In a culture driven by clarity, precision, and control, the idea of mystery can feel foreign—especially in worship. Yet at the very center of Christian faith lies an encounter with the divine that defies comprehension: the infinite God made known in the finite form of Jesus Christ, and communicated still through bread, wine, and water.
The Church has traditionally called these sacred encounters sacraments. But what exactly is a sacrament?
Sacrament as Mystery
The word sacrament comes from the Latin sacramentum, a translation of the Greek word mysterion (μυστήριον). In the New Testament, mysterion refers not to something unknowable, but to something previously hidden that is now revealed by God—yet still beyond human mastery. Paul uses the term repeatedly to describe God’s redemptive plan made known in Christ (e.g., Eph. 3:4–6; Col. 1:26–27). In this sense, a sacrament is not just a religious ritual—it is a revealed mystery, a tangible sign through which God makes himself known and offers grace.
Worship Begins in Mystery
God is not a concept we can grasp or a formula we can decode. He is the Creator who dwells in unapproachable light, the eternal One whose thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa. 55:8–9). Left to ourselves, we could not know him. But the good news of the gospel is that God took the initiative to make himself known—through the covenant, the prophets, and ultimately through Jesus Christ.
Christian worship, then, is not about figuring God out. It’s about responding to God’s self-revelation with awe, trust, and thanksgiving. The sacraments are given not to explain God, but to draw us into communion with him.
Signs that Point to a Greater Reality
In the sacraments, ordinary elements—water, bread, wine—become vessels of divine grace. They are not magic tricks or bare symbols. They are sacred signs instituted by Christ that convey what they signify. Baptism is not just a metaphor for cleansing—it is a real participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. The Eucharist is not merely a memorial meal—it is a communion with Christ’s body and blood.
This is the mystery at the heart of worship: that the eternal God would meet us in the simple and the physical. That he would stoop to touch our bodies to heal our souls. That he would give himself again and again, through signs that speak louder than words.
Why This Matters
To rediscover the sacraments is to recover a vision of worship that is rich, embodied, and deeply relational. We are not just thinkers or feelers—we are creatures of flesh and spirit. And God, in his grace, has chosen to meet us where we are, drawing us into his life through visible, tangible means.
This is why mystery is not a problem to solve, but a gift to receive. The sacraments remind us that the Christian life is not about control, but about communion. Not about conquering truth, but about being conquered by grace.
