ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 22, 2026
Yesterday, I was mowing in my backyard where I have a couple of trees, but they are both very small. And neither one of them is an oak tree, yet out of nowhere, I got hit on the head with an acorn. Maybe a kid with a slingshot from a block away had launched it and it landed on my head. I only say that because I had a slingshot as a kid, and though not proud to admit it, I launched a few items without actually considering where they might fall. Or maybe it was a bird flying over, and if that was the case, I’m thankful it was only an acorn. In reality, I’m unlikely to ever find an answer to the acorn incident, but I won’t let it bother me too much. Actually, it’s probably a good opportunity for me to use the word mystery. It’s one I toss around a lot in theological conversations, but I don’t know if I have really explored the mysteries of faith. Explanations are more my thing.
In Colossians, the Apostle Paul wrote,
“I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:2-3).
I read it, and not to offend anyone, but I find it to be a sort of word salad, or maybe nonsense is a better word. Paul spoke of understanding and knowledge, alongside mystery and hidden treasures. Is it hidden, whatever it is? Is it a mystery? Of course, I find my wife’s love to be a mystery. Any attempt at explaining or determining a why is sort of wasted time. Yet without explanation, I am beyond thankful, and there is great joy when I am with her.
It is a strange hobby, but I do enjoy reading theology; every imaginable type of theology, including those I don’t necessarily agree with. Yet with all the theories and systems of explanation, when it comes right down to it, it sort of feels like someone trying to guess from where the acorn came. You can likely eliminate a few possibilities, but most any guess still holds some validity. Paul appears to imply that this mystery and the hidden treasures are found in Jesus, so any explanation I come up with shouldn’t stray too far from the life of Jesus. Of course, earlier in Colossians, Paul states that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (1:15). Though if I’m not mistaken, that is a mystery in and of itself.
Holy God, Sacred Mystery, give me a spirit of caution and counsel whenever I get ready to make some grand statement about your essence, values, or plans. Provide me time with Jesus, his life and his teaching, his death and his resurrection. Maybe then, I can speak in such a way so as to provide others a glimpse behind the veil that exists when that which is eternal meets the limits of human existence. Amen.
