Tonight's Blog for Sunday, June2, 2013

I love to finish the day with a few moments reflecting on the faces that have been a part of my circle of friends.

Friendly faces, smiling faces, shining faces. If you are paying attention, and especially when someone has their "mask" off, you really can see right into their soul. What mask you may ask? We all have occasionally chosen to hide our true feelings, often out of consideration for those we love. After all, who wants to be so transparent that anyone can read your thoughts or your true emotions all the time? 

Tonight, I'd like to turn it around a bit, and think about a

mask to show our true selves. Not a mask like the greeks wore when acting. That was the idea behind the word, "hypocrite," wearing a mask to disguise your true self. It usually was accompanied by words that were emotional or loud but not true reflectors of a person's character. Not much honesty in a mask. 

We read in Exodus 34:29-35, "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. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. … 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." 

Paul understood the mask and the radiant face of Moses, as he talked about a transition from the old covenant to a New covenant. In 2 Cor 3, we read, "Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! … Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away."

Oh, so many observations to make from these scriptures, but my thoughts tonight are about the sadness I feel for Moses, and yet an obvious kinship as well. Like Moses, I love being in YOUR presence, LORD. And like Moses, many of us have grown accustomed to "masking" our true feelings. No MORE! Lets practice the presence of Christ, and show HIS love this week. Our new covenant gives us access, directly to our LORD. Will you wear His shining presence on your face tomorrow? No masks? No pretend civility? GOD, bless your saints to be honest and open about our walk with YOU, in YOUR presence, with shiny faces, and glowing love for all you love. big marv