An Evangelical Church in the Heart of Thatcham

Masking up

The time is fast upon us where we are, much more widely, going to have to don our masks out in public places.

So, have you decided yet what type of mask you are going to wear? Will it will be a bulk buy of the cheapest and most basic mask? Alternatively, will you do even better than that and get busy with your own thread and needle?

I can imagine that for some of us, this new requirement might present itself as an opportunity to wear something a little stylish and personalised.

However, thinking it through, it does strike me that there could be quite a wide margin for people to judge one another. So, you might look at someone’s mask that is of, how shall we say, a very “budget construction”, and feel rather self-satisfied that yours is better. Of course, it could work just as easily the other way around, where one person looks down their nose at your very “fancy” mask.

Now, even if neither of these scenarios seems likely in your mind, what about when someone enters a shop and they clearly aren’t wearing a mask at all? Will you not be tempted to say to yourself something along the lines of: there will always be one who doesn’t like to follow the rules?

And yet, we don’t know their situation, unless of course they wear a large badge saying “asthma sufferer” or “COVID survivor – reduced lung capacity!”

What does the Bible contribute here? Simply that we be honest and transparent, not acting as unwitting hypocrites, for God surely sees all. So, without further ado, let’s take opportunity to bin our “character masks” where we show all smiles but inwardly there’s a tonne of seething anger or perhaps the sad reality that we are on the verge of some nervous breakdown and desperately need tender compassion from those around us.

Pastor Hedley

I am the Pastor at Thatcham Evangelical Church in West Berkshire. This is an FIEC (Fellowship of Evangelical Churches) affiliated church.