O the Depths of the Riches and Wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable His judgements. 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 God to receive a gift in return. From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

The creator of this universe is subtle. Yesterday, we had a wedding here and contemplated the wedding feast at Cana where they ran out of wine. This is not about solving all the huge crises of the world. Many times you can look at your problems and think other people have bigger problems, that God is probably doing something important instead of thinking about us. But Mary, who knows Jesus best, says, “They have no wine.” (John 2:36) There is a lot being said there. Jesus says, “Why are you telling me this?” She goes to the servants and says, “Do what He tells you.” Now he would not do what He thought was wrong, even to please His mother. The servants filled the six containers, which are 20 to 30 gallons each. The only people who knew what happened were those who were serving. It was Jesus first miracle. Perhaps as well today, the only people that know what God is doing are those who are serving.

God is subtle. Somehow in the wisdom and knowledge of God, He sustains this world in a way that people question whether there is a God at all. They think maybe it happened by accident, like my watch—a whole bunch of particles were spinning around somewhere and they smacked together and I got a watch that keeps time. I think that’s what happened. This was just a random event and we are just experiencing that. Or, people will think that somehow we evolved into more than we ever were, that out of some meaningless blob somewhere, came people like us. It just worked out that way and the world continues in this fashion. In the mind of God, He decided He would allow this kind of thinking to be so. It is very interesting that the end of our first reading states, “That from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” We are told in a very brief way, that everything about this world comes from God. Is there a God who makes a world, who makes a galaxy? People will say that it’s hard to believe that there is a God behind it all. Is it not hard to believe that it would happen by itself? That’s not hard to believe? Is the cosmos a fluke in all its nuances, from stars in the heavens to positions of planets? If we were any closer to the sun, we would burn up. If we were any farther, we’d be a frozen territory. Reflect with me on created things that you cannot see with the human eye, even germs and atoms and how they hold together. People are not quite sure how, but they do hold together. Imagine creating it.

My dad used to say, “I couldn’t afford that if you gave it to me.” It’s one thing to create a world and create human beings in it. It’s another thing to maintain it. What do you think it takes to maintain this world daily? What do you think it takes to maintain life on this planet daily? How many equations go into this? What kinds of variables have to happen from the time that the world comes from Him to now as the world continues through Him?

Every thinking human being has problems with God, has problems with the thought of God. Probably the one you and I hear the most, is that if God is who He says He is and if Jesus is who you say He is, then why is there so much suffering and turmoil in the world? Explain that. That is a tough thing to explain, but explain this to me. Why do we as people know that something is not right? Whoever made us into beings that can know when something is not right. It’s not right that I eat and other people don’t. It’s not right that I have a roof over my head and others don’t. Violence isn’t right. How do we know that? The Bible account, (it is possible to know a lot about the Bible, but not much about the Lord, I’m sorry to say.) Yet the Bible account is still the Word of God. I learn more about God from His word, than from anywhere else. It teaches us that the pinnacle work that God creates in this world is human beings. Everything else is a backdrop for human beings to grow into what it is to be a son or daughter of God, a child of God.

With all the ills in the world, historically speaking, ask yourself this question, “what kind of people do the most to address the needs of orphans and widows and the sick and the hungry?” Who are the people motivated to lay down their lives for those whose lives are most in need? You will see the hand of God throughout. Human beings touched by God increase the help for their fellow man and woman, sensing kinship that crosses race, crosses generations, crosses language to say, “yes, I am my sister’s keeper, I am my brothers keeper. Yes, somehow the meaning of my life is to be a blessing to others’ lives.” Whose idea is that? In the mind of God, is this great knowledge and great wisdom that is past my finding out. We also have revelation. We have a lot that God reveals about Himself, about you and me and about this world. It is His heart’s desire that you would be a blessing where you are.

Jesus says to Peter in the Gospel, “Who do people say that I am?” He says, “People are saying everything, Jesus. Some people say you are John the Baptist.” They said that because Jesus is someone who doesn’t fit into any category. Some people thought He was Elijah returned. Some thought He was Jeremiah, the weeping prophet come back to weep for us. People are trying to figure out who Jesus is, but He is past definition, like someone back from the dead. Jesus says to Peter, “What do you say? Because it says flesh and blood did not reveal that to you,” I think that means that Jesus did not explain all this to Peter ahead of time. Then Peter said, “I’ll tell you what I’m thinking. I am thinking you’re the man. You are the Messiah. I think you are the Son of the living God.” Jesus said, “Blessed are you. I will give you the keys to the kingdom.”

It is my personal belief, though you have to weigh these things for yourself, that if you see Jesus as that person, you also have keys. You have keys to make this world a different place. It’s going to be subtle, because that’s the way God works. He doesn’t want to be so overwhelming that those who hate Him have to follow Him anyhow. That’s not happening until the last dance, till the judgement day, until all is said and done. Then there will be nothing left to say or to do. Until that day, the work of the kingdom goes on in this world and those who see Jesus for who He is have keys. Yes, we have poverty, spiritual poverty, but Jesus will say, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit. Yours is the kingdom.” I’m giving you the keys to make a difference in Southwest Detroit, or wherever you are. If you see me for who I am, you’ve got keys. Yet we are going to change this world in subtle ways, until I reveal myself fully.

When the Lord revealed Himself to Moses he said, “I’m the Lord. That’s who I am. Not everyone knows me by who I am, but that’s who I am. I am the Lord. I have seen the affliction of my people, but I’m going to make a man out of you Moses.” Usually, how God works in the world is by raising up a woman or a man who is going to follow Him, who is going to love Him, who is going to see Him as He is and is going to reflect the Kingdom until another man or woman gets the keys, and so on.

Jesus says to His disciples, “Don’t tell people that I am the Messiah.” Doesn’t that sound odd? Later that will be proclaimed. Proclaim the kingdom is at hand and they’ll figure it out. Each of us, if we believe, need to share our faith. The first person that needs to believe is you and me. We need to know what we know. We need to demonstrate the Kingdom of heaven in the kingdom of this world in such a way that people will know that something is going on. Maybe they won’t know what it is, but it’s something different. It’s like someone coming back from the dead.

The mind of the Lord is an amazing thing. I praise the mind of the Lord, this morning. Knowledge is a wonderful thing, but to me wisdom is even more wonderful. Knowledge is knowing things and wisdom is knowing what to do with what you know. I know more than I know what to do with. I don’t live as well as I know how to live. I confess that sin. I don’t live up to what I know, but I’m going that way, God help me. I want to confess where I fall short to you and God and I want keys to make a difference in this world. I want to bear about in my body the spirit of the living God, sharing the good news, bringing people into the kingdom, helping those who already believe to grow up into disciples—men and women who stand up for the truth, though none go with us, still following till death. “From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”

Death is the last hurtle for us. It’s a leap. Don’t tell me it isn’t. We can believe and believe, but if you feel that you have 10 minutes left to live and believe, a sweat is going to break out. We don’t really fully get what’s on the other side, but I want to ask you, “Has the Lord been with you on this side?” Then have no fear. That becomes our prayer, “Jesus, you’ve been with me here. I don’t know what’s on the other side, but in your time carry me. Take me there and if you are there, it will be alright. To be absent from your body is to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Oh the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable His judgments. How inscrutable His ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord, who has been His counselor, who has given a gift to God to receive a gift in return, for from Him, through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory and honor forever and ever.