The Well Dressed Misunderstanding

Driving to work this morning I was listening to k-love and a listener wrote  a question that really awoke something from my past. The person who wrote to the radio station was new to the faith. A person who was just begging their walk with Christ and had a little bit of a problem with something they were told at their new church. So their question was, “Why do people think that I have to dress really nice for church? I mean I though God wanted a relationship with the inward me and not the person I look like on the outside?” That hit me pretty hard and brought up an experience had in Pennsylvania.

When I was younger I was also confused about why people wore such nice cloths to church, or why we had church clothes all together. I finally got an answer from one of the older congregational members. He simply responded, “We are always supposed to bring our best before god. Do you think a t-shirt and shorts is really your best?” He was right, we are supposed to bring our best before God, and even though his comment about "is a t-shirt and shorts really your best'' was supposed to be condescending, that is, and most likely will be my best for a very long time.

Not saying that those are my best cloths, but they are what I can do my best in. I will even take it a step further. If God wants my very best to show up on Sundays I will arrive as I have for years.

1)Chaco Sandals

2)Funny T-shirt

3)Athletic shorts.

4)Baseball Hat

Now for the Suit and Tie crew this might seem completely unreasonable but allow me to explain. The Chaco Sandals are because I will be able to travel anywhere I need. I will be as comfortable on trail talking to a youth as I am enjoying a coffee with a concerned parent. The Funny T-shirt makes me approachable and allows me to speak freely about any topic I wish including, but not limited to my faith journey and my relationship with Christ. The athletic shorts will allow me to PLAY and PLAY HARD! For when we can drop the façade of being adults all the time and play something amazing happens. We become most like the people God wants us to be, Joy filled vessels of love. Finally a Baseball Hat because half way through the year my hair gets pretty long.

When someone asks me am I bringing my Best before God. I can smile and say yes without a single moment of hesitation.  Bringing your best before God will never have anything to do with what you wear. As batman says, it’s not who I am, but what I do that defines me.

Now I do believe we a have a responsibility when it comes to our clothing in church. For example we should always keep what we wear in the construct of living a Christly life. For example Modesty/Humility should be considered when dressing. We aren't at church to show off the Guns (boys) and we aren't at church to pick up a boy with a high/low cut shirt (Ladies).  We shouldn't dress with flash and expensive jewelry that shows wealth and success. We shouldn't wear something dirty and three days old. There is a proper amount of respect to be given to God’s houses.

Yet I stand here on the wrong side of the cross looking up at a man who wore sack cloth and sandals. I look at the ideas he stood for and the life we hear preached. I believe it can all come down to this. When we start focusing on Rules over Relationships we have missed the point. If our lives are truly focused on relationships the rules fall into place. When focusing on loving our neighbor as our selves the rules are fulfilled. But when you use the rules to lord over someone else’s head you have sacrificed relationship. So I pray for those of you who are reading this that you wear bright Hawaiian shirts, Shorts, Jeans, polo’s, suit and tie, or whatever you feel helps you bring the Best of what you have to God. Never forget that we are nothing more than Shadows and Dust. Vessels of the pure love of God, and that we can do no great things without the help and love of God. Dress for your journey and not the journey of someone else knowing God loves the heart that beats inside the shirt and not the s