Hidden Things“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
(Luke 10:21) Wednesday, Fifth Week after Pentecost Forgive us, Almighty God, for camping on the periphery and living on the border, never facing the central sins of our lives. Made for Your truth, we are deceptive and untruthful. Blessed with intelligence, we seek Your wisdom sporadically. Capable of deep caring, we want to be congratulated and cared for. Created for fellowship, we are too busy to pray. Endowed with plenty, we hoard the best part. Intended for the deep, we court the trivial. These circles of folly surround our sin of rebellion against You; what we were made to enjoy in abundance, we reject with pride. Pardon us, we pray. Sin confessed looses is grip on us. Therefore strengthen us in Your mighty hand and center us through faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen Dear friends, Masks hide faces and features. Yesterday in the State of Washington, the governor declared that everyone who goes into a business must wear a mask. Some are thankful for such a decree, knowing that mask wearing helps prevent the spread of COVID-19. Others find it difficult to justify such measures and are pushing back against this order. Whether you are for them or not, masks hide things. The other day I ran into one of our members in the grocery store. Normally I would have recognized him in a moment but we were both wearing masks. It took a while before I realized who he was. There are times when God intentionally hides things. Many times God hides what he is doing from those who are so filled with pride and arrogance that they don’t care to see what he is up to anyway. At other times he hides things until the right time emerges. In Luke 10, Jesus prays to his Father in heaven and thanks him that He hides things from the wise and understanding and reveals them to little children. He reveals his plan of salvation through his Son to all who receive it like a little child. Little children don’t need to wear masks in the State of Washington–at least those under two years old. This is also true on a spiritual level. Little children don’t have agendas, they are not filled with pride or malice (unless they have learned this behavior from the “older and wiser”), they simply trust and speak their minds–even if the truth they speak is uncomfortable or embarrassing for their adults who prefer to hide behind masks. When someone asks you, “How are you doing?” The face behind a mask will say, “Just fine!” I wonder what would be said in truth if masks were removed. Try it sometime and see what happens. Then maybe we would all have ample reasons to pray for one another and encourage one another as God leads. One other thing. Don’t hide your faith behind a mask. Let the light of Christ shine out with boldness and declare the wonderful praises of God to all who will hear. Who knows, it might be just the spark that lights the flame of faith in another person’s heart. In the Light of Christ,
Pastor Langdon Reinke | 
