July 11, 2021 Text: Ephesians 1:3-14
Dear Friends in Christ,
Do you all know the mystery board game Clue? Invented by an Englishman years ago and still played today. The object of the game was to solve a murder. You did this by deciphering clues until you think you had the killer, the weapon and the room it occurred in. You then announce, “I’ve solved it.” You look at the answer: Col. Mustard with the lead pipe in the library. If those are the three cards then you win. If not, you are out of the game. If you just get part of the answer you are perplexed. “Professor Plum, I was sure it was Col. Mustard.”
It is fun to solve a mystery. With 6 characters, 6 weapons, and 9 rooms there are 324 possible answers in the game of Clue. Did you ever consider the greatest selling book of all time is a mystery? The Bible. The Bible tells the story of the wicked twists and turns of Satan and sinful humanity. Meanwhile, God’s twists and turns exceed those of the evil one as He plots the devil’s destruction and carries it out on a cross. We marvel at how the love of God is revealed.
We know ahead of time how this mystery ends. Ordinarily, when we know the solution, we’re done with the “who done it.” But not this one. This mystery captivates us even when we know how it comes out.
“SOLVING THE MYSTERY”
Today let’s relish the mystery of God’s love in Christ. The mystery is kept hidden from unbelievers and we cannot solve it on our own for these reasons: We are sinners divorced from God and in disharmony with our fellow human beings, and that makes it a mystery as to how God could ever love us. We close our eyes and minds to God. We turn away from godly deeds. An elementary deduction, wouldn’t you say? We cannot comprehend the mind and will of God.
Jesus has revealed the mystery. He is the solution. Verse 9 says, “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ.” Jesus kept his eyes on the Father and did His will. He sacrificed for those of us who deserved only punishment. He and the Father are One. He didn’t purchase us with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and innocent suffering and death. That is how the mystery came out – Jesus on the cross giving His life – it is a happy ending, we’ve read the clues, won the game, received the crown of life.
This is a mystery we can tell others about. We are not spoiling the fun. We are proclaiming the great deeds of our Savior. We want to spread the message of this newfound harmony with God. The mystery of God’s will is our salvation and we want to focus others on the source of this salvation. We have been chosen by God, predestined for adoption through Jesus Christ. We have the riches of His grace. We desire Christ’s blessings of Word and Sacrament. In a profound mystery, the Holy Spirit demonstrates His work in us. We use our gifts to tell about the gift. No need to wait for the end of the novel or the movie.
In my junior year of high school I was in a drama class. We were divided into four groups of 7 people and were given the task of writing, producing, directing and acting in a one-act play that would last 15-20 minutes. The group I was in was assigned a mystery. Somehow, we pulled it off. We wrote a “Columbo” type of detective story that was interesting and funny. That morning I had broken my finger while pitching and I spent the afternoon in the emergency room. I made it to the production just a half hour before we were to go on. A day I won’t forget. We had wonderful collaboration and a great story. The mystery was solved and we brought some joy to people’s lives.
Do you see yourselves in this great story presented to us today? You are part of the plot. You come to the production with your own injuries. Maybe you get there just in time. This mystery isn’t about someone else. This is our story. Christ died for you so that you might live. Christ lives for you that you might die to sin. Christ removes your worries and gives you peace.
This is the mystery: “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us.” This is also the solution, for “in him,” we “become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
Amen.