Sermon Recap--Unmasked

This week our worship area was decorated with black drop cloths and spiderwebs. Many Jack-o-Lanterns, ghosts and ghouls were on the walls, as well as a few Vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein monsters. The previous night was our annual Halloween Bash at Apache, and with another event on Wednesday--the decorations had to stay up. I decided to work the sermon around the decor. Here is the attempt:

It sure looks a bit different in here today. Actually, I have never preached in such an environment. I have been in churches with million dollar Tiffany windows, preached in some with clear windows, preached in places where one other person understood English, but never have I preached in a place decorated for Halloween. Last week, after the sermon, Carl Van Zandt reminded me that this would be the decor. I decided that it would be a good idea to use the season of Haunting and Witches to teach a point or two that we all need to hear again.

The church does a great job of telling people the things they cannot do. No drinking, No smoking, no cussing, No Harry Potter, No Rock Music, No Mexican Food (I think I heard that before), No this and no that. No Halloween...it's demonic and all that jazz.

Instead of boycotting this stuff of werewolves and vampires, today I wanted to look at Halloween as a metaphor for life and the games we play daily with ourselves, others and God.

What were some of the things you dressed up as as a child? (Answers were: princess, cowboy, cheerleader, ghost, witch. One man said that he dressed up as a girl scout troop leader and another man had dressed up as Salome. Never would have pictured that one!!)

Today, I have brought a few masks with me. Pardon me while I slide one on. (Place Spiderman mask)

When I was a little boy--I just loved Spiderman. In fact, I still do. Sliding this mask on makes me want to fight the enemy and jump up on this table and spin my web. One thing that I loved about Spiderman was the fact that when trouble would come he would always know it. His "spider-senses would tingle" and he would be able to avoid the issue most of the time. We all want to be something. I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to be special. I wanted to be anyone except Richard, and that is a shame.

Ladies still try to be the princess. They want to be beautiful and desired and noticed. Little girls want to be lovely and that is often emphasized more than intelligence. Sad, but look at the boom in cosmetic procedures in the United States. We are just not satisfied with who we are.

The second mask I have today is.....(Unveil Zorro eye covering).

That is right, I wanted to be Antonio Banderas. (Big Laughter)

As a little fellow, I would lay in bed and watch my black and white T.V., and this sword wielding man would carve a Z in the pants of the bad guy, or in the skirt of a lovely lady. Now, he was cool. I never understood why no one figured out who he was, since only his eyes were covered. He even had a cool voice and was super mysterious.

The mask that we use the most is the mask of ....(unveil blank face mask).


We hurt, and we keep it in. We are dying inside and the outside is a blank smile. This mask really shows the fear that we have of being authentic, real, not fake...true to ourselves.

This morning Rudy Cogle sang a familiar song for us during our offering time. "When He was on the Cross, I was on His Mind." Amazingly powerful, grace empowered words..."He knew me, yet He loved me." Now, that is the gospel. Good news for mask wearing cowards like us. Christ sees through our disguise and loves us still.

All this stuff around us trying to scare us, not just boogers and cobwebs, but heavy stuff like wars, and disasters, and murder and poverty and drug addiction and much, much more. What is the word of God for his people today. I struggled with several passages, but I just kept coming back to a verse we will look at again during the Advent season.

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

So familiar--I know it by heart, but yet at times, it is as if I never heard it. As I say it again, allow it to move you and cast away those things that are scaring you today.

Fear Not!! For Behold...I bring YOU!
Good News that will be like no other.
It is not just for you, but for all people.
This day, God wraps flesh around himself and comes near.
He is your rescuer, redeemer, and hero.

So, take off the masks and walk in the light that casts away the darkness.

If you care to try on these masks before you leave, then come on up. I just ask that we leave all our masks at the foot of the cross today. That is where evil has been conquered...now and forevermore.