Share His Secrets

A Reflection on the Second Reading for January 6th, 2019:
The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Ephesians 3:1-6                                   

​1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, pray to God. 
2 Surely you have heard that God in his grace has given me this work to do for your good. 
3 God revealed his secret plan and made it known to me. (I have written briefly about this, 
4 and if you will read what I have written, you can learn about my understanding of the secret of Christ.) 
5 In past times human beings were not told this secret, but God has revealed it now by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. 
6 The secret is that by means of the gospel the Gentiles have a part with the Jews in God's blessings; they are members of the same body and share in the promise that God made through Christ Jesus.

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​I lead a blessed life. Among the many things I am grateful for is my job. I started in this management position a year ago with the understanding that I would identify and initiate appropriate change and then lead my team through it. As part of this process I make decisions, many decisions, in concert with my team.
 
Not long after my start date, a friend and retired manager asked me if I saw my leadership role as a ministry. This question was a gift that has impacted me greatly. I hadn’t viewed leadership at work as a witness to the love and mercy—the Good News—of God, but I do now.
 
This new way of seeing has recast my leadership style from one of consultative but ultimately top-down decision-making to consultative, innovative coaching. I spend more time in conversation with my team, explaining challenges, inviting answers and talking through the factors that shape my reasoning. Ultimately I still make the decisions, but sharing with my team lets them influence what I do and know why I do it. In the past, I would have kept my deliberations largely to myself. Now I let them know that my model is servant leadership. I share my secrets.
 
The second reading for this Sunday is about sharing a secret. Ephesians 3: 5-6 says that the Holy Spirit has revealed a secret—very good news—to Paul, the apostles and the prophets: Gentiles and Jews are members of the same body, sharing equally in God’s promises.
 
Does this revelation have an impact on me?
 
Isaiah 61: 1 says, as a member of this body, I have a duty to share this revealed secret: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news …” [my emphasis].
 
How do I do that?

"Let no aspect of life be hived away from the breadth of God’s promises."

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​As I mentioned, one very powerful way is to adopt a global vision of Christ’s Kingdom, one that isn’t confined to family and church life but reaches out to inform our friendships and workplaces. And let that global vision be focussed on God’s promises: blessings (Malachi 3: 10); strength (Isaiah 40: 29); wisdom (James 1: 5); forgiveness and healing (Psalm 103: 2-3); nourishment (Matthew 6: 31-33); and a peace that “transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4: 6-7).
 
Corrie ten Boom said, “Let God’s promises shine on your problems.” We might also say, “Let God’s promises shine on the pedestrian and the everyday.” Let no aspect of life be hived away from the breadth of God’s promises. Instead, let us rejoice that we, like the Jews, are included among the people of Israel and enfolded in the wideness of God’s love and mercy.

​Donna Davis

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