Blessing of the Masks

From the beginning, God’s people have faced uncertainty. Whether it was wandering in the wilderness or existing in exile, God’s people have been called to adapt, to change, to grow and to trust. We find ourselves in a new kind of wilderness, in a time and place where what we once took for granted is no longer assured.

But God did not abandon his people in the wilderness or forget his children in exile, and we are not forgotten either. We ask for God’s blessings on these masks as a sign of our trust that God is still leading us, God is still calling us, God is still with us.

We wear these masks, not because we are fearful, but because we are faithful.

Bless these masks, O God.

We wear these masks because like the Good Samaritan, we want to love our neighbor: the neighbors we know and the neighbors we have yet to meet.

Bless our neighbors, O God.

We wear these masks because we are called to care for the least of these: the vulnerable and the elderly, the sick and the weak.

Bless the least of these, O God.

We wear these masks because we stand with those who care for us when we are sick, feed us when we are hungry, and for those who go to work so we can stay home.

Bless these essential workers, O God.

We wear these masks so that Christ may shine through us in tangible and real ways.

Bless these masks, O God.

God, who loved us first, commands us to love others. Even as we long for the day when we can lay these masks aside, we wear them now because we want to embody the love of God in both small ways and large. May God bless these masks, and may they be one sign of many of God’s kingdom come, God’s will be done. Amen.

©Amy Busse Stoker