Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so
that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
- James 5:16
Like
a lot of people, we spent last night passing out candy to trick-or-treaters,
smiling at all the different costumes the kids were wearing. From Avengers to
cowboys, Stormtroopers to ladybugs, a steady stream of children came to our front
porch hoping that ours would be a house that passed out “good candy” (based on
their faces, it was.)
Halloween
is a fun night because it gives everybody a chance to dress up for the night,
to put on a mask or a cape and pretend to be somebody else. For one night, you’re
not a benchwarmer on your flag football team, you’re Iron Man. For one night,
you’re not gap-toothed or chubby, you’re Princess Elsa. On Halloween, everybody
gets to pretend to be who they wish they were instead of who they actually are.
Unfortunately,
many of us think we have to approach church as though every day is Halloween—we
put on a mask of cheerful righteousness and show our brothers and sisters in
Christ only the person we wish we were. Whether because we’re worried about
others’ judgment or because all we see are Christians who seem to have it all
together, there’s a reluctance to come through the church doors without some
degree of pretending.
Yet
Scripture encourages us to lay aside our masks and come to one another honestly
in confession and prayer. When you are willing to show fellow believers who you
really are—your struggles and your
highlights—you can rightfully call them your brothers and sisters in faith
instead of just likeminded acquaintances.
Christ
established the church knowing that we are capable of far more for the kingdom
together than separately—but if we’re going to walk the journey of faith
together, we must really do it together,
not with performative righteousness but with sincerity. So may we put the
costumes away and love one another well, offering one another truth instead of
a show.
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