No More Masks

"God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another." - William Shakespeare

Today is Halloween. This evening many young people will dress up as their favorite super-hero, pop star, princess, TV character, or scary zombie. For one evening they will get to put on a mask and be someone else.

For many of us, Halloween is a daily occurrence. We often wear a mask. It might be the: "I'm happy" mask, "I'm fine" mask, I'm a victim" mask, "I don't care" mask, "I'm the expert" mask, or any other mask to cover up who we really are. Sometimes we wear masks to please others. Is there anyone from whom you hide your "painful junk" so their image of you won't be shattered?

Masks are used to cover up and hide something. Maybe it is shame or guilt. That's what happened to Adam and Eve. Prior to their disobedience, they felt no shame and no need for masks. Genesis 2:25,  "Now, although Adam and his wife were both naked, neither of them felt any shame". Chapter 3 goes on to say that after they sinned, they felt shame, realized they were naked and hid from God.

Sin has a way of doing that to us. It makes us feel guilty, ashamed, and like running away from God. Two Sundays ago, I preached on Psalm 139:23. Here the psalmist asks God to search him, to know him, to test him to see if their is any "sin" in his life. Unresolved sin will cause us to wear a mask.

But thanks be to God, we have a savior who takes our sin and shame and clothes us with his true self. Part of our 12 Scriptures is Colossians 3:12-14, "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience...Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony". With God's help we can take off our mask and put on Christ for He is the reality of who we are.