OCTOBER 2025 MASKS!
We find ourselves in October once again. The month of changing leaves, conkers and shortening days. It is also the month where Halloween is marked. Personally, I am not a fan of Halloween but acknowledge it is clearly a growing trend at present. It is the idea of scaring people and idolising characters associated with darkness that I am not keen on. (I appreciate I may sound like an old granny, but there we go). I have always disliked anyone behind a mask (be that make-up or an actual mask). Someone hiding who they are. (So, you can imagine I am not a fan of clowns either!).
This week we had a team meeting as church staff of the benefice (as we do every week) and always begin with a reflection. This week Jean de Garis brought with him the song The Summons written by John Bell & Graham Maule. It is a song/hymn that asks, “Will you come and follow me” (an creative interpretation of the call from Jesus to his followers asking pertinent questions about how far we are willing to go in faith in following him). One line in the song asks, “Will you love the “you” you hide if I but call your name?”, questioning whether we dare let our masks slip and acknowledge who we truly are underneath, at the very core of us and love ourselves. (Therefore being totally open to God). In doing so will we then let God and other people love us for who we truly are not who we may present to the world or try to be. It is a good question to ask even if you have no faith or have other beliefs – will you love yourself for who you are? (We need to love ourselves to enable others to love us).
Why do we wear masks? Why do we hide who we are? Are we afraid of judgement? Afraid others will not like what they see/meet? Perhaps we are unsure who we even are because we try so hard to be something else?
Like a mask we can only put on a different ‘face’ for so long. Letting the world see us for who we are can be scary but liberating. It takes courage, strength and a certain amount of vulnerability. It can release us into being all we can be. So, this October let us let go of our masks and allow the world to see us, really SEE us, you may be surprised at the results! (It certainly won’t be scary!).
Every blessing this season
Rev Suzie