Pastor's Desk (29th June 2008)

DRESSING FOR CHURCH

Supposing a brother comes into the assembly of the saints, hoping for a rest from the battles of the week, a moment to regroup, sing, pray, get the Word, fellowship. He looks up to the choir, or to his left or his right -- and in a tick of the clock, he's facing the same struggle he faced every time he turned on his TV, opened a magazine, or went down a city street. He's seeing things that make it far too easy for him not to keep his mind focused where it needs to be focused.

And he's not in a nightclub, he's not at a singles' bar, he's not at the beach. He's in church. Long gone are the days when people wore hats, white gloves and patent leather to a Sunday morning service. Modern churchgoers wear everything from suits and dresses to jeans and tees.

What are some considerations when we pick clothes for church? Besides what's pretty, what's flattering, what's attractive, what's comfortable, what's complimentary, what's fun, we might want to add two more questions:

1. "Is it helpful, or is it hurtful, to my brothers in Christ? Will my dressing send someone doing a double-take or staring down my backside, my cleavage, stoking their sexual passions? Will this unintentionally contribute to his having a focus that is harmful to his walk in Christ?" Let us heed Jesus' warning in Matthew 18:6 "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." If you're not married, and a man looks at you, is he thinking, "What a great character"? Or are you giving him reason to think about something else?

2. “Will my dressing attract attention to myself?” We're here to worship, not to show off our abs or to distract others. It's not about us, it's about God. "What God is looking for in his followers is modesty not outlandishness which will draw attention to them," says Pastor Leo Rolle, an Adventist clergyman. The idea is to draw attention to God not away from Him during our worship. In the gospel of Jesus Christ, modesty in appearance is always in fashion.

To a certain extent, our attire in church reflects our attitude toward the significance of corporate worship and the holiness of the One whom we worship, and we ought to give some thought to that fact when we decide what to wear. Our clothing or footwear need never be expensive, indeed should not be expensive, but neither should it appear that we are on our way to the beach. When we come to worship the God and Father of us all and to partake of the sacrament symbolizing the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we should be as comely and respectful, as dignified and appropriate as we can be. We should be recognizable in appearance as well as in behavior that we truly are disciples of Christ, that in a spirit of worship we are meek and lowly of heart, that we truly desire the Savior's Spirit to be with us always. Let's not be found cheapening and trivializing our worship in the way we dress. Wherever possible, here's what to show in clothes-selection: a Godward focus, discretion, a godly character.

— Rev Tan-Yeo Lay Suan