Dear Inner Circle,
This Saturday, kids across the country will knock on doors wearing masks, and we’ll hand over lollies and pretend to be scared. Halloween is the one night of the year we choose our masks for fun. The rest of the year, many of us wear them without ever deciding to.
If you sit long enough at Wayside, you’ll realise you are in the company of people who have, by and large, been freed from the need to project or protect any self-image the world demands of them. This isn’t to say there is no dignity. Quite the opposite. There is a power in their personhood that can be disarming and confronting. Many of us waste so much effort projecting or protecting our self-image. As a young boy I spent so much of it trying to fit in, to be “one of the good ones”, to hear what I thought was the ultimate compliment. It set me against myself and took many years to deal with. What a waste of effort that was. I cringe when I think about it, and would love to sit alongside that kid, give him a big hug and tell him he will find a tribe that loves him just the way he is. I’d also let him know that I am no longer going to let him drive the bus.
This Sunday, 1 November, is International Drug Users’ Day, and we honour those in our community living with a drug dependency. Few people carry a heavier mask than someone who uses drugs. Many have spent years hiding it from employers, family and friends, and when the mask slips, the world is quick to hand them a new one: “addict”, “junkie”, “lost cause”. At Wayside, we know them by name. They are some of the funniest, gentlest and most generous people I know, and many of them have taught me more about honesty than any book. The writer Joseph Campbell once observed, “the place where you trip and fall is where you’ll find pure gold.” That truth is lived out here every day. A much-loved regular told me about some recent advice that he had been given, “Rev, she told me to change the word ‘problem’ to ‘opportunity’. So, right now, I finally realise, that I have a drinking opportunity!” From across the room, one of our people called back, “Great, let’s book you in Tuesday to talk about that opportunity!” He laughed and confirmed he’d be there.
This Halloween, enjoy the masks. Then come and sit with us a while and see what it’s like to take yours off.
Due to not having kids at home anymore, every year I hand the costume reigns for the night to a mate’s daughter, this year she has chosen “Vampire Cheerleader”. You might be seeing me knocking on your door somewhere over the weekend, please be kind.
Thank you for being part of the Inner Circle,
Jon
Rev. Jon Owen
CEO & Pastor
Wayside Chapel