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Mystery Ephesians 3: 1-12 January 6, 2013 Rev.

Deborah Dail Denbigh Presbyterian Church Scripture: This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles for surely you have already heard of the commission of Gods grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of Gods grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Sermon: When I came to serve this church more than 10 years ago, I naturally had a lot of questions. As I tried to learn the lay of the land here at Denbigh Presbyterian Church, I would ask questions about where things were, why things were done the way they were done, and who knew the answers to important questions like: Where do we keep the extension cords? Which light switches control the outside lights? and truly important questions like Why do we raise our candles on the third verse of Silent Night at the Christmas Eve service? I remember one of the session members at the time would sometimes answer my questions with a grin on his face saying, Its the mystery of our faith here at Denbigh Presbyterian Church. Speaking of Christmas Eve, this year as we finished the singing of Silent Night and all the candles were lit, the lights above us were turned low to look like sparkling stars in the dark night sky and we stood in silence for just a few moments, my breath was taken away. I felt awe and wonder as we dwelled for those moments in the beauty and in the mystery of what we cannot fully explain or comprehend God, in the flesh, came to earth for all people even me; God, in the flesh, fully human and fully divine, came to earth for all peopleeven you. When I read and re-read Ephesians 3: 1-12 this week that word mystery repeated several times jumped out at me. As I pondered Pauls repetition of the word mystery I was struck that while I enjoy those moments of awe and wonder in worship like on Christmas Eve I am also uncomfortable at other times with the mystery of our faith. I like data, answers, concrete explanations, verifiable truths, tangible evidence . . . proof. If I am completely honest, I must confess that mystery makes me a little uncomfortable. The early church to whom Paul wrote the words of Ephesians had a mixed response to what Paul calls the mystery of our faith. They, too, struggled intellectually with the Incarnation Jesus, mysteriously fully God and fully human. But, from what we read in Ephesians they may have struggled more with the practical implications of the Incarnation that the fully human and fully divine Jesus came to
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reconcile all people, not just some. They may have struggled with the implications of the Incarnation namely, that they were to carry on Jesus work of reconciliation. The Christian Church was formed by Jews who converted to Christianity and Gentiles (everyone else who wasnt a Jew) who converted to Christianity. Some of the Jewish converts had a hard time accepting that God had any interest in the Gentiles, much less that God would come in the flesh and open the way of reconciliation to them in the exact same way God had done for the Jews. Some had a hard time being in the same church and viewing the Gentile church members as equals. You have heard me say it many times before: some of the Jews had misunderstood the nature of what it meant to be chosen by God. They misunderstood being chosen as being privileged or special. They forgot that God had chosen them not because they had deserved to be chosen. And, God chose the Jews to be a blessing to others. They were chosen for responsibility, not privilege. Imagine yourself believing all your life that you are the only child, the beloved star of the family, the apple of your parents eyes. You anticipate that you will inherit everything they have when they die. Then, you discover that there are other children, other heirs. They move into your home. They make themselves at home. The family estate is divided evenly among you and the other children. They dont deserve anything, you might say or At least they dont deserve the same amount as I deserve. Even in the church today we struggle with Gods grace and love being available to all people. Even today we struggle to understand and accept that the boundless riches of Christ are available to all who would receive them. I remember reading a letter from a pastor some years ago. He wrote that a particular group of people didnt deserve Gods grace. Wow. That statement is problematic at so many levels. First and foremost, Gods grace is not deserved by anyone thats why its called grace. Its a gift. It cant be earned or deserved. Second, for any of us to say that a particular group of people or an individual does not deserve Gods grace is terribly misguided.
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So, both Pauls original audience in Ephesus and we Pauls audience in the 21st century have wrestled and continue to wrestle with the mystery of our faith and its implications for the church. We must honestly ask ourselves if there are people individuals, types of people, groups of people whom we dont believe deserve Gods grace. We must honestly ask ourselves if there are any we wont open our arms and hearts to in the church. I heard someone say once that if she had to sit at the same banquet table with people of a certain ethnic group in heaven shed rather not go. Kay Huggins summarizes the mystery of our faith about which Paul speaks in Ephesians. The mystery is simple: humankind is reconciled and filled with the knowledge of God. The mystery is tangible: in the church, lines of separation are erased by faith in Christ. The mystery is profound: your congregation is an essential part of Gods reconciling purpose. (No Longer Strangers: A Study of the Letter to the Ephesians, Horizons Bible Study 2002-2003, Kay E. Huggins) How can we embrace that part of the mystery of our faith more fully in 2013? How can we as people who are reconciled to God by the boundless riches of Christs grace shown to us in his death and resurrection commit ourselves more fully to be reconcilers? How can we commit to share the good news of Jesus with others? How can we live out the truth that in the church, lines of separation are erased by faith in Christ? I can honestly say that after more than 10 years here at Denbigh Presbyterian Church, I still havent figured out all the so-called mysteries of our faith. I still have a hard time locating extension cords! But I can honestly say that I have seen in you many times over the mystery of our faith lived out as you have opened your hearts and arms to many, many people in our community and as they have opened their hearts and arms to us. I have seen our family of faith grow and change. I have witnessed reconciliation in action. I mentioned earlier that one of the mysteries of the faith at DPC was why, at the Christmas Eve service, we lift our candles high while singing the third verse of Silent Night. The verse says: Silent night, holy night! Son of God, loves pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy
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face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth. Jesus, Gods Son, is indeed loves pure light. He is worthy of our raised hands and utmost praise. But, I will share with you that I have the best seat in the house on Christmas Eve. As you hold those candles your faces glow. You radiate with loves pure light, you reflect redeeming grace. In those moments we dont have all the answers. We dont agree on everything, but in those moments there is a mysterious unity with God, with one another and seemingly the entire universe. That is the mystery of our faith, that Christs light shines on us and we then reflect his light and love, working for reconciliation everywhere we go and sharing the boundless riches of Christ with all people. May we live this mystery boldly in 2013.

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