With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Ephesians 1:10

A few days ago, we considered the fact that, in Christ, God has revealed the "mystery of his will" (The Mystery Revealed, Part 1, Part 2). Yet, even as we celebrated the fact of God's revelation, we did not yet discover the core of the mystery itself. This does not come until verse 10. Finally, we learn the mystery of God's will is "to bring unity to all things in heaven and earth under Christ" (1:10).

This may not be the secret you were expecting. Perhaps you imagined that the mystery was the coming of God as a human being, the Incarnation. Or perhaps you expected the mystery to be the saving power of Christ's death and resurrection. Or maybe you thought the secret would be the truth that we are saved by grace through faith (see 2:8). But, in fact, the big mystery God has revealed to us is his intent "to bring unity to all things in heaven and earth under Christ."

In tomorrow's reflection we'll begin to examine what exactly this means. But, for now, I want to highlight the fact that God's plan is big, really big. In fact, it encompasses everything in all creation, both heavenly and earthly things. We might say that God's purpose includes both the spiritual and the physical. Nothing is excluded from God's plan.

It's easy for us to minimize what God is doing in the cosmos. Of course, our limited minds can never fully comprehend God's grand design. Sometimes we think of God as mainly in the "saving individual souls" business. Or we might envision God in the "bringing justice to the needy" business. Or we might think that God cares only about the things we identify as "spiritual." The truth is, according to Ephesians 1:10, that God's purpose and vision is much bigger than we might imagine.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: How do you tend to think of God's "mystery," his core purpose for creation? Are you ever inclined to minimize God's work? How do you respond to the notion that God is bringing "all things" to unity under Christ?

PRAYER: Almighty God, thank you for revealing your "mystery" to us. Thank you for showing us that you are bringing to unity all things in Christ. Thank you for the "bigness" of your purpose.

Help me, Lord, not to minimize your plan. Through your Word and by your Spirit, expand my mind and heart. Help me to grasp, as never before, the immensity of your purposes for creation...and for me. Amen.