Forget the Costume, Put Down the Mask

Walk through any Walmart or Target right now and you’ll soon realize a child can be anything he or she wants—if only for a day or two. At either of these places, and in many other stores, Halloween fills the aisles. Costumes galore hanging on clothing racks and endcaps. Masks and makeup overflowing the shelves. Toy swords, plastic pitchforks and sparkling princess wands pouring out onto the floor. In these final days leading up to the end of October, kids have an opportunity to let their imaginations run wild. They can pretend to be anything from a dinosaur to a garden gnome. That’s the innocent thrill of this holiday (that and free chocolate of course 😊).  Kids can dress up and be whatever they want.  Scary or cute, it doesn’t matter. They can dress up as their favorite superhero or Disney princess. They can dress as their favorite toy or even their favorite food. They can live out their dream job of being a firefighter, baseball player, or ghostbuster.
 
Although there are plenty of adult costumes available, the merriment and playfulness of Halloween often dissipates as you age.  It is hard to get enthusiastic about paying a small fortunate on overpriced, bite-sized candy. In the world of grown-ups, we no longer walk around excitedly asking each other, “What are you going to be for Halloween this year?”  Sure, we may still love the occasional piece of leftover candy. And it is fun to ooh and aah over the trick-or-treating neighborhood kids in their cute costumes. But as you get older, the excitement of dress-up and the allure of make-believe sadly disappears. Our childhood innocence gives way to the reality of adulthood. We know better. No matter what costume we put on, nothing about us really changes. Our identity is still what it is. This, however, is not a bad thing at all!
 
As Christians, we wear something far better than a temporary masquerade. No cumbersome costumes. No fake layers of makeup. No hiding behind clever disguises.  The Bible (Galatians 3:26-27) reminds us that we are forever transformed and changed because of what God has done for us in Jesus. “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with [put on] Christ.”

Clothed with Christ. How’s that for an ultimate costume?  It doesn’t get any better than that! The Apostle Paul reminds us that as Christians, we have been clothed with Jesus. In the powerful waters of baptism, God costumes us with a new identity. We are His children. We are part of His family, brothers and sisters in Christ.  No need to pretend that we are something we are not. Our identity is first and foremost in the unchanging fact that we have been united with our Savior. We are connected to Jesus by His love and mercy. That is far more important than any other worldly or material attribute we often tie our identity up in—profession, hobbies, accolades.  The beautiful, holy scriptures urge us to rejoice and embrace the eternal, spiritual clothing that believers put on each day. The Biblical language of “putting on,” suggests taking on a new life and purpose through being spiritually united with Christ.  So leave the costumes to the kids. Dress yourself with Christ every morning. Let Him lead you!
 
 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness…” Isaiah 61:10

“No man can put on the robes of Christ’s righteousness till he has taken off his own.” (C. H. Spurgeon)