Another Look: "Mystery"

Here are the lyrics from the song that Ashley sang, "Beautiful Mystery," by Caedmon's Call.

I tried to know
Every mystery
Soon realized, no
It was too much for me

'Cause most things true
Are simple and complex
So it is with You
What else should I expect

You suffer the seeker
In You they abide

You are to me
A beautiful mystery
You are to me
A Servant and a King
You're a beautiful mystery

You're like the water
I can feel but not grasp
Still You say all I've gotta do
Is seek and knock and ask

You are to the river
What hems it in and sets it free

The truth is a river
Where the strong can swim down deep
The weak and the broken
Can walk across so easily

******

The part I put in bold is my favorite. That is the message I wanted to convey on Sunday regarding how we know, and what we know about, God. We feel God, know God in many ways, but we cannot grasp, we cannot hold all knowledge about God. That is because we arent designed to hold that kind of truth, because what usually happens with us (humans) is that once we think we have something completely figured out, then it is at our command, it is our possession. When I see people speaking so confidently about what "God wants" or "God's plan" in certain scenarios I wonder how they can be so sure. Often times this sort of talk occurs when we have placed ourselves in the judge's chair - a seat that only Christ can sit in.

The reference to myself in college during the sermon had to do with the fact that I found this one theologian who I thought had really figured it all out - and he thought so too. So I had this air-tight, argument proof system. And really, this for me was more important than following Jesus, than loving God or neighbor. I was more concerned with being right than with having faith - because as a speaker at the conference I was at said recently, "Defending the faith requires believing that you are right; leaning into faith requires believing in God." Another way to say it is that when we think we have the whole truth, then we become defensive of it - "I'm gonna make a stand for the truth in a world where no one believes in the truth anymore" and so forth. But of course the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Truth, and the Jesus is not one to be defended or stood up for or held in our hands, Jesus is one to be followed.

He leaves his disciples with this direction: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." John 16:13