Wednesday, July 19, 2023  

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Today’s Scripture Reading 
Romans 11:33–12:2

O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect. (NRSV)

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Reflection
As a millennial, I have a fair number of atheist friends. At brunch, at the gym, at the bar, they ask, “How can you be a Christian?” A friendly debate ensues. I’m sure you have had a similar conversation with family or friends. It’s a lot of “what about this?” or “what about that?”

Ultimately, I’m struck at the great misunderstanding about faith and religion. In these theological contests there seems to be an assumption that Christian faith gives the solutions to life’s puzzles and the answers to all unknown questions. Yet we know that’s not true.

Christianity, belief in the Triune God, is not about having explanations for how everything works. Instead it’s about the embrace of mystery. Now, I don’t mean mystery in the literary sense, as in something that will be solved by the end of the book. Nor do I mean mystery in the scientific sense, as if the right amount of evidence will help us find the answer. No, Christian mystery is not something that we do not happen to know; instead, it is something that we cannot know.

Christians hold that God who created all things is infinite in knowledge, in power, in wisdom, and in love. “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” Paul exclaims. While there is always more to learn about God, there will always be much more beyond our understanding. Unanswerable questions: Why was the universe brought into being? How is God present in our world? What happens at our first breath and at our last?

Yes, there are amazing and incredible scientific answers to explain the world — but even they have limits. For Christians, we are not in the business of explaining. Instead, we recognize the limits of human understanding and embrace the mystery of God in reverence and awe.

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Prayer
O God, the universe whirls with beauty and grandeur and I can’t understand it all. Help me to remain in a posture of awe and reverence as I embrace your divine mystery. Amen.

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Written by Shawn Fiedler, Major Gift Officer

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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