“Cleanliness is next to Godliness” … although this is found nowhere in scripture, it is often cited as a reason to dress appropriately in church. But then, what is “appropriately”? In the days of Moses, when God sought to talk directly with His people, He asked them to refrain from sex with their spouses for 3 days. He asked them to clean themselves and their clothing. They made an effort to prepare, and then approached Him at the foot of Mt. Sinai. This was a singular event, and there was no prescription recorded mandating everyone put on their best clothing, or buy new clothing – only to insure that what they had was clean. Perhaps more important, that they themselves were clean. After all, “to obey, is better than sacrifice” and “to listen, is better than the fat of Rams”. God always tried to direct Israel to examine their hearts when approaching Him, more so than their exterior. Nonetheless, modern Christians have adopted a tradition of wearing their “finery” to church on a weekly basis.
So how good is too good? I could wear my $200 suit from Burlington, or my $1500 Joseph Aboud suit from Nordstroms, or my $5000 Armani from NYC. Does it matter what I spent on my suit when dressing for church, or where my suit comes from, or how extravagant it looks? I could wear my $40 leather belt on my pants, or choose to wear my $400 crocodile Italian belt instead. Does it matter if I have these choices and choose to wear the less expensive items? The same could be said for a pair of leather loafers – one pair is $60, one is $600. And none of this touches my watch where the numbers get really crazy. My Seiko, or my Rolex, or my Bvlgari – which do I believe most honors God in His worship service this week. Often we pick on women and how they fuss over their clothing and outfits, and seem to struggle with make-up and jewelry. But a wealthy man can easily wear clothing and accessories that would outstrip a typical women in cost in no time. It is not just women, who need to examine what they wear and why, it is also men.
And what about those who have no choice, or very limited choices? A young man enters the sanctuary wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a cut-off tee shirt; our first thought – is he too poor to dress up, or was this done by choice? Was he too lazy to at least clean up his clothing, or perhaps does he live on the street and is only looking to duck the heat of the sun outside for a while before wandering on his way? Our thoughts center on his ability to choose, and in so doing we reveal more about us than about him. There was a young man who wore his work clothing to the sanctuary every week. He worshipped our God in humility, read scriptures with power and authority, and taught those who would listen in truth they had never even considered before. But his clothing was never new, and never varied. He kept it clean, but he wore it to work every day, on trips, in the sun, He may have even slept in it. His name was Jesus Christ. At His death, his tormentors cast lots for the only thing He owned, His single outfit of clothing.
Jesus had no change of clothes to wear to worship on Sabbath at the local synagogue or even the Temple in Jerusalem. He had only the clothing he wore every day. He could have owned more, but He chose to be poor and keep nothing but what He needed instead. And apart from His death, His clothing is rarely if ever mentioned in His ministry. No one cared what He was wearing when He taught, healed, or showed the magnitude of His love for us. And He never made a single comment about what someone else was wearing when He encountered them. “Clothing” was not a barrier for access to Christ. Instead it was completely irrelevant. What Christ wore never prevented Him from reaching a lost soul, working when it was required. and worshipping as He was able. His clothing was practical, functional, and not extravagant. His disciples never mentioned their own clothing throughout their subsequent ministries. The only time clothing was mentioned after His ascension, was in relation to new converts selling everything they owned and giving the proceeds to the ministry. It appears our early Christian ancestors modeled themselves more like Christ and kept no spare outfits to set aside for worship services.
So how about just showing up in a bikini? Why bother with clothing at all? Perhaps again here our Lord could serve as our role model. His clothing was not only clean and maintained as He was able, it was practical and modest. Again throughout scripture it was not the goal our Lord to become the sex symbol of His day. He made no effort to show off His pecks, or six pack abs. He did not keep his robe cut short in order to show a well-developed leg from all the walking He did in His time. Nor does scripture speak of Mary, Martha, or Mary Magdalene ever attempting to wear seductive clothing in His presence. Clothing again was a non-issue, the concept of dressing to seduce would have been the farthest thing on His mind, or on the minds of those who followed Him. Seduction would be confined to the auspices of marriage, not designed for public display whether at recreation, or in worship. When a man leaves his shirt undone, or chooses highly tight fitting clothing to display the muscles he works hard to maintain he sends a message – “look at me”. When a woman wear skirts cut high, or slit high; or wears a top with a low cut and a push up bra – she too sends the message – “look at me”. As Christians, do we really want to send this message, particularly when as Christians we know just how far from His perfection we really are? Perhaps our clothing would be better suited to draw no attention and send the message – “look at Him”.
And what of our ornaments? To wear jewelry or not continues to be a question long debated in our congregations. The rational to wear jewelry is that makes us look more attractive, and gives us a sense of being more “complete” in our overall outfits. The rational not to wear jewelry is that causes too much attention to ourselves, does not scream humility, and scripture seems to proscribe not wearing items “that the heathen wear”. But our rational is wrong. Neither line of thinking is the right one. Jewelry is not inherently evil, if it were we would not be receiving a jeweled crown in heaven. Diamonds, gold, and precious stones are not the problem – we are. “I” am my own worst enemy in the spiritual warfare of my life. It is my lust for more, my desire to out-do, my need for attention, and my pride in my accomplishments that so often causes me to reason that wearing my $40,000 watch is somehow a good idea in church. When in truth, there is no “good” reason to wear it there. Further, there is probably no “good” reason to even own it. Even if I am wealthy, the money could be better spent on those in need, than on “me” – the enemy of my soul. Jewelry does not complete our outfits any more than it completes us as individuals. It is window dressing in a vain attempt to distract from the gaping hole in our conscience that allows others to suffer while I continue to accrue my earthly kingdom. In short, it is me putting my treasure in the completely wrong place. Again it says more about me than I would care to admit.
So back to our original question, what is appropriate to wear to worship? I believe the answer is found in the ministry of Christ. I should wear clothing that is clean wherever possible, practical, modest, and comfortable for me to meet, and assist others as they have need. My shoes should be comfortable to walk in, as rarely do I find those in need within only a few steps of where I am today. My clothing should not alienate people, or make them feel uncomfortable to be around me, as they cannot match my ability to dress well. In short, it should not be extravagant, immodest, or designed in a way to promote me at all. My clothing should become a non-issue in my encounters with others, and being able to meet their needs becomes the more important part of the equation, than what I look like when I do it. Were the church to adopt this pragmatic approach, the debates over what is modest go away. The debates over jeans, shorts, tee shirts, cut offs, and expensive accessories go away. Humility becomes the guiding principle, and service the overriding goal.
Our sanctuaries are nothing but brick and mortar, our members are the value in our churches. “When two or three are gathered together in my name” says the Lord, this is where church is being held. It happens at the beach, in a restaurant, in a hospital bedside, in a mall, almost anywhere where believers get together and make ministry and Christ their first priority. Dressing up in order to accommodate a traditional time, in a traditional place, to keep traditional standards is about honoring man made traditions of the past – not about honoring God or the ministry or example of Christ. Humility, modesty, cleanliness as we are able, practicality; these are the hallmarks we should strive to achieve, remembering that service to others “is” the ministry of our Lord. Attention to self has nothing to do with Him. I long for a day when clothing is no longer any concern of the people of the Lord, for they are known for their love and unfailing interest in the needs of those they encounter.
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