Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

Mystery.

That word can stir up a lot of different reactions. Some people hear it and lean in, curious, excited, wanting to dig deeper. Others hear it and feel nervous, even doubtful, because mystery often means not having all the answers. And if we’re honest, we don’t like not having the answers.

But the truth is this: mystery is always going to be a part of the Christian walk. We will never have every answer tied up neatly in a bow. We will never fully understand every detail of God’s plan. Why? Because God is God, and we are not.

Isaiah 55:8–9 reminds us of this when the Lord declares:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

That means no matter how much we learn, no matter how many years we study the Bible, no matter how much life we live—there will always be mystery.

But here’s the good news: this mystery isn’t meant to produce fear, doubt, or unbelief. Instead, it should bring us to a place of awe, wonder, and anticipation.

Psalm 119:68 says, “You are good, and you do good.”

That one verse alone reframes how we think about mystery. If God is good—and He is—and He does good—and He does—then every “unknown” we face is really an invitation to trust Him more deeply.

Like a Child Waiting for a Surprise

Let me give you an illustration.

Think about being a child and your parents tell you they have a surprise for you. “Hop in the car!” they say, but they won’t tell you where you’re going. You drive and you wait and you wait and you wait. You’re in the middle of a mystery.

But are you afraid? Are you anxious?

No. You’re excited because you know your parents love you, and you know they want to do something good for you. They’re up to something, and you can hardly wait to find out what it is.

Finally, you arrive, and it’s the theme park you’ve been begging to go to for months. They didn’t let you down. They didn’t forget you. They didn’t trick you. They gave you something better than you expected.

That’s a picture of how God works. He doesn’t always tell us where He’s taking us. He doesn’t reveal every detail along the way. But He is always good, and He always does good. And in the end, His plan is always better than ours.

Paul and the Mystery Revealed

In Ephesians 3, Paul talks about one of the greatest mysteries God ever revealed. He explains that God gave him insight into a plan that had been hidden for ages: the plan to unite Jews and Gentiles through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now, to us today, that might not seem all that shocking. But in Paul’s world, this was massive. You see, Jews and Gentiles had a deep divide. Jews believed they were God’s chosen people (and they were), but they saw Gentiles as outsiders—less than, unworthy, far from God’s promises.

Even Gentiles themselves often carried that sense of exclusion. Remember when the Syrophoenician woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter, and He said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs”? (Mark 7:27). That wasn’t an insult—it was a reflection of how Jews and Gentiles saw themselves in relation to each other. She even replied, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” That’s how deep the divide went.

And yet, God revealed to Paul that through Christ, that wall of division was coming down.

Ephesians 3:6 puts it plainly:

“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”

Did you catch that? Together.

No more separation. No more second-class status. No more Jew vs. Gentile. In Christ, both are made one.

God’s Purpose in Unity

So why did God do this?

Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:10–11:

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The unity of God’s people isn’t just about us getting along. It’s about putting God’s wisdom on display—not just to the world, but even to the spiritual realm.

Think about that. When the church walks in unity, when believers live as one family in Christ, it is a sermon preached not only to people but also to angels and demons. It’s a cosmic declaration that God’s plan is unstoppable, His wisdom is unfathomable, and His love is unshakable.

Unity in Our Culture Today

Now let’s bring this forward into our world today.

We live in a culture obsessed with division. Division by race. Division by politics. Division by wealth. Division by social class. Division by gender. Division by opinion. Division by denomination.

It seems like everywhere you look, the world is drawing lines in the sand and daring you to pick a side.

But here’s the thing—those divisions don’t define us in Christ.

Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28:

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

In other words, the categories the world uses to divide us do not define us anymore. What defines us is Christ. And if He has made us one, then we are called to live as one.

So when our culture says, “You have to pick sides,” the gospel says, “You’re already on the same side—Jesus’ side.”

When our culture says, “You don’t belong,” the gospel says, “You are fellow heirs.”

When our culture says, “Your differences disqualify you,” the gospel says, “Your differences display God’s wisdom.”

The Challenge of Unity

Of course, unity isn’t easy.

Even in Paul’s day, Jewish believers struggled to accept Gentile believers. Gentile believers struggled to understand Jewish customs. There was tension, suspicion, even arguments.

And if we’re honest, we feel the same tension today. Unity is easy to preach about but hard to live out.

That’s why Paul closes Ephesians 3 not with a list of strategies but with a prayer. He prays for believers—Jews and Gentiles alike—that they would be:

1. Strengthened with power through the Spirit (v. 16).
2. Rooted and established in love (v. 17).
3. Able to grasp the depth of Christ’s love (v. 18–19).
4. Filled with the fullness of God (v. 19).

Because here’s the truth: unity isn’t something we can manufacture by human effort. It’s something only the Spirit can produce in us.

Living Out the Mystery

So what does this look like for us today? Let me suggest a few practical steps:

• Pray for unity. Not just in a vague, general sense but specifically. Pray for unity in your family, in your church, in your neighborhood, in your community. Pray Ephesians 3:14–21 over the people you know.
• Cross the divide. Is there someone in your life who feels like an outsider to you? Someone you’ve avoided because of differences—cultural, political, racial, or personal? Take a step toward them. Invite them to coffee. Listen to their story. Show them the love of Christ.
• Celebrate differences. Unity doesn’t mean uniformity. God didn’t make us all the same. He made us diverse on purpose. Our differences are not a threat to the gospel—they are a testimony to it.
• Choose love over labels. The world is quick to label, but God is quicker to love. When you’re tempted to define someone by their category, remember that Christ defines them as beloved.

Awe, Wonder, and Anticipation

At the end of the day, the mystery of God’s plan isn’t meant to frustrate us. It’s meant to fill us with awe, wonder, and anticipation.

Ephesians 3 closes with one of the most powerful doxologies in all of Scripture:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (vv. 20–21).

Immeasurably more. That’s what God has planned. That’s what the mystery holds. That’s what unity in Christ points toward.

So today, let me challenge you: don’t let the mystery of God intimidate you. Let it inspire you. Don’t let it create doubt. Let it create trust. Don’t let it fuel division. Let it fuel unity.

Because the same God who united Jews and Gentiles is the same God who is uniting us today. And He hasn’t let us down yet.

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A Prayer for Us

Lord,

Thank You for revealing the mystery of Your plan in Christ. Thank You that we are one body, one family, one people in You. Strengthen us by Your Spirit. Root us in Your love. Open our eyes to see the height, depth, and breadth of Christ’s love for us. And fill us with Your fullness so that we may reflect Your glory to the world. Unite us, Lord, across every divide, until the day we stand before You as one people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, worshiping together forever.

Amen.