16:25 Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my
gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
16:26 but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is
made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the
eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith --
16:27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the
glory forever! Amen.
These verses are a great postscript to the
readings from Romans that we had earlier in the
year (I used them as a sermon series in the
summer). The mystery of God is now known, and not
just to a select few but available for everyone.
"to bring about the obedience of
faith..." (v.26) This what happened with Mary
in the Gospel reading. What God wants is not just
obedience but the obedience OF FAITH, the
demonstration that we are willing to trust God and
to act in even the most unpromising of
circumstances - economically, politically and
personally. God is only wise, but the wisdom is
rather different from ours.
Simon in the UK
