Scripture: 1st Corinthians 4:1-2
Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
Thought for the Day: What exactly does it mean to be a steward of a mystery? Is this like being Jessica Fletcher’s caregiver (there might be some who don’t get that joke and others who simply find it incredibly stupid)? For Paul, the mysteries of God were those things that had been unseen until Christ’s coming, yet even then, the meaning of Christ remained something attainable only through symbol, metaphor and ritual. It is the Eastern Orthodox Churches that seem to have a better understanding of mystery as compared to those of us in Western Protestantism. I gained some insight when a pastor from the Russian Orthodox church explained how he perceived Jesus present at the communion table. He said that it was a mystery, and though it wasn’t something any of us could ever articulate intellectually, we could come to a full spiritual knowledge of it as the bread and cup are shared (that’s my paraphrase). It is a mystery that needs less explaining and more experiencing. To be a steward of such a mystery is to be the means by which others are invited into the experience.
Prayer: I may not always find the exact words to explain my experiences of you, Lord, but I will seek to live a life that invites others into that experience. Amen.
