I recently went through a period of study on the theme of worship in the Bible. The conclusion that is eminently clear is that worship is not something we do for an hour on Sunday morning, rather it is the sacrifice of an entire life to God (Rom. 12:1-2). So I've been trying to flesh out how this applies to all of our lives and one of the areas that I would like some help with is the issue of clothing worn to our time of gathered worship. There seem to be three views that I will outline. If you know of another position please feel free to enlighten me, or if you can help me to see which of these views best fits with the Bible's teaching on worship please help me.
First, is the Sunday Best position. Those who hold this view say that it dishonors God and the special time of Sunday worship to wear any old thing. That we must dress our best to show our reverence for Him. To commend this view is the Biblical evidence that entering God's presence is a special time and should be treated with reverence. However, on the other side of the coin is the fact that if worship is all of life then all of life is lived before Him to honor Him, so why dress up on one occasion. Also there is the teaching that we must be careful not to alienate the poor brothers and sisters in our midst who would be put off or ashamed of their clothing.
Second, is the Casual position. This position says that we should wear what we wear all week. This position has the benefit of seeming to take most seriously the truth that worship is all of life. Yet it seems to be a stumbling block to many who are already Christians. This is very subjective but it seems that this most often goes with a seeker-sensitive model that I feel is very unhelpful in the life a local church.
Third, is the No Distraction position. This position says that we should simply dress in such a way that we simply blend in and there is no attention drawn to ourselves at all. This position takes the truth seriously that worship is about God and that our attention must be placed on Him, therefore we should not dress in a way that distracts from the focus on God. So if your church is more casual you should dress casually so that no attention is drawn to you. And vice versa with a Sunday Best crowd. I am leaning toward this position to be honest, but I fear that it may be a position of compromise (maybe cowardice).
I would love to hear from any of you, I am willing to take correction and wise counsel. Let me know what you think.
Showing posts with label Clothing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clothing. Show all posts
Saturday, July 5, 2008
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