Rev. Dr. Andrew G. Ross
Lately we have been playing the “what do you really look like under your face mask” game. It’s become a fun challenge for me when I dare to go out in public.
“Is she smiling? Is he upset? Can others tell I’m smiling at them?” And here’s a good one: “How can I encourage someone else if they can’t see my face?”
In the Book of Exodus we read a wonderful story of how Moses had to fashion for himself a face mask, and here’s why:
“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” – Exodus 34:29.
Radiant! Moses was in the presence of God; he was face to face with God in an encounter of theophany and glory. It was so powerful it made Moses glow!
But then there’s this problem; it became a distraction to the rest of God’s people.
“When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him …”
Moses’ solution?
When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord. – Exodus 34:33-35.
Beyond our fretting, frantic emotions and face masks, how do you need to encounter God’s presence today? Have you come to see that we find personal revival when we enter into God’s presence in worship? Worship of God revives us because it brings us into a peace and a hope that is far bigger than us. A chief way we cooperate with God’s Holy Spirit is by directing our attention to God in the act of worship. Worshiping God revives you. Worshiping God refreshes, restores you, and brings you hope! It can even make you glow, from the inside out, while wearing a mask. Going into the presence of God motivates you to share peace and hope with others even while wearing a mask.
William Temple, the great Anglican Archbishop once wrote: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
In our church we sometimes enjoy the benediction that God told Moses to tell Aaron, the priest:
‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” — Numbers 6
Do you need to get your glow on these days? Besides washing your hands and wearing a mask, have you tried reaching out to God in prayer? Have you tried humming the words of a gospel hymn?
This week, make worship a centering and reviving habit for yourself. And when God shines his face upon you, take off your mask.
Photos: Flags placed on graves at Tucson cemetery for Memorial Day
Memorial Day flags
Jaime Aviles, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1974-79, places American flags on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020. Aviles and wife Cathy joined other members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars to honor nearly 9,000 veterans buried at Evergreen Cemetery. Aviles' father served aboard the famous aircraft carrier USS Lexington in World War II. His brother and uncles served in Vietnam, Korea and World War II. Aviles' son is a U.S. Navy commander and graduate of Canyon del Oro High School and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Memorial Day flags
Jaime Aviles, right, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1974-79, along with wife Cathy Aviles, places American flags on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020. They joined other members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars to honor veterans who have died.
Memorial Day flags
Bob Crawford, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1963-91, dusts off a grave marker as Bill Garris, U.S. Air Force, 1966-70, places American flags on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020.
Memorial Day flags
American flags on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020.
Memorial Day flags
Bill Garris of American Legion Post 132, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966-70, carries American flags to place on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020.
Memorial Day flags
Bill Garris, left, and Bob Crawford, of American Legion Post 132, place American flags on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020.
Memorial Day flags
Members of the American Legion place American flags on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020.
Memorial Day flags
Members of the American Legion place American flags on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020.
Memorial Day flags
American flags on the graves of military veterans for Memorial Day at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, on May 23, 2020. The Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion placed nearly 9,000 flags at veterans' graves at the cemetery.
