I saw this today and I had a chuckle … then after the chuckle I thought about it a bit more …
One thing that puzzled me all the way through me life in church was the attraction to special outfits and garbs. In the specific church in which I grew up that was particularly the case when we observed the Lord’s Supper when for reasons known only to those who obviously were in touch with God better than I was men had to wear dark suits whilst the women were to turn up in virginal white outfits. I didn’t come across those instructions in the gospel accounts of this event and Paul didn’t appear to make a big deal of it explaining the deal to the church in Corinth. Yet here we were making it a deal breaker.
If that was bad, I then discovered some of my brothers in the Anglican movement had this robe thing going on, which apparently is their observance and tribute to all the garbs that formed the Levitical priesthood and that kinda malarkey. I then went on to find out that my Anglican fraternity were not the only ones hot on priestly garments but some in evangelical movements dug that kinda thing and even my own posse when baptisms took place again the ‘ministers’ who conducted the dip had to be in a black gown whilst those being baptised had to at least have a white top or go for the whole virginal white deal again.
All this left me scratching my head as to what it was all about until someone came up to me and talked about the symbolism of it all. So that should cover it right? I’ll be alright with that won’t I? Not really. I think all that kinda stuff isn’t so much symbolic and special more as a ritual that we mindlessly follow that has little to no real value when it comes to the things that matter. Still, far be it from me to rock the boat on the cherished traditions upheld for decades and centuries by people who obviously have a closer walk with Jesus who evidently must have instructed the disciples to wear black gowns when conducting baptisms and then wear funky crazy garb for all the other religious stuff that was important at the time.
This is one of those times when I do agree with those who argue it’s not what’s on the outside that counts, it’s what’s in the heart and surely – SURELY – being clothed in righteousness is a state of our being and not a fashion statement.
Just blogging.
That is all.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 