This past Sunday, we reopened as a church at Ramble Creek & all of us wore masks!
One of the questions my kids have repeatedly asked since then is: Why do we have to wear masks?
The UPS guy doesn’t wear a mask. Folks go to the grocery story without wearing a mask. Everybody (it seems) goes to Lowe’s & most don’t wear masks!
So, do we really have to wear masks on Sunday morning?
Let me try to answer this question carefully.
Governor Lee & the State of Tennessee have been very generous towards churches & have asked for us to wear masks.
All public leaders are positioned by God (Rom. 13:1) & gifts from God. But, public leaders who work hard to promote good & punish evil are especially good gifts from God to citizens & churches.
Governor Lee has consistently called churches “essential businesses” & has sought to defend religious liberty. All the guidance he has proposed to churches in reopening are not mandates; they are suggestions & recommendations. They are explicitly called “suggestions,” because Governor Lee wants to protect religious liberty & encourage churches to exercise liberty & wisdom in how to apply them. In addition, in providing this guidance & these recommendations, Governor Lee gathered 7 pastors from throughout the state of Tennessee—as well as government leaders & health professionals—to form them.
What a good governor!
Governor Lee is leading our state wisely & courageously. And I especially appreciate his generous posture towards churches, especially when I know pastors in other parts of the country who are having a very different experience.
All that said, Governor Lee recommends we wear masks when we gather together &, knowing his continued support of churches, I want us to follow him!
But, wait . . . I don’t wear masks anywhere right now?
Whether or not you wear a mask has become a symbol for how you are responding to COVID-19.
If you’re concerned, you wear one; if not, you don’t. If you’re anxious or fearful, you wear one; if not, you don’t. If you’re liberal, you wear one; if you are conservative, you don’t.
Whether you wear a mask when you go to the store, gym, or restaurant is probably a decision you have carefully made & that is great.
That’s exactly the way it should be. You should make the best decision for yourself or your family.
However, when we gather together, wearing masks may be the best way to love our neighbors & potentially prevent COVID-19 from spreading unknowingly.
We don’t wear masks to protect ourselves.
We wear masks to protect our neighbor & prevent COVID-19 from potentially spreading from us to them unknowingly.
Oddly enough, people have often accused church-goers of wearing masks. We hide our sins. We cover up our failures. We tell everyone, “Everything’s okay!,” when it isn’t.
It may be a bit uncomfortable & may not be our preference, but putting on a mask right now may be the best way for us to love our neighbors & community when we gather.
So, I hope you’ll grab your mask & join us this Sunday,
Walt