10-30-21

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
October 30, 2021
Halloween was always a big day when I was growing up. Our costumes were usually purchased at Ben Franklin Five & Dime or Kmart, and they consisted of those cheap plastic masks with the rubber band that stretched around the back of the head that my older siblings would often snap on me. I can still remember my Batman costume. I was so proud and powerful until the day I wore it to school and discovered another 7 or 8 Batmans. Suddenly, I didn’t feel quite as unique. Over the years, I had many other costumes, some of them were probably not terribly tasteful. In today’s culture, a few might be considered insensitive or even offensive. We learn; we grow; we try better. Something we’ve never done very well as human beings is giving space for others to define themselves. Opinions, stereotypes or an incomplete judgement are imposed on someone. We create a mask for someone else based on our perception. Even Jesus, in Luke 18, asked the question of a blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Lord, I want to see.” If anyone was to know what the man wanted, you’d think it was Jesus. But in this case, Jesus did not assume. He provided the man space to express himself. We tend to think about the masks we wear to hide who we are, but how often do we unknowingly impose a mask on someone else when the mask really doesn’t represent the individual at all. The mask only fits our very limited perception of the person.

Encourage me, O God, to be both patient and kind with others as they seek to tell their own stories and express who they are. With eyes wide open, I hope to see the diverse beauty of your creation. Amen.

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