“Thinking about What Defines You”
Religion in Daily Life
Written 6 January 2000
A mask defined what Clayton Moore was. As a child, Moore wanted to be a cowboy and a policeman. When he put on a black mask in 1949, the mask defined him as “The Lone Ranger” on television. Clayton Moore played the role from 1949 to 1952, then from 1954 to 1957. He also played the role in a couple of feature films. With the music of the “William Tell Overture” in the background, the Lone Ranger rode “a fiery horse with the speed of light,” shouting, “Hi-yo, Silver!” With his Indian companion, Tonto, he crusaded for law and order in the old West. When he retired, Moore continued to wear the mask during personal appear-ances at shopping centers and special events. In 1979, producers of a new movie about the Lone Ranger got a court order against Moore using the mask. Moore switched to a pair of wraparound sunglasses. In 1984, the restraining order was removed. Clayton Moore died in Los Angeles on December 28, 1999, at age 85.
Think about what defines people. The motion picture actor Peter Sellers was defined by the movies he made. Sellers played Chief Inspector Clouseau in several “Pink Panther” films. He played Dr. Strangelove in the 1964 movie of the same name. In a biography about Sellers titled “The Mask Behind the Mask,” author Peter Evans says that the actor played so many roles that he sometimes was not sure of his own identity. Once, when a fan approached him and asked, “Are you Peter Sellers?” Sellers answered briskly, “Not today,” and walked on.
What defines you? Here are several possible defining factors: occupation, income, personality (“What a grouch!” or “A nice guy”), physical appearance (tall, short, thin), circumstances (“homeless,” “prisoner,” “hospitalized,” “senior citizen”). Jesus of Nazareth found himself defined by a personal experience he had when he was thirty years old. After being immersed in water, Jesus experienced a moment of clarity as he saw the heavens split open and heard God’s voice ringing in his mind, saying, “You are My Son. I love you and I am very pleased with you.” This experience defined Jesus’ place, his power, and his purpose. His place was with ordinary, imperfect people. His power was to bring health and wholeness to these folks. His purpose was to help people who had lost their way. Water, too, in baptism defines a follower of Jesus of Nazareth as a child of God, a member of the social “Body of Christ” (the people who make up the Christian Church) and an inheritor of the kingdom of God.
Cheers,
(The Rev.) Edward Chinn, D.Min.
Rector, All Saints’ Church
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