Beyond the Mask
A New Heaven and a New Earth
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Beyond the Mask
I look and see faces covered
Masks cover smiles and frowns
So much is hidden behind cloth
As we protect ourselves and our neighbor from the unseen horrors which have separated us in so many ways
Ways which were known but hidden
Realized but never spoken
But alas the mask has seemingly ungagged the worst in so many
In our fear divisions which we had covered up in superficial ways have been exposed
And our worst angels have in many cases been released
Yet if you move beyond the masks you will find the windows of the souls
Perhaps now even discovered in clearer focus
The eyes are uncovered and vibrant
They tell so many stories
They tell of loss and hope
Of rejuvenation and deep fatigue
Of love and grief
Of laughter and tears
Of pain and promise
Some have longed to see others
And others are fearful of what they might find
They fear seeing the unseen illness and death
Which they worry might find find them or worse yet someone they can only see with the eyes of love
Sadly some eyes are angry
Their eyes burn with stories of shattered promises and a lifetime of disappointment
Some eyes lash out in rage
Furious at everything that has hurt them
And fearful of all that they have been taught to despise
Of reflected pigments and skin which they don’t understand
Of lives they have never experienced and of beliefs and values they have been taught were wrong
They see others not as God sees them but as sin has taught them - as evil
Yet even in these eyes if you gaze deep you see that
their eyes reflect so much brokenness
And a deep want to be made whole
Other eyes show the struggle of one seeking justice
Of one who sees the world as it could be and asks why it is not
Their eyes too are often tired
Tired of asking O Lord how long to your promised day
They believe in a hope they have only glimpsed
And in a day they have only seen in the eyes of a dream
Oh God may we all be mindful that in your eyes we are all precious
May those who are blinded by hate have their eyes opened like Bartameus
May those whose eyes see visions of peace never lose focus in the days when they are tired
May all of our eyes be lit again with a passion to love You our holy Creator and to love others
May hurts be healed
May fears be calmed
May hate be transformed
May peace be realized
And behind the masks may all of our eyes look at one another with compassion
And find joy even in the hard days and dark nights
So that as morning comes and we remove the masks
Wiping away the final tears
That we might all see the rainbow that proclaims the truth
That evil cannot mask
That
Love
Wins
Amen
Clay Gunter
July 29, 2020