What Not To Wear

[james73]

An amusing anecdote from a preacher yesterday, concerning a homeless man who came to a church dressed in rags.

The pastor approached him, and said quietly, "This is a House of God! These rags do not set a good tone. Perhaps you could pray during the week and ask God what you should be wearing here."

The next week, the homeless man returned, still clad in his scruffy rags.

The pastor pointed to him during the service: "You! Did you do as I asked? Did you pray?"

"I did," said the homeless man. "I asked God what I should wear to your church and he said he didn't know, since he'd never been here."

Ha.

Reminded me of my time in LC, with the rather unpleasant passive aggressive techniques to get me to wear the white shirt/black trousers instead of my shorts or ripped jeans and flip-flops. They always said, in broad terms, never directly to me, "we should always pray over what we should wear to church. For example, should we wear scruffy jeans, or put on some smart clothes? If we ask the Lord, he will reveal to us."

They were also fond of these stories about "There was once a brother who wore scruffy clothes to the meeting, but nobody said anything to him, we just prayed about it and then one day, he really found the Lord! He started coming in smart clothes, cut his hair! He is a true brother now."

Right. Nobody said anything. But most sensitive people tend to know when people are getting together and "praying" they will change their behavior.

Well, anyway not to just rehash my old complaints about the LC. But it's surely a good test of the spirit of a place whether they care what the congregation wears.

Any thoughts people? Should we put on our "Sunday best"? Show some respect? Any scripture on this? Actually I'm quite interested where "Sunday best" had its origins, I'm sure there's some interesting Christian cultural history in that.

[awareness]

Come join the party dressed to kill.

It's an Eminence Front: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QaVzv5aR6U

It's a put on ...

[Freedom]

I can't say that I know how "Sunday's best" originated in our culture. It definitely isn't as important as it once was.

In the LC I always have felt like there is pressure to dress a certain way. What irritates me is that they will say stuff like "we don't have any dress code", knowing very well that there an expectation that saints will dress a certain way.

I used to dress well (slacks and tie) to go to meetings. I stopped doing that several years ago when I realized the main reason I did that was to try to impress everyone by "fitting the mold".

Now I just wear jeans. I figured if they are going to say there is no dress code, then they better hold to it. I also prayed about it and didn't feel the Lord telling me that I needed to dress any better. I think it will be different for everyone. I can totally understand if someone feels to dress better.

The reason I don't like to dress better to go to meetings is it feels to much like I'm trying to fit the mold. Like you mentioned, I think there's the idea that someone's not "accepted" until they dress right.

I've only gotten flak for wearing jeans once, and when it happened I asked the brother if they wore suits and ties in the Bible. That didn't go over too well.

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by james73

An amusing anecdote from a preacher yesterday, concerning a homeless man who came to a church dressed in rags.

The pastor approached him, and said quietly, "This is a House of God! These rags do not set a good tone. Perhaps you could pray during the week and ask God what you should be wearing here."

The next week, the homeless man returned, still clad in his scruffy rags.

The pastor pointed to him during the service: "You! Did you do as I asked? Did you pray?"

"I did," said the homeless man. "I asked God what I should wear to your church and he said he didn't know, since he'd never been here."

Ha.

Reminded me of my time in LC, with the rather unpleasant passive aggressive techniques to get me to wear the white shirt/black trousers instead of my shorts or ripped jeans and flip-flops. They always said, in broad terms, never directly to me, "we should always pray over what we should wear to church. For example, should we wear scruffy jeans, or put on some smart clothes? If we ask the Lord, he will reveal to us."

They were also fond of these stories about "There was once a brother who wore scruffy clothes to the meeting, but nobody said anything to him, we just prayed about it and then one day, he really found the Lord! He started coming in smart clothes, cut his hair! He is a true brother now."

Right. Nobody said anything. But most sensitive people tend to know when people are getting together and "praying" they will change their behavior.

Well, anyway not to just rehash my old complaints about the LC. But it's surely a good test of the spirit of a place whether they care what the congregation wears.

Any thoughts people? Should we put on our "Sunday best"? Show some respect? Any scripture on this? Actually I'm quite interested where "Sunday best" had its origins, I'm sure there's some interesting Christian cultural history in that.

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? James 2:1-4

Who knows a persons situation? Here in Western Washington not everyone works at Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. Some brothers and sisters struggle to get by each week and to ask them to come dressed in a certain attire of black slacks, white dress shirt and wing tip shoes is beyond their means.

Also each assembly has it's culture of dress code. Even in the local churches. One local church in an affluent city, the culture may be black slacks and white dress shirt while another local church that is more blue collar, the dress culture may be Dockers and Levi's with polo shirts or non-white dress shirt.

Besides all that especially with brothers, there should not be any distinctions made because of how a person looks or dresses. An uncle of mine also a brother rides a Harley and has been growing his beard for over 40 years. Any passive aggressive spiel is bound to be more offensive than anything else. Based on how one appears, will determine how one is received. Is this the Church?

Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. Romans 15:7