Mystery or Promise?

I'm currently in Green Lake, WI at the American Baptist Ministers Council Senate meeting. It is not as important as it sounds. One would think that at such meeting of leadership one would find brilliant, captivating and engaging conversations about things like the purpose of the church, the role of sacraments or lack thereof in worship, and the like. To a degree this occurs, but not so much. Instead we make a lot of self-deprecating Baptist pastor jokes, talk about the Olympics and pretend things are going well at our churches. Not awful, but not great. It just is what it is.
With all of that said, I have been thinking about some of the "conversation" that has been occurring on this blog in the last two weeks. My first comment - Holy Crap! I actually have readers!
I had to get that out of my system.
Second, it seems that the word, "sacrament" carries a number of negative connotations. So lets consider the history of the word.
A word of caution to the college or seminary student who may be reading this post at 2am trying to find something to finish their paper for a 9am class tomorrow - move on. This is just a recollection of what I have read, but I will not be referencing any of my sources. Consider this a casual, bar side conversation (I'm sure you all have had plenty of bar side conversations about the linguistic meaning of the word "sacrament." Just after the third round of shots, and just before the ritual of puking.).
First, the Greek word capturing the idea of sacrament is (roughly) mysterium. It refers to just what you think, a mystery. The idea of presence, the idea of grace, the idea of a ritual referring to something more than that which it is is a mystery.
Second, the Latin word "sacrament" refers to an oath or a promise. It was an oath of fidelity one made, a promise to a person or idea.
Again, these are from my memory and should not be taken as completely accurate.
So we have a mystery and a promise. Think about this. Ultimately things such as the Lord's Supper, Baptism, or even the awareness of the Holy Spirit are a mystery. We know something is happening, we know something powerful is occurring, but what exactly is a mystery.
Yet at the same time we have a promise. John Cowell writes about this aspect of sacrament extensively in his work Promise and Presence. God has promised to be with us when we gather (Mt. 18). When we participate in the Lord's Supper we remember the promise of salvation. In Baptism we reclaim anew that very promise. The promise of the Lord leads to the presence of the Lord. At the same time we have made a promise to follow the Lord, to be faithful to the Lord, etc... The promise is a two way street.
Mystery and Promise. The mystery keeps the ritual from becoming so route and mechanical that they become a way to force the hand of God. The Promise gives depth to the mystery and makes the presence of God tangible.
When I speak of considering a sacramental presence, I am suggesting (along with others) that there be an awareness of both mystery and promise.
I know it is difficult for us protestants to think past an dialectic, either/or view of anything, but can we, for a moment, suspend our Protestant proclivities and imagine an analogical view of worship, rituals and sacrament? Mystery and promise?