Whatever happened to dressing up on Easter Sunday?

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | Saturday, April 10, 2004 | Alyson Walls

[Willie Green]

Although famed musical composer Irving Berlin thought them lovely enough to write a sonnet, nowadays few women are donning Easter bonnets.

In fact, you're more apt to see wrinkled khakis and rumpled polo shirts than pressed suits and pastel pumps at church on Sunday.

While Easter Sunday has traditionally been the day to show off your new spring finery, America has become a nation that dresses down, and not just on "casual Fridays" in the office.

[dsc]

"I bet your minister wears an ornate breastplate with the names of the church families engraved in it? That's Old Testament worship."

Ummm....no. Where did that come from?

"Oh, and be sure to skip the braided hair, the gold, and the pearls. The New Testament forbids that, right?"

Not that I know of.

"The foremost rule for dress should be so as not to create offense to yourself or your neighbor. If you wear finery, do so because you want to celebrate thereby, not because you have some misguided idea that it makes you look better to a God with X-ray eyes."

I didn't suggest any such thing. It is a way of showing honor, and what God would care about is that you loved Him enough to want to honor Him.

[dsc]

"I bet your minister wears an ornate breastplate with the names of the church families engraved in it? That's Old Testament worship."

Ummm....no. Where did that come from?

"Oh, and be sure to skip the braided hair, the gold, and the pearls. The New Testament forbids that, right?"

Not that I know of.

"The foremost rule for dress should be so as not to create offense to yourself or your neighbor. If you wear finery, do so because you want to celebrate thereby, not because you have some misguided idea that it makes you look better to a God with X-ray eyes."

I didn't suggest any such thing. It is a way of showing honor, and what God would care about is that you loved Him enough to want to honor Him.

[wardaddy]

I wore a black crepe suit today. (only one I have)

My wife as always dressed up.

My 3 year old boy even had on his seersucker suit (shorts) and saddle oxfords.....as he damn well should down south on Easter.

Our PCA church is quite young, it seems everyone is under 35 and pregnant. I'm 46 and am definitely in the top 10% age-wise.

You are correct. The kids do not dress up much anymore. Some do but most don't.

[SCalGal]

The short version is that some people find wearing most so-called "formal" clothing pure misery, and this isn't a condition they chose or could change. If dressing up to someone else's non-biblical aesthetic standards is the condition of attending church, a lot of these souls will be lost.

Then the message gets lost in the misery. No sense in that, and I don't think that what it's all about.

I teach an autistic class, and I can't image why anyone would even want to try and get those boys out of their sweats. They'd be miserable and so would everyone around them.

[Xenalyte]

Oh, my God, please tell me she's not wearing hose with sandals.

[pollywog]

my daughter age 12, looked adorable today in a new spring dress white and lavendar dress ( bought at Kohl's!!LOL)and white shoes. I wore a floral skirt and blazer. I love dressing up. America has lost the art.

[WKB]

We had one woman today in her late 30s\ early 40s
who wore blue jeans and a red t shirt with some writing
on it to Sunrise Service. Appropriate ? NO
Was she in Church ? Yes for the first time in 15 months that I know of.
What do you say, you are not welcome because you
aren't dressed good enough. I don't think so.

[freedox]

Thank you, WKB......the scripture does indeed make it clear that it is what's on the inside of a man that is important. It also makes it clear that outward appearances can be deceiving. Manipulating one's outward appearance in an attempt to appear more righteous does not fool God, whether it be dressing up or down. Remember what Jesus said about those who are fasting.......he made it clear that dressing down can also be a form of self-righteous deception. It all goes back to the one thing that we all seem to agree upon.......regardless of the outward appearance, it's what's in a person's heart that matters to God, and He's the only one who can see that.

[WKB]

1 Samuel 16
7 But the LORD said to Samuel,***b The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

[dsc]

"It's also a good way to show how materialistic you are."

If you have to look at the negative, yes, some people probably like to show off.

"Clothes don't make the man, the MAN makes the man."

On some levels and in some contexts that is true; when universally applied there are areas in which it is quite false.

"Christ didn't die so you'd have a day to show off your most expensive suit and shiny Rolex."

The widow's mite is an acceptable sacrifice coming from the widow. If a rich man gives no more than the poor widow, is he honoring the Lord?

"Saddam dressed nicely and he wasn't much of a saint."

And I don't think you'll find many of the people going to church on Easter Sunday are operating their own torture chambers, either.

I remember when dressing up passed out of fashion and dressing down became chic. Dressing down had its beginnings in and is a part of the rejection of the values of Western Civilization. It was originally a way of showing deliberate disrespect.

Over the decades, many seem to have forgotten that, and many have been born whom I guess never knew it.

But in human societies, even the most primitive, the rule is, dress up to show respect, dress down to show indifference or contempt.

You can go on with Bob Dylanistic "his face is dirty, but his hands are clean" counterculture working hero sophistry if you want to, and I'd agree that if a person is too poor to dress up, then no one should look down on him for wearing what he has.

But if you're not too poor to dress up, refusing to do so is a display of deliberate disrespect.

[WKB]

2 Corinthians 8:12
For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

[SCalGal]

Oh, my God, please tell me she's not wearing hose with sandals.

And no slip.

But she's trying, and she's young.

[freedox]

"So admit it everybody. It's not about God at all. We wear fancy clothes to church to show off to each other."

If that is the reason one is dressing up, God knows it. On the other hand, if one is dressing up in a genuine effort to honor God on His holy day, He knows that too. I freely admit that I have been guilty of the former.......but going to church in ratty attire in a vain attempt to appear "righteous" is no better, IMO.

[WKB]

but going to church in ratty attire in a vain attempt to appear "righteous" is no better, IMO.



Colossians 2:23
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self­imposed worship, their "false humility" and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

[Xenalyte]

I hope her grandmother doesn't see that. Being young is no excuse for a) omitting the proper undergarment and b) trying lamely to substitute an improper one.

[gitmo]

Jesus died for the sins of the world, and rose again as the first of the new Man. The rabbit didn't. Neither did the eggs.

[dsc]

"For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."

Yes, that's what I was saying.

It's okay for a poor man not to be dressed to the eyenes, but a man who can should IMO make some attempt to show respect.

The best I could do was one of the suits I wear to work ever day. But that's the best I can afford, so that's what I wore.

[WKB]

The best I could do was one of the suits I wear to work ever day. But that's the best I can afford, so that's what I wore.


I was agreeing with you. I just like to back things up with Scripture when I can. God Bless

[LadyPilgrim]

I wear something on my head EVERY Sunday. Today it was a little tweed straw hat by Liz Claiburne.

We are in a large Church, with lots of people. And we almost all dress up for Sunday.
These folks have watched our children grow up and we have watched theirs and they have seen me change hats every Sunday for almost 27 years.

In our Church, we dress traditional and still sing hymns instead of just praise songs.
We have a mixture.

Mr. Pilgrim wears a suit and so do most of the men there.
This is just how they dress. Not that someone who wants to wear something more casual can't feel comfortable.
But our Sunday night service is more casual, also on Wednesday nights.

We don't "dress down", at our particular gathering for Sunday Morning Services.

But 7 miles down street is one of our "baby Churches" and they are more casual and contempary. Our oldest son and his family go there. He and his wife are charter members of the Classical School Program and their children attend the school.
They are a lot more casual and sing a lot more contempary renditions of new and old hymns.

Surprizingly the bulk of that membership are very young families. Yuppy types. Generation X'ers, most are college educated.

There aren't too many 50 to 60 age folks. You can count them on your hands. But the largest part of them are starting families.
It's just the difference in generations, I guess.

Their "casual" is nice stuff! But still yet, they don't want to wear suits when they've worn them all week.

But my Sweet-Baby and I don't choose to go there. We like to sing hymns. And a few praise songs. Not the other way around. Also, we love our Pastors!

I didn't mean to carry on, but got started and couldn't quit. :-)

[altura]

Baby's got her blue jeans on ...


and you don't even care.

Oh, well.