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When the weekend rolls around, I begin to plan what my family will wear to church on Sunday.
I've often heard that it shouldn't matter what you wear to church. "As long as you're there, that's all that matters to God." Something along those lines.
For unbelievers, I believe that's true. The important part is that you're there to hear the Gospel and hopefully get saved.
As Christians, we are held accountable for our appearance. There would not be so much left for us in the Bible about dress if it was unimportant.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16
Exodus 39 details the ornate garments God required Aaron and the priests to wear to enter the Tabernacle. This was serious business, and Moses did not take it lightly. The Tabernacle was the most holy place of God.
Although we are no longer under the law and have Christ as our intercessor, I believe there is significance in those passages about how we should approach the church today. The church was bought with a blood price and deserves our utmost respect.
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."
Acts 20:28
We don't need to try our craft our own breastplates to match those described in Exodus, but we should wear our best clothing into His house. Every one's "Sunday best" is different. For one, it may be a suit and tie. For another, it may be blue jeans and a clean, pressed shirt.
No one should feel that he has to have designer labels to come into the house of God. When Paul outlines a woman's modest dress in 1 Timothy 2:9, he includes "not with...COSTLY ARRAY". $300 shoes and purses are important to the world not God.
Now, I know that God sees the heart, but man does not. Like it or not, the world judges you first based on your appearance. An unbeliever should not walk in on Sunday morning and see all the women and girls dressed like the world.
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."
1 Peter 2:9
At the same time, the church should be the one place where I don't have to worry about immodestly dressed women. Not only is it disrespectful to the Lord, it disrespects the wives and mothers in the building. We need to be concerned about our brothers in Christ, young and old.
This usually isn't much of a problem at our church. However, I have seen some girls whose dresses were so short that you just pray she doesn't drop her Sunday School book and have to pick it up.
We need to do a modesty check before we leave the house.
- Is this dress/blouse too low cut?
- Is this going to be too short when I sit down?
- Is this too tight?
- Is this sheer?
I know that what we wear is not the only thing to be concerned over. But as members of the church, we need to model the respect for his sanctified house. Unbelievers and young Christians should be able to see the Word living through older Christians.
When I say "you" and "your", I mean "me" and "my"! In no way am I leaving myself out.
I would be disrespecting God just as much if I sat there judging the girl in the short skirt or the woman showing too much cleavage. I need to pray for them. If they are still lost in their sins, I need to pray they will soon come to know Christ and turn from living like the world. If they already know the Lord, I need to pray they will see the error of their ways and have a desire to change.
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
James 5:16
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Hi Heather - I'm Heather too and I found you through Modest Mom...
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying. I used to think that it didn't matter what you wore as long as you were there. I always think that if people were going to meet the president or a member of the world's royalty, they would be more thoughtful in their choice of dress. And if that's the case, wouldn't our Savior be worthy of at least that? If not more?
Excellent post! Thanks for writing and sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteCan I get a "whoop! whoop!
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent!
Would you mind if I reposted this on my blog with a link back to your page?
Sure I don't mind at all!
DeleteI definitely think we should be careful to wear modest and appropriate clothing to church... All the time, really. When dressing up, I believe it is important to be careful that you do not become prideful, vain or judgmental. Our church has always been fairly casual, which I appreciate because visitors never feel underdressed when they come. Thanks for sharing your insight!
ReplyDeleteAs a pastor's wife, dressing modestly is always at the front of my mind on a Sunday morning. I couldn't agree with you more that we all need to ask ourselves the questions you listed here. I also know, though, that how women dress is a very delicate topic to address when you are trying to disciple a new believer, and you are right to say that we need to be praying for these women and not judging them. I have had a handful of women actually tell me they chose not to return to a church they visited because their first conversations were with women who were gently telling them their skirts were too short or their tops were too low cut. Dressing modestly might seem like such an obvious decision to make as a Christian woman, but I truly believe it is an area that the Holy Spirit must move in and change hearts towards. Dressing to honor God needs to flow out of a heart that desires to love God more, not out of a desire to appease the other ladies at church. Sorry for getting long winded here, modesty is a topic that gets me chatty! Thanks for your post! (I visited through Far Above Rubies!)
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Tyanne
It gets me chatty too! I believe one's heart must be changed towards modesty. It's a desire to serve the Lord and be pleasing to Him above the world. You definitely stand out in a crowd when you choose a different path in the way you dress. The world tells women now to please yourself above anyone else. As a young woman, I still find it difficult at times, but the Holy Spirit reminds me of what is truly important.
DeleteI think its very important to "blend in" at church. You don't want to stand out in anyway or draw unnecessary attention to yourself. This could be with expensive clothing, immodest clothing, wearing something way fancier than what everyone else wears, etc. I definitely agree as believers its so important for us to be mindful of what we are wearing, but also not to make it a "big deal" either. For example, my daughter is 9 and just beginning to really care about what she wears. We require modest clothing, and to church we always have girls wear skirts/dresses and boys must wear their nice jeans or other slacks. This past Sunday my daughter had picked a very nice, modest outfit, and I was quite happy with her choice. We do not wear a lot of jewelry, but we do have some basic things like plain earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc. that are to be worn on occasion. When we do we usually limit it to 1 item so as not to draw unnecessary attention or stand out. Well my daughter had been spending a rather large amount of time doing her hair already, and then began to try to add piece after piece of jewelry to her outfit. We immediately had to sit down and discuss that while yes, we do want to look nice for church and be mindful of how we look and are dressed, that when it becomes a preoccupation and draws us away from the purpose of fellow-shipping with others and going to worship, that even though our clothes may be modest, we are not focused on what we should be. We also have had to have talks after church when I would hear her make comments in the car about "so and so's clothes being inappropriate" or "too short" or "why would she wear pants to church". It is important to catch these little times in our children too, so we can offer correction and guide their hearts to the intent of modesty, rather than making it a legalistic rule we judge ourselves and others by. Its tricky. I appreciate this post. =o)
ReplyDeleteI agree that you can put too much emphasis on your wardrobe. The church is not a catwalk! We don't try to "outdo" anyone. I usually coordinate my little boys clothes but there clothes are nothing fancy. Neither are ours for that matter lol. I also like to wear a piece or two of jewelry. I always wear my wedding rings and will usually wear a pair of earrings and sometimes a necklace, but I like to keep it simple and well, modest. Modesty does come in more forms than covering the necessary areas. Thanks for commenting!
Deletethis is so true Heather- thank you for the truth in love.
ReplyDelete