I acted in a play when I was in university. One of the props I used was a copper metal sheet which was shaped into a face. My director told me that my character used it to defend himself when he felt vulnerable. He used it to assert his authority. Most importantly the mask was to be a natural extension of his hand. The movement always had to be fluid like a stream of clean water no matter if the action I had to do was sudden or slow.
What are the masks that we wear to hide what is really going on? Is it a stoic face or a beautiful smile? We musicians love to hide behind our instruments and our microphones. Is it work or volunteering time whether at church or at a charity. Pastor Simon mentioned in his sermon that Paul said that the mind is the most important organ for it is by the transformation of our minds that our lives will change. If the mind is the most important part of the body and the face as well as the eyes are windows to the mind then what would happen if we use masks to hide them. We do not allow anyone a glimpse into our beautiful unique minds. We do not allow people to truly look at our lives. We all our members of one body. If we cover our face then how will the other parts of the body know that something is wrong? How will they be able to help you improve yourself? At the same time how can you see clearly if you wear a mask?
Why do we need masks when we are given the full armour of God. Most importantly we have been given the helmet of salvation. In all probability the coolus helmet was used when Ephesians was written. The coolus was simple but effective. It protected the head, the back of the neck and had protection for the ears. The soldier did not have anything that would obstruct his view. His face could clearly be seen by anyone who saw him. If there was something wrong with the armour of the soldier then you had a minimum of 80 people who could help him. There were 80 people from whom you could learn things. Are we ready to drop our masks so that we can help ourselves by allowing others to help us? Are we ready to wear the whole armour of God? If we are not then why so? Getting rid of masks that we have plastered all over our face will not be easy. I strongly believe that God will give us the right tools to get rid of it. Once we do that we will be better off.