Strangely Good News: Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

We’re exploring a mystery today—some strangely good news. It’s a divine plan, a purpose that flows from the pleasure of God’s own heart. A plan that gathers all things into one, both in heaven and on earth, all in Christ.

This idea can be hard to grasp, especially in light of traditional teachings many of us grew up with: the belief that we were born into this world separated from God, condemned, and doomed to a devil’s hell if we didn’t do something about it.

But here's the truth—God has already done it. He reveals it to us through the Holy Spirit.

Scripture tells us that,

“in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth.” (Ephesians 1:10)

In the Passion Translation, Colossians 1 describes Jesus as the divine portrait—the true likeness of the invisible God. If you want to see God, look at Jesus. He’s the firstborn heir of all creation, responsible for the care of the family. It says:

“For in him was created the universe of things, both in the heavenly realm and on earth.”

This aligns with something fascinating I read in The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden, a scientist who’s spent his life exploring the fabric of our universe. He describes a "divine matrix," a unified field of pure consciousness that permeates all of creation. Scientists using telescopes, microscopes, and other tools have observed that when you get down to the very bottom of the material world, what you find is movement—life. And the essence of that movement? Love.

In another book, The Spontaneous Healing of Belief, Braden writes:

“Paradigm-shattering experiments published in leading-edge, peer-reviewed journals reveal that we are bathed in a field of intelligent energy that fills what used to be thought of as empty space. Additional discoveries show beyond any reasonable doubt that this field responds to us—it rearranges itself in the presence of our heart-based feelings and beliefs. And this is the revolution that changes everything.”

Even if Braden doesn’t fully identify this field as the God who became flesh in Jesus, what he describes reflects what we see in Colossians: all things exist through Christ and for His purpose. He existed before anything was made, and now everything finds completion in Him.

Paul calls this the divine mystery—this secret surprise that’s been hidden for generations but is now revealed. What is it?

Christ in you, the hope of glory.

He writes,

“It has become my inspiration and passion and ministry to labor with tireless intensity, with His power flowing through me, to present every believer the revelation of being His perfect one in Jesus Christ.”

The Geneva Bible renders Colossians 1:27 like this:

“...the riches of this glorious mystery among the Gentiles; which riches is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

And let’s not overlook what’s said in the First Nations Version of the New Testament—a beautiful translation developed by and for Indigenous people in North America:

“Creator also did this to show the outside nations the mystery of the beauty and honor he has bestowed on them. This mystery is that the Chosen One also lives in you, the Outside Nations. For the Chosen One in you is the hope of this beauty and honor.”

This is powerful. The mystery is not hidden away in a select few—it is Christ in the nations. Everyone is included.

I know this might sound wild, but this is the mystery now revealed: Christ lives in you. The beauty and honor of God has been bestowed on the nations. And Christ in you—that’s the hope of glory.