This blogpost was written by my husband, pastor of Valley Covenant Church in Eugene, OR
https://www.valleycovenant.org/pastorblog/?p=2046

Why I Still Wear a Mask

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Steve Bilynskyj

This is a very rare post here that is not connected with an upcoming sermon. A couple weeks ago, in response to our governor’s lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions (except those still federally required), our church council voted to no longer require masks for indoor worship, beginning July 11. But on that Sunday I showed up in worship wearing a mask.

I began an explanation of my mask by quoting a few verses from the Johnny Cash song, “Man in Black,” his explanation of why he always wore black:

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Living in the hopeless, hungry side of town.
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime
But is there because he’s a victim of the time.

I wear the black for those who’ve never read
Or listened to the words that Jesus said
About the road to happiness through love and charity.
Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me.

Well, we’re doing mighty fine, I do suppose
In our streak of lightning cars and fancy clothes.
But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back
Up front there ought to be a man in black.

I then said that, like Cash wearing black, I was wearing a mask to help me and the rest of us not forget a few things:

There were at least two children who had regularly come to in-person worship while we were wearing masks, but who were not there and would not be there in the near future because their family is ministering to another family in which one of the parents is immune-compromised.

I said we also do not want to forget that 600,000 people in the United States and 4 million around the world have died of COVID-19. I should have added that some, perhaps many, of those had died without a chance to hear about Jesus.

I also said that, as far as I can determine, a hundred more people would die of COVID-19 that day in the United States. We don’t want to forget that fact either.

So, paraphrasing Johnny, I said that, no matter how comfortable we might all feel being fully vaccinated and protected against serious illness and death, up front, there ought to be a man in a mask.

May God keep us from forgetting those who are weaker, oppressed, and disadvantaged as we make decisions about things like masks and all sorts of other decisions regarding how we behave as followers of Jesus.