Dear Christian friends:

I have a secret for you today. Do you want to know my secret? It is a very good secret, not a bad secret. Many secrets are bad and we are ashamed to tell them. But the secret I have for you today is not a bad secret. I am eager and happy to tell you this secret.

It really is not my secret, but God's. In our text St. Paul explains about this secret. God wants you to know this secret and He wants you to rejoice in it! You have heard this secret before, but perhaps you have forgotten it or perhaps you are not rejoicing in it as much as you should. So today I want to tell you about this secret and remind you about it.


What is this secret? In our text St. Paul says that God showed this secret to him. (verse 3) What is God's secret? The Savior, Jesus, is for all nations, both Jews and non-Jewish people. Before many people thought that the Savior would be for only the Jewish people. But now God reveals that His Son Jesus is for all nations. Paul writes: "And this is God's secret: People from other nations, not Jewish people, can share God's blessings with the Jews through the Gospel. They are members of the same body, and share in the promise God gave in Christ Jesus." (verse 6)

On the first Christmas God sent His angel to preach the Good News of the Savior to shepherds. The shepherds were Jews. God first loved and chose the Jews and showed mercy to them. God chose Abraham, a Jew, and promised him that He will make his children become a great nation. God also promised Abraham that the Savior would be born of his descendants. (Genesis 12:1-3) God also promised to Abraham that He would bless all nations through him and his DESCENDANT, Jesus, the Savior.

So when Jesus was born in Bethlehem God first announced the Good News to shepherds who were Jews. But God did not forget His promise to Abraham about the other nations. God announced the birth of Jesus to the wise men by the special star as we have heard in the Gospel lesson for today. (Matthew 2:1-2) The wise men were not Jews. They belonged to various other nations.

Today we are celebrating the EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD. The Epiphany Season begins today and continues until Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent on February 20. During the Epiphany Season the Christian Church considers the Bible lessons that emphasize God showing His Savior to all nations. Epiphany tells us God's wonderful secret, that His Son, Jesus the Savior is for all nations both Jews and non-Jews!

This should be wonderful news to most of us! Why? Most of us are not Jews. We are German, Norwegian, Swedish, English, Italian, Mexican, Negro, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and other races. God loves us, too, not only the Jews! God loves all nations! His favorite nation is the Jews, but He also loves us and has not left us outside.

This shows God's great mercy! Perhaps God left us out and did not save us and other nations. Perhaps He saved only the Jewish nation. He would be just and righteous if He had left us out! We are sinners and truly deserve that! We do not deserve to have a Savior! But nevertheless God preaches the Good News of the Savior also to us. His love and mercy is wonderful. His wonderful secret: His Son Jesus the Savior is for all nations. Gentiles share with the Jews the Good News! Oh, His mercy is great and wonderful! His beautiful secret!

Now we know God's wonderful secret! Now we have been reminded about it! We who know God's wonderful secret and have a special responsibility connected with that knowledge.

What is that special responsibility? Our responsibility is to tell that wonderful secret to others who don't know it.

When. God revealed His secret to St. Paul God also chose him and sent him to love the other nations and to preach the Good News of Jesus the Savior to them! (verses 2, 7, 8)

Paul accepted that responsibility and work. He became God's missionary to the non-Jewish nations. If you read the Book of Acts in your Bible, especially the last half, you will see how faithfully Paul obeyed God and did that mission work. Paul considered that work a great privilege. He writes in our text to the Ephesians who were not Jews:

"You know that God in His mercy gave me this work. And God blesses you through my work...God made me a preacher of the Good News. God gave me this work and success because of His mercy. I am less worthy than any of God's people! But God gave me honor because He let me preach to people in other nations about the wonderful blessings of Christ." (verses 1, 7, 8)

Paul felt that God highly honored him by letting him be a missionary to all nations. He felt great joy in that work.

Do you feel like Paul? You should! God has revealed His wonderful secret to you and me. God has also commanded you and me to go and preach the Good News of the Savior to all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15) Have you really accepted that responsibility? Do you feel that work a privilege and an honor? Remember you can do that work by talking to others who do not yet believe in Jesus. Eighty percent of the deaf in Los Angeles, do not belong to any church. Many of them do not know the Good News of Jesus the Savior for all nations. Many deaf in Los Angeles are from the non-Christian nations such as China and Japan, and other Asian nations. You and I have the honor and pleasure to tell them! We know God's wonderful secret. Therefore, like St. Paul, we have the responsibility, honor and pleasure of helping to tell that Good News to all nations! Glory be to God!

Amen.