Sometimes we taste what we expect to taste. When we were first offered a taste of fine armagnac, if the person giving it to us had said that it was some evaporated concoction of rotten grape juice, we likely would have found nothing pleasant in it at all. It’s harshness and its strange complexity would have been thought almost toxic! But when we are told that this glass of cognac contains the labors of centuries; the distilled product of humanity’s most exacting palates, resulting in a tried and true beverage of bliss, well, then we’re apt to taste something quite different–and cherish every drop! If at first it seems bitter and harsh, we are likely to judge our own self as inexperienced in such sublimity of the senses and give ourselves more time to learn the joys of fine alcohol.

The early church referred to the teachings of the Christ and the sacraments as “mysteries”. They were only revealed successively to those inquiring into the faith, i.e., catechesis, and finally in baptism and the Eucharist. At this point the Christian was not thought to have “attained” knowledge, but would continue to grow in sanctification through the reception of these mysteries in the body of believers. And however long the church examined and experienced these gifts, they never ceased to be mysteries.

There is something very humbling about such view of Christian initiation and discipleship. Something that all ancient Christians have known, and many sections of Evangelicalism seem to have lost, is that things pertaining to God are wonderful, beyond human searching, and received only insofar as God gives them.

The liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (347-407) has this prayer before the celebration of the Eucharist:

“Again, we bow before You and pray to You, O good and loving God. Hear our supplication: cleanse our souls and bodies from every defilement of flesh and spirit, and grant that we may stand before Your holy altar without blame or condemnation. Grant also, O God, progress in life, faith, and spiritual discernment to the faithful who pray with us, so that they may always worship You with reverence and love, partake of Your Holy Mysteries without blame or condemnation, and become worthy of Your heavenly kingdom.”

While the believers are gathered together in joy to receive the promised salvation of God, there prevails an attitude of supplication and reverence, regarding the mysteries of God as something to of awe that the individual receives with trembling.

Conspicuously absent is the triumphalism prevalent in Evangelical liturgies. It may be observed that the attitude of joy found in American Evangelicalism is indeed a fruit of the gospel, allowing the soul to rejoice in God’s goodness. However, with this advent of triumphal liturgies has also come the loss of the appreciation of mystery that the church had for so long cherished.

The Apostle Paul viewed the stewardship of the mysteries as a responsibility that came with the judgment of God on how faithful one is at that stewardship. Since God is that judge, I have no place to judge any particular steward. But as a Christian who desires to be guided and discipled by one who cherishes God’s gifts of word and sacrament as indeed mysteries of God and is himself submitted to them, I am given the responsibility of finding such a servant of Christ to whom I can entrust the shepherding of my soul.

I have to think that there are others like me. And I have to wonder, if the “accessibility” of the gospel and the success of emotional worship experiences come at the loss of appreciation for the mysteries, has the church gained anything?

Perhaps our perspective would be matured if we understand that grapes grown on the hills of the Cognac region of France two hundred years ago, are only now being bottled and sold in the Richard Hennessy line. If you think my analogy irrelevant to the gospel, consider rather two thousand years instead of two hundred. This is the amount of time that God passed over “former sins” in order to “show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Somehow God does not view ministry method with the same marketing strategy inherent in our worship experience design of today. If this generation has a liturgical sweet tooth, are they significantly different from the “evil and adulterous generation” that seeks signs and wonders? (Matthew 16:4)

True, it is easy to criticize the efforts of godly people seeking to preach the gospel to our times. After all, is not this our call? Now the mystery is revealed! Indeed, and it remains a mystery. If we expect sincere persons to desire a taste let us tell them of what a marvelous mystery it is, incomparable in all the world and unsearchable but for the gifts of Jesus Christ. Then they’re likely to taste again, submitting their experience to the judgment of the divine mystery rather than submitting the church to the judgment of the emotions.