If we are walking, in what direction are we headed? Toward Christ or away?
Are we walking by faith or our own cleverness?
Do we have the courage to head toward the darkness of a tomb, the strength to walk to another town, or longing to head home?
I believe if we walk in faith, our feet will carry us to Christ. He may appear in ways and places we couldn’t have imagined, but that part’s not up to us. We’re only responsible for our feet. This Easter, the question is, in what direction are our feet headed?