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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON NC
Writer's pictureDr. Jim Baldwin

HD Homilies – Mystery

There are certain mysteries of life that continue to baffle me.

One sock, a few coins, and a bathing suit top liner lying on a copper colored quilt.

Where does the other sock go when only one is left in the dryer?  How does a bathing suit top liner move from one side to the other side (or even come out altogether) when there are no openings in the material?  How do coins appear in the bottom of the washing machine when I am certain I emptied my pockets?  Last week the hose extension to our vacuum cleaner disappeared while I was cleaning house.  We haven’t found it yet!


To be sure there are deeper mysteries that move within my brain.  At what point does the soul leave the body?  Where does it go when it leaves?   If the soul is in heaven, what happens at the Resurrection when Jesus returns to gather up those “who have fallen asleep?”  I have tentative answers to these questions but they remain a mystery beyond my understanding. 


In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he refers to the “mystery which has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to God’s people.”  (Colossians 1:26)  For years people sought to know God on a more personal level, but it remained a mystery how to bridge the gap between human and divine.   The Jews had a literal veil in the temple separating those who were seeking God from the very One they sought.  Moses was told that if he looked at God’s face he would die. 


Paul lets us in on the secret that God has revealed Himself in Christ.  “To them God has chosen to make known… the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  (Colossians 1:27)  Jesus told his followers, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”  (John 14:9) Even more astounding, Christ now lives within the souls of believers!  The glory of God is within us and before us and will never leave us. 


Paul realizes how incredible it is, that God would fill us with the presence of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.  “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)  Ordinary people, walking around in our ordinary lives, shine the glory of God into a world of darkness so that God can restore what has been lost.


Now, if I can just find that vacuum cleaner hose!



-Dr. Jim Baldwin

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