Lutherans of a certain generation remember a time when what one wore to worship mattered. There was a time when you wore your Sunday best and your best shoes to church. And now we live in such an informal, relaxed culture, that going to church and going to the ball game may not constitute different dress. is that okay? There are evangelical churches, especially megachurches, who have understood inclusion to mean that informal and relaxed apparel is normative and hospitably received---even expected! I think that some folks who go to Willow Creek might feel out of place by wearing a dress or suit and tie. So what ought we to think today about church clothes? There is a bigger question with respect to church culture and clothing or appearances. Who is welcome to hear God speak? Are there reasons why certain people should be excluded from the Christian community gathered on Sunday morning? Are there rules that play in our minds, part of being raised in a certain church culture, that determine whether or not someone is welcome? What about how someone dresses, what they wear? Are some people to be excluded because of their appearance? I wear sandals in the summer time. Others have worn shorts, jeans, flip-flops, etc… in worship, even when I preach and preside at the table. For some, this is a sign of disrespect. Am I disrespectful? If you know me, you know that I adore Christ, love GOD with my heart, have indeed devoted myself to Jesus and His way of love---as humbly as I can. I am not perfect. I am not trying to be right, either. I am trying to be authentically me. I dress the way I dress because I am who I am. I also pray that I am not offensive. I am, however, aware that I have an opportunity here to proclaim something. Jesus opposed the religious rules of His day that excluded people on grounds of uncleanliness. He welcomed, embraced, and included outcasts and sinners. This was not popular among the Pharisees. Jesus was rejected for authentically being God’s Son and announcing that the kingdom of God had come to the poor, the gentile the child, the outcast, the prodigal, the sinner, the thief. He did not seem to care about people’s clothing or religious habits. He loved people as they were because each is wonderfully made in the image of GOD. Jesus did, however, become angry about injustice and about excluding people from synagogue and temple on the basis of certain rules. So, I wear sandals because my footwear does not matter to God. Jesus loves me. That’s grace. And, Jesus calls us to welcome people NO Matter how they are dressed, how they smell, who they vote for, where they live, what color their skin happens to be, or what music they love. I don’t determine whether or not you are worthy to receive communion before I give it to you. It is a gift for everyone—no matter what you wear!
In my congregation, we recently had a clothing giveaway. Not a single person who came to that community event returned to thank God in worship here. (That's not to say that they didn't worship somewhere else). I have to wonder---do people without the "right" clothes feel excluded or judged by church people who dress up?
What will be the response when teens who come to worhsip here are told that their dress is inappropriate and disrespectful? Will they leave? Is a church that is out of step with the current cultural context viable? What do faithful people wear?
Jesus' only talk on dress has to do with worrying about what we will wear. "Consider the lillies of the field," says Jesus. Their beauty is unmatched even by Solomon in all of his splendor. Be who you are, wear what you've got.
So, I'll wear sandals to worship. Hey, someone said, "Who does he think he is, Jesus?" I say,if I'm going to be compared to anyone, I'm honored that it is my Lord. I pray that my heart, my love of others, my devotion to God is what reminds people of Jesus--not just my sandals.
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