God Wears a Mask

John 1:14 &18 (ESV)

^“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth... No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

The other day I had the opportunity to do the opening devotion as our Preschool staff came back to work to get ready for the new school year.  Much has changed since the last time they were together in March, right before COVID-19 shut everything down.  I started by asking all present, “How many of you like having to wear a mask?”  Not one person raised their hand.  I doubt any of us would raise our hands.  But we are all wearing them now.  Why?   In part because we are told we must.  Yet I also know that you and I are wearing these masks because we love our neighbors.  These masks, help slow down the spread of the corona virus to others.  So in love for each other… to protect each other, you and I are wearing our masks. 

Did you know God also wears a mask?  He really does and his reason for wearing that mask is the same as yours - He loves the world.  He loves you and me.  Let me explain.  In Scripture God has made this clear, “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”   Yet God wants us to know Him.  How did He solve this problem?  He put on a mask.  Jesus is that mask.  “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  He hid Himself in the flesh and blood of Jesus. The life that Jesus lived doing good, healing the sick, proclaiming the kingdom of God… the sacrificial death that Jesus died to pay for our sins… the resurrection victory over death that Jesus won three days later – this is how God made Himself known.   He became one of us.  He masked His glory and power in the humble life and death of Jesus in order that you and I might know who God is and that He loves us.  “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” 

God still wears a mask.  I love the story a public-school teacher named Guy told at the youth gathering  in Denver back in 1989.  He told the story of growing up being a on outcast, without many friends, with a poor self-image, and no faith in God.  Somewhere along the line God brought a special teacher into his life.  This teacher, an active believer in Jesus, took an interest in him.  He took Guy under his wing, got him involved in putting together the school yearbook.  Eventually Guy got to know the teacher’s wife as well.  They would invite him over to their home, include him in their activities, eventually taking Guy to church with them.  Through their actions and their words, they made Jesus known to him.  As Guy put it, “they were Jesus with skin on for me.”  They made God real to him.  That teacher and his wife were the mask God wore so that Guy could see and know Him, come to believe in Him.

That’s what God continues to do through you and me.  As believers in Jesus, by the working of the Holy Spirit, you and I are now the mask that God wears.  If you wonder why you work where you work, or go to school where you go to school… if you wonder why you have the friends, co-workers and neighbors you have – God has a purpose.  Oh He most likely has many purposes for those roles and relationships, but the most important is this – God wants to use you and me, our words and deeds, to make Himself and His love in Christ known those we meet, live with, work with, meet on the plane and more.  He wants you and me to be “Jesus with skin on for other people.”  You and I are now the mask God wears so that through us, others might see Him.

Yes, God wears a mask.  He wears a mask because He loves people and wants them to know Him.  Who were the people He used in your life to make Himself known to you?  Now, He wants to do the same through you and me.  He wants to use you and me to make Himself known… to be the mask He wears because He loves your friends, your family members, co-workers and wants them all to see Him in us.