by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Pulling off the Mask

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Some of you know that we lost our dog, Ginger, last summer. She lived to the good old age of sixteen.

Though we don’t have a dog to take care of everyday, we do have dogs that are a part of our life. We have two grand puppies and Hank. Hank is our nephew’s dog. He comes to our house when his family is out of town. Hank wants to be everyone’s friend.

Though we lost Ginger, our cat, Callie, is very much alive at the age of 19, and she rules the house. Callie wants everyone to know that she’s the boss. She is known to conveniently place herself between Hank and the water bowl. Hank would love it if Callie was his best friend. Callie just wants him to go home.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”
Romans 12:9 English Standard Version

“Let love be genuine” can also be translate, “Let love be without hypocrisy.” The hypocrites are the people who put a mask in front of their face, pretending to be someone they’re not. Hypocrisy is playing the role in a play that depicts someone other than who we are.

Paul describes what genuine love is, what love without hypocrisy is. It runs away from evil and is glued to what is good.

Love calls us to run away from evil. The Scriptures define evil. Evil is murdering another person’s reputation, it’s stealing, it’s coveting what another person has in attempt to make it ours. These are the things we are called to abhor.

Love also calls us to be glued to what is good. We are called to be glued to Jesus who in his goodness died for us. We were cemented to Jesus when we were clothed with him in baptism. And it is his Spirit who rips off the mask of hypocritical love.

There is no pretense in Hank’s love. May there be none in ours as well.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church Colorado Springs, Colorado