January 30, 2013

  • Entering the Mystery. . . of God!

                     MystryImge                                                                               
           What is it about a good mystery that enthralls us so? What is it that is so appealing and becomes so compelling? What are the elements of a good mystery?

           It’s a story that gives us a ‘feel’ for what’s going on--a good picture or idea of the overall plot. And yet in the telling of the story, key elements go missing--elements we want to know about, and we are ‘hooked’--inexorably drawn to explore its unknown depths despite the hidden potential dangers that may confront us.  And there is always that uncertainty; the component of danger or potential danger (what would a classic suspense film be without that eerie background music that tells us something very ‘sinister’ or frightening is about to happen?).

           It’s like the image above. The terrain, objects and structures may have a familiarity about them and yet--they are shrouded in a mist or fog so that though there is a recognition of them, we also sense that there may be or is a reality just beyond the reach of our fingertips, obscured by the shadows or darkness--a reality that bodes danger to our well-being. Still, the draw is there--irresistible, so that we simply must move on to discover what is there or what may happen.

           That is what pulls us into the mystery of God. We know a lot about Him, but there is so much more of Him that is beyond our grasp or understanding. It is a mystery which even the angels have longed to know about (I Peter 1:10-12). In His story, the great mystery of God, He beckons us to "Come to [Him], all . . .who are weary and burdened, [so that we might find] rest. . . .[and be challenged to] learn from [Him] . . . ." (Matthew 11:28-29).

           The mystery is that we are baptized into Christ--and He comes into our lives; "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you . . . . On that day you will realize that I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:18-20). It is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27). "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are . . . ! What we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (I John 3:1-3).

           God continues to call us into His mystery--to learn about it and to enter into it. He provides both the courage and determination to move ever more deeply into the mystery--the mystery of God!!

                                                                                                                                                                  LAW--