15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 2:15–20.
“How we fail to understand when we think that the task of theology is to solve the mystery of God, to drag it down to the flat, ordinary wisdom of human experience and reason! Its sole purpose is to preserve the miracle as miracle, to comprehend, defend, and glorify God’s mystery precisely as mystery.”
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, and Jana Riess. God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas. Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.
Abba,
“Holy theology arises from knees bent before the mystery of divine child in the stable.” (Bonhoeffer) How profound these words.
You ARE a mystery, Abba. You will NEVER NOT be a mystery to us. The moment You stop being a mystery, You stop being God. Even in eternity, in our perfected state, we will still be creatures of finite and limited means. Rather than spending our time seeking to remove ALL mystery from you, we ought to bask in the mystery that You are and let that mystery strengthen our delight in You, EVEN WHILE You continually make more of Yourself known to us.
Remind us, Abba, that theology is not about knowing all there is to know about You, but it is about uniting us in intimacy with You even while much remains unknown or not understood.
We love you! May we ever and always bow the knee in worship before You!
Amen.
A Singular Passion 