Posted on 09/03/2003 6:23:54 AM PDT by hiho hiho
Inward purity & outward dress
Does it matter how we dress for worship?
Not too long ago, it was commonly held within all Christian denominations, from Orthodox through Roman Catholic to Baptist, that anyone going to a church service on Sunday should put on his best clothing (or at least his good clothing) for he was meeting not a human king or a human president, but the King of the kings and the Lord of the lords and the President of the presidents, even the Lord God, the Blessed Trinity. And "best" or "good" dress was defined in cultural terms as what was appropriate when meeting someone of great importance.
So one did not go to church on the Lord's Day in one's work clothing or in one's leisure attire. Along with this dress code, the basic affection of the soul that was seen as appropriate in entering the house of the Lord was "the fear of the Lord" (a sense of reverence and awe and sinfulness before the Infinite and Eternal, Holy God), for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.
Today, semi-casual or even casual clothing are the norm in many denominations from Orthodox through Roman Catholic to Baptist, and "the fear of the Lord" has generally been replaced by "wanting a relationship with the Lord and [perhaps] with all [or some of those] who gather" (thus the spread of "the passing of the peace" or "the greeting" in the services of virtually all American denominations since the 1970s).
One can challenge this description claiming that the difference between 1950 and 2000 is not so marked. Yet any churchgoer who is 60 or more will be able to verify it, at least in general terms from personal observation.
But why this change in dress code and general attitude? One can offer all kinds of answers related to changing social and cultural mores, changing liturgical fashions, changing doctrinal teaching and a felt, greater sense of personal freedom and autonomy. But what seems to make sense, because we are beings with soul and body, is that there is a vital connection with what is believed, taught and confessed and how one dresses for worship and how one perceives and describes worship.
The move from dressing in one's best clothing to dressing in one's leisure or semi-formal clothing seems to be an outward and visible change of an inward disposition or attitude. Apparently the general perception of God, his nature, character & attributes, has changed and so has the sense of the place of a human being before him. Today we seem to think that we can easily enter the presence of God for he is the Friendly One who welcomes us just as we are. He is always ready to have "a relationship" with us. Yesterday, we apparently thought that to seek to enter the presence of God was an awesome calling, requiring reverence and penitence and that if He did establish a relation with us it was one of sovereign mercy.
The Lord's Day is not merely special, it is unique, for it is the weekly festival of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps we should dress in an appropriate manner to celebrate the uniqueness of the Saviour and the Day!
The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon.)
Steve, is this what you sing in there:
FOREVER HERE MY REST SHALL BE
Words: Charles Wesley, 1740
Music: “I Do Believe”
Forever here my rest shall be,
Close to Thy bleeding side;
This all my hope, and all my plea,
For me the Savior died!
My dying Savior, and my God,
Fountain for guilt and sin,
Sprinkle me ever with Thy blood,
And cleanse, and keep me clean.
Wash me, and make me thus Thine own,
Wash me, and mine Thou art,
Wash me, but not my feet alone,
My hands, my head, my heart.
The atonement of Thy blood apply,
Till faith to sight improve,
Till hope in full fruition die,
And all my soul be love.
I do believe, I now believe,
That Jesus died for me;
And through His blood, His precious blood,
I shall from sin be free.
If that's what you want to do, have at it. All I said was not to have a dress code. I guess you would like to have the fashion police by the front door?
Perhaps the better off members could help their poorer brethren out
I'd rather help put food in their stomachs. I tend to think they like it prefer it as well!
I have wondered, would my wife and I have ever come to know Christ, had we not found a church who cared enough not to care?
LOL I hear you:>)
Your church sounds much like a Nazarene church I attended, very casual and loving Christian fellowship.. Nazarenes are generally "holiness" people in other parts of the country ..dresses on woman and no jewelry at all (not even wedding rings and no make up. ) The Pastor told us in some areas of the country we would not be admitted.
I was Baptized in a lake..the church then went to a motorcycle clubs annual cook out..
Can I ask what your church is?
We have a God that puts us in the right place at the right time..What a wonderful God we serve! I loved your testimony!!
Now it seems to me I remember a very handsome young man in his Sunday best that visited a church I attended :>)How you doing Jude? Are you back at school?
I think it is a nudge to look around us on Sundays and make a point to show a little love to those that might feel out of place.
I remember when I was still a Catholic watching the little old Presbyterians and Methodists ladies go in to church with their blue hair and mink trimmed coat. I often would say in those days that I could never be a Protestant because I refuse to have blue hair *grin* .
Well of course I am a Protestant today and I still refuse the blue hair ( Nice and easy now:>)
You know we live in a culture that worships sex instead of God.
When I did counseling i noticed that the women that had to dress to attract men sexually had no feeling of worth or value other than sexual. That is a sad comment on the job the Parents have done to give her a sense of being valuable in Gods eyes and theirs.
Frequently we would see that behavior in prostitutes or sexually promiscuous women . I used to say that all their self esteem was between their legs..
Thank you. I am delighted to be here.
Can I ask what your church is?
When I first saw this question I thought oh no here we go again. I have been accused here in the Religion Forum of being a Mormon, a Seventh Day Adventist, a Catholic, a member of the Church of God and a few others I cannot remember. All because I have had a positive and encouraging attitude when posting to people of other faiths. And because I refuse to demean or ridicule anyone else's faith. Many times these flames start with "and what church to do you belong?" So I was hesitant to reply to you until I saw your second post welcoming me into the family of God.
I am a member of North Rock Hill Church. We are an independent nondenominational (but we really don't like that word), Bible based, evangelical church that affiliates with the Southern Baptist Convention for missionary purposes. If that is not enough description for you check out our website: North Rock Hill Church and click the "new to NRHC" button to find links to more detailed info on who we are and what we believe.
Nazarenes are generally "holiness" people in other parts of the country, dresses on woman and no jewelry at all (not even wedding rings and no make up.
While we believe in modesty and moderation in all things, we don't carry it quite that far. Most people find modesty just to mean not wearing skimpy clothes. But modest also applies to not being full of pride or boastful, not flaunting our wealth and not dressing to impress. Anything that makes us prideful, self-important or that which we do to impress others is immodest.
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