Masks - 'robotic' style are effective. If you can't get hold of a
mask, please mail me and I'll send you a template.
Pens
An abstract picture - that's not obvious what it is
Talk Introduction
Tonight we’re going to talk about masks…
To try and explain what I mean, I have a short clip from MIB 2
If you have not seen this film before
The MIB are like the police force for aliens who live on this planet
Agent J (Will Smith) is going to see Agent K who used to be a MIB…they
need him back…
The problem is that agent K had his memory erased so he remembers
nothing of his past life as an MIB
[MIB 2 DVD - Scene 9]
The clip starts when J enters the post office and stops when K gets in
the car
The middle bit
As we’ve just seen agent K was working with a load of people who were not
what they appeared to be…
On the outside they looked normal…but in reality they were very different
They were living their lives hiding behind a mask…
Why do you think they did that?
So people didn’t freak out / see who they are
To hide from people who would want to do them harm
To be accepted
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I’m wearing a mask…the
real me is not the person who people know or like
Have you ever got to know someone and then found out they are not who
you thought they were? Explain…
Do you ever feel like you have to be something your not?
Other peoples idea of been a Christian
What makes the real you different to what we see?
If you had to name some of your masks, what would they be?
[Bring out the masks – invite the group to write the 'name' of some of
their masks on the OUTSIDE]
Happy
Christian mask
‘Man mask’
Work mask
Been someone’s child
Describe what you are like when you wear one of these masks…
What does it feel like?
When / why do you put your masks on?
Expectations
Less hassle
Who do you think knows the real you?
What do you think would happen if people got to know the real you?
The Bible bit
The Bible tells us that God knows us inside out
Psalm 139 (The Street Bible)
Do you feel like God knows you?
What do you think God sees when he looks at you?
Do you feel like you know God?
Have you ever got real with God?
What happened?
Do you want to get real with God?
Who do you think God wants us to be?
God wants us to be real with him and with each other…to truly be who we
are…no masks…
How do we take off our masks?
We take off our masks by getting to know who we really are…the pretty bits
and the ugly bits
And the only person who can tell you who you were made to be is God…
[Show really abstract picture…only the artist knows what it’s supposed
to be]
Some people would look at this picture and think…what is this?!
That’s what some people do to us…they look at think what is he / she
But the artist who created this would look at this in a different way
They would see a thing of beauty
It’s the same with us
The Bible tells us that God created us…we are a child of God
1 John 3:1 “The Father has loved us so much that we are called children on God. And
we really are his children. The reason the people in the world do not know us
is that they have not known him.”
When God looks at you, he sees a beautiful person…he sees the real you
Conclusion
To finish, I'd like you to write on the inside of your masks some words
that describe the real you…