"HOW TO DRESS FOR THE END OF THE WORLD
Sunday, September 10, 2023
First Congregational Church of Cheshire
© the Rev. Dr. James Campbell
Romans 13:8-14
"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
+++
How we dress says a lot about what we think of ourselves, the society we live in, and indeed the world. Our clothing is not just practical; protecting us from the elements and covering up our nakedness. What we wear is also an expression of our individuality. It is a statement of our taste and an avenue for our creativity. Each day, we go to our closets and choose colors and fabrics and styles that say something about us.
But there are also times when what we put on is our attempt to not stand out as an individual. Instead, what we put on is a sign of our solidarity with something bigger. Think military or sports uniforms.
Or think these “get-ups” that Pastor Alison and I wear each week. What’s up with these big black robes, anyway? Well, they too are uniforms; ways for us to identify with something bigger than our individual expressions of taste and style. And, there are good reasons for these uniforms, but I bet that no one has ever told you what they are.
In the Protestant world, at least, one of the ideas behind wearing a robe is that you are purposefully covering up your street clothes. To wear a robe is to take the attention off of what Alison and I chose to wear on any given Sunday. When you come to church, you’re not supposed to be thinking of my color combinations or Alison’s choice of fabric or whether or not you think the colors work with our skin tones. A clergy robe purposefully covers up the messenger so as to amplify the Message; the Gospel. Each week, when I put on my robe, I disappear, at least a little, into my role as pastor and teacher.
And while we’re on the subject of why your ministers dress the way they do on Sundays, there is also a theological reason for why we wear stoles – these colorful pieces of fabric around our necks. They are not accessories. And they are not fashion statements. Instead, these stoles represent the yoke of Christ – a sign of our obedience to Jesus and service to the people of God.
I have heard both robes and stoles referred to as being symbolic of “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” which is a phrase taken from our Romans reading today. But “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” is not just clergy fashion advice. Putting on Jesus is what all of us should be doing here at the end of the world.
The end of the world. Whether or not it actually is, only time will tell. But it certainly has felt like it in recent years, with climate change wreaking havoc, and a world-wide pandemic that killed millions and literally changed everything, and the terrifying rise of authoritarianism, and the intense political divisions in our own country that literally threaten our democracy. Even in our own town, neighbors are pitted against neighbors, and school board meetings devolve into shameful exchanges, and fear and distrust is sown even in churches - like it’s the end of the world.
Sometimes, all of this just makes me afraid. And fear, at least for me, is sometimes exhibited as anger. Living at the “end of the world” makes me say things I wouldn’t normally say; think things I wouldn’t normally think. I lash out and sometimes fall into the pit of judgment as a protective reaction.
Maybe you do too. And maybe you justify all of that by thinking: well, how else should we react in these perilous and unprecedented times? Are we just supposed to sit quietly while the world goes to hell? Of course not. The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to lives of active justice-keeping and peace-making. But it’s what you wear when you do those things that makes all the difference in the world.
This passage from Romans opens with the exceedingly bold statement that love alone is the fulfilling of the whole Law of God. But this love of which the Bible speaks is not a feeling. (Thank God, because I cannot work it up!). And it certainly isn’t sentimental. Instead, in the biblical context, love is a decision. As respected New Testament scholar N.T. Wright says: “love will grit its teeth and act as if the emotions are in place, trusting that they will follow in good time.”
So, love is a decision that we make each day. And to illustrate that, in his Epistle to the Romans, Paul uses the metaphor of clothing. Twice in these seven verses he writes that love is something we decide to put on. Verse 12 reads: “… Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” In verse 14, Paul tells us to “… put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now, every morning we look in our closets and think about what we have to do that day, who we will encounter that day, and choose so that we are clothed appropriately. It’s a daily decision.
And, says Paul, so is love. Each day we decide how we will respond to the bad news all around us. Each day we decide how we will interact with our neighbors, especially the ones we don’t like! We look in our spiritual closets and we choose. Will it be the armor of light? Or the dirty rags of rage and resentment?
Now I will be the first to admit that putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is not always the easiest choice. But if love is the fulfilling of the whole Law of God, then putting on LOVE is the only thing that matters.
On his blog post, “The Journey with Jesus” Dr. Daniel Clendenin tells this story: The early church father Jerome, described how John the evangelist, the author of the gospel, preached at Ephesus well into his nineties. At that age, John was so feeble that he had to be carried into the church on a stretcher. Then, when he could no longer preach a regular sermon, he would lean up on one elbow to address the congregation. And the only thing he said was, “Little children, love one another.” Then four men would carry him back out of the church. This continued for weeks. And every week he repeated his one-sentence sermon: “Little children, love one another.” Finally, weary of the repetition, someone in the congregation finally worked up the courage to ask: "Master, why do you always say this?" "Because," John replied, "it is the Lord's command, and if only this is done, it is enough."
It is enough. Love is always enough. Paul told us that. Jesus showed us that. Our hearts already know that. So, decide today what you’re going to wear tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that, as long as your life endures. Look in your closet and choose wisely. Put on Jesus. Put on the armor of light. And then walk out the door boldly, into a world starved for love, and bless and heal and repair and make peace.
“Little children, love one another.”
Sunday, September 10, 2023
First Congregational Church of Cheshire
© the Rev. Dr. James Campbell
Romans 13:8-14
"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
+++
How we dress says a lot about what we think of ourselves, the society we live in, and indeed the world. Our clothing is not just practical; protecting us from the elements and covering up our nakedness. What we wear is also an expression of our individuality. It is a statement of our taste and an avenue for our creativity. Each day, we go to our closets and choose colors and fabrics and styles that say something about us.
But there are also times when what we put on is our attempt to not stand out as an individual. Instead, what we put on is a sign of our solidarity with something bigger. Think military or sports uniforms.
Or think these “get-ups” that Pastor Alison and I wear each week. What’s up with these big black robes, anyway? Well, they too are uniforms; ways for us to identify with something bigger than our individual expressions of taste and style. And, there are good reasons for these uniforms, but I bet that no one has ever told you what they are.
In the Protestant world, at least, one of the ideas behind wearing a robe is that you are purposefully covering up your street clothes. To wear a robe is to take the attention off of what Alison and I chose to wear on any given Sunday. When you come to church, you’re not supposed to be thinking of my color combinations or Alison’s choice of fabric or whether or not you think the colors work with our skin tones. A clergy robe purposefully covers up the messenger so as to amplify the Message; the Gospel. Each week, when I put on my robe, I disappear, at least a little, into my role as pastor and teacher.
And while we’re on the subject of why your ministers dress the way they do on Sundays, there is also a theological reason for why we wear stoles – these colorful pieces of fabric around our necks. They are not accessories. And they are not fashion statements. Instead, these stoles represent the yoke of Christ – a sign of our obedience to Jesus and service to the people of God.
I have heard both robes and stoles referred to as being symbolic of “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” which is a phrase taken from our Romans reading today. But “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” is not just clergy fashion advice. Putting on Jesus is what all of us should be doing here at the end of the world.
The end of the world. Whether or not it actually is, only time will tell. But it certainly has felt like it in recent years, with climate change wreaking havoc, and a world-wide pandemic that killed millions and literally changed everything, and the terrifying rise of authoritarianism, and the intense political divisions in our own country that literally threaten our democracy. Even in our own town, neighbors are pitted against neighbors, and school board meetings devolve into shameful exchanges, and fear and distrust is sown even in churches - like it’s the end of the world.
Sometimes, all of this just makes me afraid. And fear, at least for me, is sometimes exhibited as anger. Living at the “end of the world” makes me say things I wouldn’t normally say; think things I wouldn’t normally think. I lash out and sometimes fall into the pit of judgment as a protective reaction.
Maybe you do too. And maybe you justify all of that by thinking: well, how else should we react in these perilous and unprecedented times? Are we just supposed to sit quietly while the world goes to hell? Of course not. The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to lives of active justice-keeping and peace-making. But it’s what you wear when you do those things that makes all the difference in the world.
This passage from Romans opens with the exceedingly bold statement that love alone is the fulfilling of the whole Law of God. But this love of which the Bible speaks is not a feeling. (Thank God, because I cannot work it up!). And it certainly isn’t sentimental. Instead, in the biblical context, love is a decision. As respected New Testament scholar N.T. Wright says: “love will grit its teeth and act as if the emotions are in place, trusting that they will follow in good time.”
So, love is a decision that we make each day. And to illustrate that, in his Epistle to the Romans, Paul uses the metaphor of clothing. Twice in these seven verses he writes that love is something we decide to put on. Verse 12 reads: “… Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” In verse 14, Paul tells us to “… put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now, every morning we look in our closets and think about what we have to do that day, who we will encounter that day, and choose so that we are clothed appropriately. It’s a daily decision.
And, says Paul, so is love. Each day we decide how we will respond to the bad news all around us. Each day we decide how we will interact with our neighbors, especially the ones we don’t like! We look in our spiritual closets and we choose. Will it be the armor of light? Or the dirty rags of rage and resentment?
Now I will be the first to admit that putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is not always the easiest choice. But if love is the fulfilling of the whole Law of God, then putting on LOVE is the only thing that matters.
On his blog post, “The Journey with Jesus” Dr. Daniel Clendenin tells this story: The early church father Jerome, described how John the evangelist, the author of the gospel, preached at Ephesus well into his nineties. At that age, John was so feeble that he had to be carried into the church on a stretcher. Then, when he could no longer preach a regular sermon, he would lean up on one elbow to address the congregation. And the only thing he said was, “Little children, love one another.” Then four men would carry him back out of the church. This continued for weeks. And every week he repeated his one-sentence sermon: “Little children, love one another.” Finally, weary of the repetition, someone in the congregation finally worked up the courage to ask: "Master, why do you always say this?" "Because," John replied, "it is the Lord's command, and if only this is done, it is enough."
It is enough. Love is always enough. Paul told us that. Jesus showed us that. Our hearts already know that. So, decide today what you’re going to wear tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that, as long as your life endures. Look in your closet and choose wisely. Put on Jesus. Put on the armor of light. And then walk out the door boldly, into a world starved for love, and bless and heal and repair and make peace.
“Little children, love one another.”
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