Tuesday, 30 June 2009
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I Wore Suits to Church to Lie to God
by Nate Nakao of restored to grace
I had a bit of a “revelation” recently. I started thinking about Christ’s enemies, the Pharisees. In Matthew 23.27-28, Christ proclaims judgment on the Pharisees for their hypocritical behavior. In the previous verses, he condemns them for cleaning the outside of the cup, but leaving the inside filthy, full of greed and self-indulgence.Conversely, Jesus proclaims blessing on the tax collectors (who, in that day, were known for being cheats, swindlers, and thieves, in addition to being traitors to Jewish tradition by allowing the Roman government to sign their paychecks) in Luke 18.9-14. Christ commends this man for his honesty. For his willingness to come face to face with his brokenness and ask God to forgive him. The man went to God in the middle of his sin; he didn’t cover it up or hide it behind nice clean robes. He put his rags out there for all to see.
I’m not saying that throwing on a pair of jeans to go to church is equivalent to putting our sinfulness on display. But I’m gonna let you in on a little secret about myself...
Growing up, getting dressed up for church was the thing to do. Everyone at church was in a jacket and tie or a nice dress. As I grew up, I began using the suit as a way to keep people out. As I tied my Windsor knot (or Four-in-Hand, as the occasion or shirt collar called for it), I would look in the mirror and notice that I looked well put-together. To the casual observer, I had everything in order.
But to the keen eye (namely, God’s), my life was a mess. Underneath the necktie, the European-vent suit coat, and the crisply pressed shirt was a man whose brokenness was suppressed. I lied to myself every Sunday.
I lied to God every Sunday.
I’m not an advocate of being casual at church. I’m an advocate of being honest. I’m an advocate of letting God see inside you. For me, that meant tearing down the barrier of the suit. I know where my mind used to go whenever I put on the jacket. Somewhere in the back of my thought closet a voice would say, “Put on the jacket. God can’t see through that.”
But how can God fix us if we’re not willing to reveal the fact that we’re broken?
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Comments (16)
Good post
happens all to often
Great post!
Hmmm I sometimes dress up to be respectful, but I'm not trying to hide anything. I think He can see through any type of clothing that anyone wears =]
but it is a very good post.
makes people (me) realize how important it is to be more hoenst
I spoken about this when I've preached at my church before. Older generations often use dressing up as a sign of respect. You dress up to give your best to God. There's nothing wrong with that at all.
Younger people tend to want to wear what they wear every day in order to be authentic with God. They value coming to God just as they are, and not pretending to be something they're not.
Neither value is "right," they're just different. It's important to understand those who dress differently for church aren't being disrespectful or inauthentic. We just have slightly different values. Good post.
Clothing is only one of the lies we tell in church.
I wear suits to church in the winter for functional purposes. The wool from them kept me warm and they were light compared to cotton or other fabrics. One day, people looked at me and commented on the way I dressed. All they got from me was a remark from me stating that I was the same person. Sometimes, it is not us who is deceived, but the people who are looking at us. It really depends on not what we wear, but why we wear what we wear. The motivation behind the action is what matters, not the action itself. Acts of faith and acts of self-righteousness can look the same, but only God knows which are the genuine ones and which are not.
I don't even know why people try to lie to themselves or God. It's never going to work.
Try confession. Try repentance. Of course, confession means knowing what sin is and admitting such; that is a big problem today.
@Mangonese@xanga - Exactly. God sees through us like Superman with X-ray vision.
And to answer the question in the post, it's not that God CAN'T fix us if we aren't willing to admit that we're broken, it's that he WON'T. And what would be the point of fixing someone that isn't broken?
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
Here's a thought. . . Are you maintaining openness with God? If there are any barriers in the way of that authenticity, how far are you willing to go to tear them down?
Questions I faced when I discovered that I was using my suit to hide my sin.
I think Theophilus's comment is good, as well as FKIProessor. I'm not sure if clothing is intended to lie to God as much as it is to lie to others - but I suppose that depends on the person. Some wear nice cloths to show reverence to God, as cloths like that are worn to special occasions like weddings, and funerals in our culture. Some wear the suits to impress others and put forth a facade of being an upright person.
There are others who wear their regular cloths as to show that God accepts them just as they are, and clothing means nothing to the condition of their soul and or heart. However, others that dress ordinary are doing so for very rebellious reasons, who subconsciously want to display disrespect to those in authority, and maybe even to God.
What matters really isn't what is on the surface (as long as you are covered modestly). ;) What matters is WHY you wear what you wear. Few are honest with themselves as to the reason they dress the way they do. Few get to the root of why they dress the way they do.
Someone who might wear regular cloths just because he is only thinking of himself - might claim "I am wearing this because I want to come to God as I am, and not wearing some mask." That sounds like a good answer - but it can be a big lie that the person might even think is true - if they have not examined their intensions thoroughly.
The person in the suit might say, "I am wearing this nice suit to show honor and reverence to my God", but is he really? Is he wearing it to gain the admiration and acceptance of his peers? Is he wearing it to appear more "holy" than those that do not? Those are impure motives that might fool the regular church attendee, but it never fools God.
I think we should want to come to God wearing our best, but at the same time keep it in perspective. Don't look down on others who do not wear suits. Just as those who don't wear suits should not look with contempt at those who do.
In our hearts, there is no mask that God cannot see through, but we are able to fool ourselves and others by the masks we wear. Get to the root of why you wear what you wear, and then make a decision on what you should wear to Church that best glorifies Him, but at the same time helps to keep you humble.
@Theophilus166@xanga - I agree
@FKIProfessor@xanga - I agree
i love this post.
It describes part of my story exactly, except that I'm a girl so I wore dresses... although I always wanted a tie when I was a kid because they looked so pointless and therfore fun :P
But yeah. I like how you've thoroughly explained that you don't advocate casual clothes, just honest people.
:)