Judges 14:6a, 8-9a, 12a, 14a
“The Spirit of the Lord came upon [Samson] in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands…Some time later, when he went back to marry [the Philistine woman], he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass.  In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, which he scooped out with his hands and ate…‘Let me tell you a riddle,’ Samson said to [his companions]…‘Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.’”

Matthew 26:26
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’”

1 Corinthians 1:18-19
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’”

Holy and mysterious God, your designs are unfathomable.

We confess an ignorance to your purposes.  We do not see the sacred in the ordinary; we are blind to the profound.

Explain the enigma of your word to us by your Spirit.  Enlighten our dull minds to see that Christ is all and is in all—and that salvation’s riddle is understood in the cross.

By the incomprehensible power of Christ’s broken body, the strong out of which comes the sweet for us to feast upon, we humbly present our prayers.

Listen to ‘The Mystery of Godliness’ by Bruce Benedict