A Word from Pastor Nathan

Dear Friends:

What is a good antonym for mystery? I’ve been haunted by this question recently, so I did what any millennial would do: I asked Google, and it responded with the following: “disclosure, manifestation, revelation.” Thanks, Google.

In Christian theology, there is a clear tension between mystery and revelation. On the one hand, God is infinitely unknowable and yet we trust that God was made incarnate—disclosed, made manifest, revealed—in the person of Jesus Christ. The invitation before Christian people is to worship an (un)knowable God. I find this pursuit rewarding and yet frustrating. Mysteries are to be solved, like on Dateline or in the board game Clue. We seek resolution to what we do not know. God, however, insists on playing hide -and -seek. God leaves a trace, a trail in the infinite wake. As soon as we think we have picked up enough clues to finally say, “Eureka!” God absconds and starts the game over again.

Ann Weems, a contemporary poet, wrote the following poem that captures my imagination:

God is the Question with whom we contend throughout our lives.
God is the One standing there in the closing of doors and the opening of windows.
God is the Surprising Voice that calls in the jaggedness of life.
God is the Hand that keeps the world from snuffing out the stars.
God is the Poem that begins and ends in a circle.
God is the Circle that neither begins nor ends.

Weems reveals something about God in her poem. She discloses God’s divine attributes, but she makes no promises of having the Holy One all figured out. The question has no answer. Doors close and windows open. A surprise awaits amidst the tragedy. A hand continues to make a sketch that leaves us lost in wonder, love, and praise. And then there’s poetry, which itself is a mystery, and a circle, too, which is infinite.

Leaning into mystery may sound counter-intuitive at this time. But maybe, just maybe, mystery is a gift of divine love.

Peace abundant,