– By Elizabeth

How beautiful the hands that served

The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth

How beautiful the feet that walked

The long dusty roads and the hill to the cross

———-

Tonight I sat outside our door and watched my sons scooter, race, and jump in our dead-end street.  I like sitting out there.  It feels peaceful.  I watch people come and go on motos and bicycles, and I watch them turn on the outdoor spicket and rinse their filthy feet before entering their houses.  And I wonder how dirty were the feet that Jesus washed the night before He died?  I see how grimy my sons’ feet get, but they wash their own feet, so I don’t have to.

———-

How beautiful the heart that bled

That took all my sin and bore it instead

How beautiful the tender eyes

That chose to forgive and never despise

———-

I watch the orphanage children play with each other and with my boys.  They smile, and their teeth are black with decay.   I watch a teen girl pry lice out of the orphanage manager’s hair for 30 minutes.  And I think, Jesus was not afraid of these people.  He did not despise them.  Should I?

———-

And as He laid down His life

We offer this sacrifice

That we should live just as he died

Willing to pay the price

 

How beautiful the radiant bride

Who waits for her groom with His light in her eyes

How beautiful when humble hearts give

The fruit of pure lives so that others may live

 

How beautiful the feet that bring

The sound of good news and the love of the King

How beautiful the hands that serve

The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth

———-

Yes, it’s true, I love Twila Paris.  She gets it right every time.