Mystery And Secrets
Sermon
One of my most relaxing hobbies is the reading of mystery stories. I especially enjoy a well-written plot which keeps me guessing until the very end of the book, although I'm not so keen on plots which seem contrived just to get in a twist at the end.
I've just finished a couple of books by Reginald Hill about those two intrepid cops, Dalziel and Pascoe and the delight of these two novels, apart from excellent writing, has been the way in which the author has linked the two books. It's not that one is a sequel to other, but that the plot, although complete in each book, has been very cleverly extended across the two novels. And it kept me guessing until the very end of the second novel!
There's something exciting about mysteries and something intriguing about trying to puzzle them out, but I'm not sure that secrets necessarily come into quite the same category. Some secrets can be exciting, such as a surprise present or a surprise birthday party, but other secrets can be very destructive. These may be family secrets, known either to the whole family but no-one else, or known only to certain members of the family, or secrets between friends but excluding other friends, or even state secrets.
Secrets which exclude one person or a group of people may be "black" secrets and sources of shame to those in the know, hence the secrecy surrounding them. And if they're family secrets they may stretch right back into family history over several generations.
State secrets, or secrets held by the few in high office in an organisation, may be necessary to ensure security of the nation or security of the company. But they also add mystique to those in the know, and hence power. Those who hold secrets are often in a very powerful position, as many a blackmailer has found to their advantage.
The Bible has its fair share of secrets too. St Mark's gospel, which we're following this year, contains what has become known as the "Messianic Secret". After some miracles or specific insights, the author of Mark's gospel often has Jesus commanding his followers to silence (eg. 8:20). This may be because Jesus felt the time was inappropriate or because those who were speaking about him were inappropriate speakers (eg 1:34). But it also seems to warn against those whose ministry is something of an ego trip. Mark believed that Jesus came to suffer and die, not to be idolised as some sort of popular hero, and so Mark's gospel consistently points towards the cross.
Indeed, Mark's gospel originally ended with the crucifixion, showing that it was only in offering himself on the cross that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Chapter 16, which now ends Mark's gospel and is an account of the resurrection, is the work of later editors.
So Mark's gospel not only knows about secrets, but also has Jesus himself instigating secrets, for it's Jesus who commands his followers to "tell no-one". But at the same time, Jesus discloses secrets, for it's in Jesus himself that the secret of God which has only been dimly guessed at by the prophets in the past, is finally revealed.
From the beginning of time, God has been a mystery, even to his own Chosen People. Although God spoke through the prophets, no-one could gaze upon God's face so no-one knew exactly what God was like. The people glimpsed some aspects of God, but they had no real idea of the full personality of God.
That all changed with Jesus, for Jesus was the human face of God. When people looked at Jesus, they were looking at God. When they listened to Jesus, they were listening to God. When they were with Jesus, living with him and interacting with him, they were living and interacting with God. In Jesus, the full personality of God was seen. Jesus was full of love and healing and compassion and forgiveness, just as God is full of love and healing and compassion and forgiveness.
In his letter to the Romans, often thought by scholars to be the most complete expression of his theology, Paul reveals the mystery which has been kept secret since the beginning of time but which has been hinted at in the pages of the Old Testament. That is, that we human beings are made right with God and made whole by him, simply through faith in him through Jesus Christ.
This - justification and salvation by faith - is at the centre of St Paul's theology and the rock on which he builds his thoughts. But one of the problems for us in the 21st century is that the three main words in that catch phrase - justification, salvation and faith - no longer trip easily off the tongue and are no longer easy to understand. For many, especially those outside the Church, they're incomprehensible, so in a way, the secret has returned.
As Christians, it's our job to open up that secret again. For many who are outside, the Church is one big mystery, full of meaningless ritual which is incomprehensible to modern life and full of prohibitions and negatives to spoil any fun anyone might have. God is often seen as a tyrant waiting to pounce on the slightest misdemeanor, and who sends awful suffering to human beings, not bothering to differentiate between the innocent and the guilty. Many of those who take the trouble to think it through a little further come to the conclusion that God can't exist, for a God of love would never allow the unnecessary suffering that we all see all around us most of the time.
Christians know that none of this is true, but we seem to be keeping the truth a secret. We need to spell out in words of one syllable exactly what is the Good News of Christ. We need to open up the secret that God is on our side, that we're OK in God's eyes and that God offers us health of body, mind and spirit as well as the ability to live forever. And we need to tell people that all of this is a gift given to us by God, that we don't (and can't) earn it, but that it comes free along with belief in Jesus.
Some secrets are destructive, and if this secret is limited to Church people, then it will become a dark and destructive secret, for without the Good News, our world is unlikely to get any better. In order to realise its true worth, the Good News is a secret which must be shared with the whole world, for when it becomes an open secret its power becomes available to everyone.
God revealed his hidden secrets in Jesus. Now it's up to us to reveal the secret of the Good News which started on that first Christmas Day, because that's the only news which will bring peace and goodwill to all people.
I've just finished a couple of books by Reginald Hill about those two intrepid cops, Dalziel and Pascoe and the delight of these two novels, apart from excellent writing, has been the way in which the author has linked the two books. It's not that one is a sequel to other, but that the plot, although complete in each book, has been very cleverly extended across the two novels. And it kept me guessing until the very end of the second novel!
There's something exciting about mysteries and something intriguing about trying to puzzle them out, but I'm not sure that secrets necessarily come into quite the same category. Some secrets can be exciting, such as a surprise present or a surprise birthday party, but other secrets can be very destructive. These may be family secrets, known either to the whole family but no-one else, or known only to certain members of the family, or secrets between friends but excluding other friends, or even state secrets.
Secrets which exclude one person or a group of people may be "black" secrets and sources of shame to those in the know, hence the secrecy surrounding them. And if they're family secrets they may stretch right back into family history over several generations.
State secrets, or secrets held by the few in high office in an organisation, may be necessary to ensure security of the nation or security of the company. But they also add mystique to those in the know, and hence power. Those who hold secrets are often in a very powerful position, as many a blackmailer has found to their advantage.
The Bible has its fair share of secrets too. St Mark's gospel, which we're following this year, contains what has become known as the "Messianic Secret". After some miracles or specific insights, the author of Mark's gospel often has Jesus commanding his followers to silence (eg. 8:20). This may be because Jesus felt the time was inappropriate or because those who were speaking about him were inappropriate speakers (eg 1:34). But it also seems to warn against those whose ministry is something of an ego trip. Mark believed that Jesus came to suffer and die, not to be idolised as some sort of popular hero, and so Mark's gospel consistently points towards the cross.
Indeed, Mark's gospel originally ended with the crucifixion, showing that it was only in offering himself on the cross that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Chapter 16, which now ends Mark's gospel and is an account of the resurrection, is the work of later editors.
So Mark's gospel not only knows about secrets, but also has Jesus himself instigating secrets, for it's Jesus who commands his followers to "tell no-one". But at the same time, Jesus discloses secrets, for it's in Jesus himself that the secret of God which has only been dimly guessed at by the prophets in the past, is finally revealed.
From the beginning of time, God has been a mystery, even to his own Chosen People. Although God spoke through the prophets, no-one could gaze upon God's face so no-one knew exactly what God was like. The people glimpsed some aspects of God, but they had no real idea of the full personality of God.
That all changed with Jesus, for Jesus was the human face of God. When people looked at Jesus, they were looking at God. When they listened to Jesus, they were listening to God. When they were with Jesus, living with him and interacting with him, they were living and interacting with God. In Jesus, the full personality of God was seen. Jesus was full of love and healing and compassion and forgiveness, just as God is full of love and healing and compassion and forgiveness.
In his letter to the Romans, often thought by scholars to be the most complete expression of his theology, Paul reveals the mystery which has been kept secret since the beginning of time but which has been hinted at in the pages of the Old Testament. That is, that we human beings are made right with God and made whole by him, simply through faith in him through Jesus Christ.
This - justification and salvation by faith - is at the centre of St Paul's theology and the rock on which he builds his thoughts. But one of the problems for us in the 21st century is that the three main words in that catch phrase - justification, salvation and faith - no longer trip easily off the tongue and are no longer easy to understand. For many, especially those outside the Church, they're incomprehensible, so in a way, the secret has returned.
As Christians, it's our job to open up that secret again. For many who are outside, the Church is one big mystery, full of meaningless ritual which is incomprehensible to modern life and full of prohibitions and negatives to spoil any fun anyone might have. God is often seen as a tyrant waiting to pounce on the slightest misdemeanor, and who sends awful suffering to human beings, not bothering to differentiate between the innocent and the guilty. Many of those who take the trouble to think it through a little further come to the conclusion that God can't exist, for a God of love would never allow the unnecessary suffering that we all see all around us most of the time.
Christians know that none of this is true, but we seem to be keeping the truth a secret. We need to spell out in words of one syllable exactly what is the Good News of Christ. We need to open up the secret that God is on our side, that we're OK in God's eyes and that God offers us health of body, mind and spirit as well as the ability to live forever. And we need to tell people that all of this is a gift given to us by God, that we don't (and can't) earn it, but that it comes free along with belief in Jesus.
Some secrets are destructive, and if this secret is limited to Church people, then it will become a dark and destructive secret, for without the Good News, our world is unlikely to get any better. In order to realise its true worth, the Good News is a secret which must be shared with the whole world, for when it becomes an open secret its power becomes available to everyone.
God revealed his hidden secrets in Jesus. Now it's up to us to reveal the secret of the Good News which started on that first Christmas Day, because that's the only news which will bring peace and goodwill to all people.
