Fix Your Face

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Fix Your Face
May 30, 2021
Hebrews 13:1-22
Corinthians 4:6
Ephesians 5:8
For Christmas this year I ordered matching mugs for my aunts. Aunt Kathy’s says, “Fix Your
Face,” while Aunt Cherie’s has the word “NO!” etched all over the mug. “Fix Your Face” is a
phrase I’ve come to know, love, and even use on occasion. You see, I visit these two fun-loving
aunts at their Sag Harbor, NY, home when I can. Whenever we head out on an adventure, my
Aunt Kathy reminds my Aunt Cheri to “Fix Her Face.” Aunt Cherie always replies with a stern
“No!” but I see the faintest hint of a smile every time. We blame this furrowing of her brow and
wrinkling of her cute nose on her years in the military, having served in Viet Nam and as captain
in the US Army Nurse Corps.
She seems to command respect wherever we go. Don’t let that 5’2” frame fool you nobody messes with Aunt Cherie! (However, we giggle and say the furrow and nose-wrinkling
is due to her Strickland nature.)
What do people see when they look at you, especially while wearing a mask? The harsh
reality of what people were seeing in me hit me hard not too long ago. I left a grocery store and
walked to my car. Once in the car, I took a quick look in the rear-view mirror before removing
my mask. I gasped! Who was this looking back at me?
THERE! The eyes, the windows to the soul. With a mask on, the eyes truly stand out. I
was deeply furrowed. I looked edgy and a bit irritated (possibly angry looking and definitely
tired). Weary was more like it (and this was even with mascara on!).
If I saw someone looking like this, would I look away? Have pity? Smile at them? All I
know is I felt and looked unapproachable. Talk about needing to “Fix a Face.” And Fast!
Thinking back, I am not sure what I was going through that day. If I could see this, then others
could as well. A year of masking allowed us to frown and mutter more. We were allowed to
hide somewhat. Nobody knew if we were smiling or frowning. Ahhh… but the eyes tell a
different story now, don’t they?
Of course, this message is not only about masks and facial expressions, etc. It is about
how we project and show others the face of Christ. It is God’s will that we do. The Bible
contains many passages that reference light. Our Ephesians reading today states, “We are the
light of the Lord so live as children of the Light.” Read that again. Wow! We are the
“Light of the Lord!” We are expected to shine! When I read this passage, I see and feel
radiance, glow, illumination, brilliance, FIRE even! At Christmas, Christians everywhere are
quick to remind others to keep “Christ in Christmas.” Wouldn’t it be great though if year round
we focused on keeping “Christ in Christian?” Simply put - found in Galatians the instructions
are clear. Galatians 5:22, “Pursue love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control (the fruits of the Spirit).
...... We are not alone in this. God sent
His “Holy Helper,” the Holy Spirit, to help us.
Ahhhh…. The struggle is real, is it not? We look at the nine fruits of the Spirit and get a
little nervous. Every day? Each fruit? Work on a few. Pick one a day. Practice. Avoid
memorizing; JUST DO them! Some days will be tough. Really tough. I struggle with patience.
In time, they all become second nature. Others will see the peacefulness in you and say, “Hey - I
want what she/he has!”
Remember God isn’t at all interested in perfection. It’s progress He wants to see in His
children. Christians must stop “talking the talk.” If we are to carry out God’s will, we must
“walk the walk.” He knows Christians are the light in this sometimes dark world. Others can be
saved through me, through you, through us! One hour once a week is simply not enough. We
must find ways to carry the flame out of here (Church) and get it out there where it is really
needed.
So why is this so important now? It’s because you and I, Christians everywhere, are
being watched more than ever. Yes, the world is watching. Watching your face, your words,
your actions, and waiting to see how we will respond to change, challenges, and unrest.
Christians will be ridiculed and endlessly pressured to provide evidence pertaining to our faith
and why we believe in a God who sometimes allows cruel things to happen. Christians will be
mocked, like Jesus was, persecutors demanding to know just “where is our God now?” We must
be sure to remove the mask and stand firm in our conviction. Many will work hard to extinguish
our flame. Count on it!
I’d like to share a co-worker’s story. She said she will forever be changed because of this
encounter. I want you to think about our Scripture reading about meeting angels without
knowing. As told to me in her words after taking her lunch break one day: She left work and
went to a nearby convenience store; and when she came back to work this is what she said, “I
had the strangest but most beautiful thing happen today. I got out of my car and started walking
from the parking lot to the store entrance. What I witnessed stopped me in my tracks. I could
see people as they walked down the sidewalk stepping around and sometimes over something. I
took a few steps closer. This was not a “something” but a “someone.” With him was a beautiful
service dog tucked in close to the building under a small eave trying to escape the cold drizzle.
“The stranger was not totally blocking the door; however, part of his backpack didn’t
allow for the door to fully open, yet people could get in and out without difficulty. Part of his
foot was on the sidewalk as well. I took a few steps closer and stopped. At this point I stepped
out of the parking lot and had taken my first step onto the long sidewalk where they sat at the far
end. The dog watched as each person either stepped over or around them. One person even
shoved the door open wider, hitting the backpack. The dog watched. The stranger digging into
his backpack did not notice. Nobody stopped. Nobody asked if he was okay. People with
masks went in and out. He was seemingly invisible to all. I slowly walked down the sidewalk.
The dog turned and looked at me almost as though he was waiting for me to disappoint also. I
got closer. When I said, “Hey there, sweet girl” to the dog, only then did the stranger look up.
“‘She is beautiful. May I pet her?’ I asked. ‘Sure, she doesn’t bite. She is a seizuretrained service dog and only gets anxious prior to my seizures,’ he replied. I extended my hand
for her to sniff. The stranger turned his attention to his backpack, stating he felt he had lost his
phone charger. I stood up to leave and asked if they would be okay, to which he gave a nod.
“I went inside and grabbed a few things. I inquired about phone chargers and where a
phone could be charged if needed. I purchased a store gift card and left.
“The stranger now had his head against the wall with eyes closed and the dog on his lap.
I knelt down eye level, handed him the card and said, ‘Get a phone charger if needed, and there
is extra money for food. Also, the cashier said it would be possible to charge your phone.’ ‘I
cannot accept this,’ he said. I assured him that he could. He then thanked me.
“I gave his dog a final pat and walked away. This is where something amazing
happened. I didn’t walk far when I had the urge to turn around. The stranger had stood up and
was staring at me. I walked toward him to see if he was okay. I noticed tears streaming down
his face. I started to cry too. I was so emotional inside that I could barely speak now. I took his
hand in mine. ‘God bless you, both of you,’ I said and hurried away. I was aware of the unapproving glances from others coming my way. It was as if I could hear their thoughts in my
mind saying, ‘He’s a beggar, he doesn’t work, he works the system, he doesn’t need a service
dog, etc.’ I drove off and never looked back. No need to. I felt they were going to be just fine
now.”
My friend told me she felt she was the blessed one that day for she is sure what she felt
was the Holy Spirit working through her. It was not the gift card he needed, she said. He needed
someone to give hope. You see, it was hope that helped him stand and continue on his way.
(The Hebrews passage comes alive here. We never know when we will be in the presence of an
angel.)
We are not perfect. My co-worker/friend is not perfect. We make mistakes. We judge.
We’ve all done it. We, however, in no way, shape or form reserve the right to judge others.
Certainly God wants us to do the best we can to help ourselves — to work hard, earn a living,
etc. However, when others choose, either on their own or due to their circumstances, to live
differently, who are we to judge otherwise? Judge not, lest ye be judged. Of course, we must be
careful to not be taken advantage of, to enable, or even sometimes support those making repeated
bad decisions. We are not to judge. The Bible is very clear in advising us to remove the speck
in our eye before pointing out the faults of others. Know that doing the work of the Holy Spirit
involves helping others, not convicting them.
There will be days your flame will burn brightly and days it may only flicker. There may
be days you aren’t even sure you have a spark left. This is where you dig deep. Search within.
As a child of God, you have an ember. It may be smothered in the ashes of past guilt,
decisions, mistakes and/or regrets. It doesn’t matter. Christ paid the price for you to be free. He
sifted through the ashes to restore new hope and life. We are only asked to trust, believe, and to
be HIS love in a time where people feel hopeless and unbelieving because they can’t see or touch
Christ (physically).
Oh, but we feel Him near, don’t we? God’s Holy Spirit is at work all around us, even in
the darkest of days.
When we look at all God has given us, the least we can do is ensure that right here, right
now, we share the light of His Son Jesus. Laying the foundation, lighting the path, and keeping
the flame alive for our generation and those to come. Just as those that went ahead of us did.
Our spark, ember, flame, fire, glow - whatever we want to call it, was ignited by someone.
Think on that a moment this Memorial Day weekend. Who ignited your first spark? For
me, it was my Aunt Carol and Aunt Jean. Now, who in your life kept your flame alive? Past or
present even? I will forever be grateful to Sherry Kipp for being the face of Christ for me. She
and her family led by example, thus laying a foundation for a young girl. Thank you, Sherry.
Now - who in your life has helped sift through your ashes, the darkness, searching for
any ember of hope that may be left? It’s okay. We all have been there.
In closing, picture this … In the deep darkness of the Carlsbad caverns, tourists are
plunged into darkness. Such obliterating darkness one isn’t sure if their eyes are open or closed.
Someone lights a match. The glow is there for all to see. This small light becomes a source of
comfort and hope in the darkness.
Now imagine if one candle were lit from this flame, then another, and another. This is
what God wants us to do. The light of Jesus was never intended for us to keep to ourselves. We
must make sure we never extinguish it. Past generations did not. We owe it to generations to
come to fan the flame and pass it on.
Stay lit. Burn bright. Amen
Janet