The beauty that saves is Christ on the Cross.
Lunch at the farm was finished, as was spiritual reading. Time for dishes!
All around were cups and pitchers, silverware and pots and pans. Dishes were stacked high.
Knowing that how well the dishwashing would go would depend on efficiency and thoroughness, I gallantly volunteered to be the main dishwasher.
Thirty-five people for lunch can make a mountain of dishes. So, we rolled up our sleeves, put on our aprons, and got to it.
Afterwards, one of our guests, a retired teacher, said to me, “Scott, you did a great job!”
And I replied, “Ah, just doin’ the duty of the moment.”
She smiled and said, “The best part was that you did it with a smile. That makes it the beauty of the moment.”
Our wise guest continued, “When I was teaching, I had a wonderful principal who was a great example to me. One day, one of the kids was sick and threw up in the hallway. Instead of calling for the janitor, the principal said, ‘I could clean that up myself.’ Now that’s the beauty of the moment.”
Later, I was reminded of the Russian writer, Dostoevsky and his saying, “Beauty will save the world.” He was not referring to the beauty of a flower garden, an elegant work of art, a stunning Hollywood actress.
No, essentially, he meant that the beauty that saves is Christ on the Cross — disfigured, bloody, and in pain—because he is surrendered in love and universal sacrifice to God the Father.
For the Christian, all other beauty that saves, that uplifts and ennobles flows from the wounded and risen side of Christ who is serving us.
So, whether it’s cleaning up an accident on the floor or diving into the dishes or whatever, the duty of God’s moment, the sacrament of the moment, entered into with faith and love can become God’s beauty serving in the moment.
Restoration November 2025
[Photo credit: ©Beth Scott, MH]
