So every winter my church does a social event called Mystery Dinners. On the first Saturday night of January, February and March, participants are given an address of a host’s house, and hosts are told to expect 2 other couples to show up. So unless you know the address of where you are going, you don’t know who you are having dinner with. And if you are hosting, you have no idea who from the church will show up.

It’s a great way to liven up the dull months of winter, and a great way to get to know some folks in the church, who otherwise you might not get to know. In April, we have a big, themed, wrap-up party at the church. It’s a tonne of fun!

So last night was the first Mystery Dinner night I was able to participate in and I had an absolute blast! It was great to get to spend an evening socializing with these folks and sharing a meal. (Jesus really knew what he was doing when he spent time with people gathered around a table. There is something about a shared meal that gets at the heart of the human experience and opens the doors to relationship.)

But the funniest part to me was just before I left for dinner. My phone rang and it was a member of the church. He asked me, “Are you allergic to onions?” I said no and he said, “Oh, then you’re not coming to our place to dinner tonite.”

I thought it was the funniest thing. One of the traditions about Mystery Dinners at St. A’s is that EVERYONE tries to figure out who is coming to dinner or to whose house they are going before they actually go. I found this SO funny!

Personally, I am all about the surprise. I don’t want to know what the surprise is before I am…well, surprised by it. Apparently I am a little unique in that aspect.

There is something exciting about mystery. Something wonderful about not knowing what will happen. Something great about the idea that there is more to discover.

That’s what I love best about the life of faith – there is always something new to learn. Some new way of thinking about God, or some new perspective on what it means to follow Jesus. I have been living a life of faith in Jesus as my personal saviour for about 17 years now, and I am still learning new things. I am not, nor have I ever been, bored by it.

Mystery is a good thing.