“I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Paul says that he is presenting to word of God. Yes this is the proclamation about God, but it is also the word itself – Jesus Christ. He says that this mystery has been hidden, but is now made known.
We all love a good mystery story don’t we? Primetime television is filled with mystery type shows – crimes like murder, kidnapping, theft. And part of the fun is figuring out who did it. How did they do it? Why did they do it?
Well God, though majestic and awesome, and far beyond our puny minds has laid it all out there. He has revealed the mystery, but it was not a crime. No, it was an act of love and grace that caused him to do what he did. God came died in our place that we might have the hope of glory.
And the mystery? It isn’t so complicated. In fact, it is more of a promise. The mystery is that the God of the Universe, the God of Creation, the God of all that is good and holy and pure lives in you and lives in me.
This is the promise that brings us together. This is the promise that allows us to gather around this table. And this is the promise that grants us entry into the very presence of God.
As we partake of communion, we do so with hope and expectation. The expectation that God hears us; that God accepts us; that God extends his grace to us. And the hope that one day, though we see a poor reflection now, the mystery will make perfect sense as we celebrate together before the glory of God. May we, as we celebrate this simple meal, be drawn into the mystery of Christ in us – the hope of glory.
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