Wearing Our Sunday Best

Colossians 3:12-17

Introduction

There are are many ways we could look at the evolution of the western church over the past number of decades. It could be changes in attendance, it could be changes in architecture, it could be changes in technology, or it could be changes in music. Imagine using a time machine to bring an average church goer from 1950 to a selection of modern churches. What would be the biggest shock to them? It would be difficult to predict but one of the things they might notice is the change in what people wear. I do not just mean the natural changes of style over 70 years. What I mean is that for many people, there is no difference between Sunday and church and their regular casual dress around the house. Even if a person wears a suit to work, they might not wear a suit to church. There was once something called “Sunday best” and these were your special clothes that you kept clean and tidy because you were expected to dress up for church. Now t-shirts, shorts and sandals are not uncommon at many churches.

Now some people may mourn the loss of these traditions. Some might think that we should only wear our best on Sunday mornings. Having said that, I have heard stories where people have not felt welcome at church because they did not have the appropriate standard of dress. That is not acceptable. To be honest, when we turn to the Bible, we see no evidence that people wore special clothes for worship services. Often drawing from the poor, having special church clothes was usually not even an option. The only time guidance for what we wear is given, it is a warning against dressing up too nicely. The worry in the early church was not about people not dressed up enough, it was a concern about people who were trying to impress others with their fashion styles.

What does that leave for wearing our Sunday best? In terms of clothing, feel free to dress at church the way you want, suit and tie or sweater and sneakers. I really don’t think God cares about that. But in another way, God very much cares about what we wear. God’s concern is not about cotton and wool but other things that we wear.

In the passage from Colossians, Paul is trying to get his audience to focus on what matters. He introduces that idea by asking the Colossians to clothe themselves in some very important items. What Paul shares is just as relevant today as was then.

Compassion

The first item is compassion. Compassion is often mistaken for pity. Pity is when you regret the fact that someone is suffering. Compassion literally means suffering with. The idea is that you care enough about another’s experience that you want to enter into it. You are not a detached observer but you come along side. It is about a new way of seeing. It is about driving by an addict and actually feeling their pain. The incarnation of Jesus is the ultimate act of compassion. Jesus saved us by suffering with us. Jesus on the cross said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” This was the same cry of suffering that David gave in Psalm 22. Jesus entered into our suffering and asks us to join with others. Compassion is a piece of clothing that we need to put on. We can choose to avoid it or you can embrace it.

Kindness

We have been speaking recently about the importance of love for Christians. The point I have been trying to make is that biblical love is not feelings of affection but love in action. This is the concept behind kindness. God demonstrated kindness to us by sending Jesus, Jesus demonstrated kindness to us by going to the cross, and we are asked to show love in tangible ways. Kindness is a piece of clothing that we can choose to or not to put on.

Humility

The next thing we are to clothe ourselves with is humility. This too is often misunderstood. Some have thought of humility as having a very low self-esteem. There are theological camps emphasize how utterly terrible we are and that it is impossible to have enough self-hatred. I don’t see that in the Scriptures. Humility is not seeing yourself as better than others and not expecting special treatment. It is the opposite of pride, when one thinks that their position means they deserve more than others. Jesus is an interesting example of this. Jesus technically was better than everyone else. But the point of the incarnation was for Jesus to voluntarily become like us. Not only was Jesus not too good to spend time like us, he was not too good to become like us. Jesus carried himself with humility, not expecting special treatment. He even experienced the worst kind of death. Not only was crucifixion painful, it was literally humiliating. It made you appear far worse than anyone would want. Anyone but Jesus. Jesus put on humility and he asks us to put on humility. Are there tasks too far below us? Are there people not worthy of our time? This might suggest we need to wear a heavy coat of humility.

Meekness

We now come to meekness. What is meekness? If someone was telling you about a friend and described them as “rather meek,” would you think of that as a compliment or an insult? I think in western culture, it would often bee seen as negative thing. Meekness would be seen as weakness. In the 1920s, a character was created named Caspar Milquetoast, who was to be the epitome of all things weak and ineffectual. That name entered into popular usage. Interestingly, just over a decade later another character was created with a similar personality but with a twist. This was mild mannered reporter, Clark Kent. Kent was willing to suffer abuse not because he was afraid or weak but because he was brave and strong. His identity as Superman meant that he could endure insults. Meekness is not weakness but strength under control. This is why Jesus says the meek shall inherit the earth. There is a strength in the meek that is often not seen.

Patience

Finally we come to patience. How hard is patience? I want patience and I want it NOW! We want immediate responses. Everything needs to be quick. Even our prayer life. How soon after a prayer do we expect an answer? If God answers a prayer seventy-five years after we prayed it, is that still an answered prayer? One of the things that I have learned the most over my spiritual journey is that God is not very concerned in our timeline and our sense of priorities. We need to remember that God is not our genie, he is not our servant ready to act on our wish. Good is the Lord and we go by God’s timing. Patience means waiting. Jesus waited nine months in his mother’s womb. He waited about thirty years before starting his ministry. He waited until Passover to go to the cross. He waited until the third day before he came back to live. He is still waiting to return. Are we prepared to clothe ourselves with patience the way Jesus did?

Conclusion

Paul calls us to wear our Sunday best, not our best physical clothing, but to dress ourselves the way God really cares. We are to put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. But did you notice that I did not talk much about Paul in this message, even though there is evidence that he sought to put on each of these things himself. What Paul is describing here are not a random collection of Christian virtues but rather a person. Paul is describing Jesus. In another letter, Paul writes: “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 13:14).

What is our Sunday best? Should we be concerned if someone is wearing ripped jeans or a dirty t-shirt? Should we see that as inappropriate for meeting with God? We should be more concerned about our own clothing, in terms of putting on Christ. Our Sunday best is when people spend time with us and recognize Jesus in us. So by all means, wear your Sunday best, but actually wear the clothes that matter.