Introduction
The scene opens on a conversation between completely unknown characters. A man walks up who is awkward, trying hard to fit in but also trying hard to prove himself—it’s a recipe for discomfort. Cut to a second man joining the conversation. He is comfortable and confident, causing man #1 to ooze with jealousy—it’s a recipe for disaster. The next thing we know, man #1 confronts man #2, man #2 goes missing, police detectives are called in, and only the audience knows what happened.
The opening sequence of each episode of the TV show Elsbeth follows this same beat: A crime is committed, and the audience knows whodunit and how—all before the show’s title card. The remainder of the episode revolves around a team of detectives trying to reach the answer we already have. We watch them pursue the wrong person, go down the wrong path, and connect the wrong dots, all while knowing the right person, the right path, and the right connections. Eventually, they figure it out, but it’s a journey.
In writing, this story structure is referred to as an inverse mystery, or a “howcatchem.” In our lives, it’s called faith. Hear me out: We’ve been invited into the mystery with the puzzle already solved; what remains is the journey—catching up to what we know. But like the detectives in howcatchem stories, our journey toward fully coming to terms with what we know includes some detours, dead ends, and the connecting of weird dots.
Some call Paul the father of the inverse mystery genre. That’s not actually true. Nobody calls him that, but I would point to Ephesians 3 as proof of concept that someone could.
The truth of things is that the mystery has been revealed—but so what? Or, maybe more to the point, now what? Join us this Sunday as we journey together to figure it out.
Laura Holland and the Teaching Team
Text:
Lord’s Prayer
Christ, who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who’ve sinned against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory forever. Amen.
