A college student once came to me with a problem. He was working on a major in Business Administration, but he was amazed that the businesses that came to a “Job Interview Day” made demands he did not like. They insisted that he – and all prospective business leaders among the students wear business clothes instead of jeans and t-shirts for their interviews.
They were required to purchase a book entitled, Dress For Success, which states that the way we dress indicates how seriously we take our job, our prospective customers and our assignment as business leaders.
When you men go to buy a new suit, the person who helps you will likely not be wearing tennis shoes and shorts. Why? Because he takes his job seriously, and he wants his prospective customers to know that.
These principles are the very ones my mother taught me about how to dress for the worship assembly. I didn’t exactly like the shirts and pants she made for me in the 40’s, and “Levi’s” would have been my choice.
I was only about twelve years old, but I learned that worship is a privilege and that I would be in the presence of God. Having learned that important point, my apparel was seldom a matter of controversy on Sundays as I got ready to “go to church.”
Some today claim it makes no difference how we dress for the worship hour, that the only thing that matters is what is “in our hearts.” We agree that our hearts must be right, but our dress and demeanor will be the proof that our hearts are right.
The business world occasionally observes a Casual Friday, but only “occasionally,” which proves it is not their “usual” way of doing business.
The first place I preached was in a country congregation. None of the men owned a “suit”, but they wore their best overalls, clean and pressed, their worship being “in spirit and in truth.” They wore their best to worship God. Is that not still important for us today?
Does the Bible address this subject? 1 Timothy 2, a chapter discussing both worship and apparel, tells women to:
“…adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation…which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.”
The key words are modest (seemly, not flashy) and proper for “women professing godliness.” Their garments were not to be gaudy or ostentatious, but appropriate for the occasion. God certainly knows what is “in our hearts,” and that is one more reason for us to be serious about how we approach a time of worship.
Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” Matthew 12:34. How we dress and prepare our mind for worship also comes “out of the abundance of the heart.” What we wear, how we act, how we worship…all of these begin in our hearts, and they tell others how we regard the period of worship.
Worship is possible for people in casual attire. Their worship can be from the heart and be acceptable to God. But what about others who are present? When in an assembly of people our actions – and our apparel – affect others who seek to worship, both positive and negative.
Most of us would not attend a wedding or a funeral in “tennis shoes and shorts,” mainly out of respect for the families represented. While a period of worship is not the same as a funeral or wedding, the principle is similar. Human beings have a sense of propriety; a sense of what is appropriate for certain occasions. Playing golf, digging in the garden, fishing, mowing the grass...all these suggest a certain kind of apparel. Professionals naturally require their employees to dress in harmony with their daily tasks. If you are teaching tennis or coaching track, your apparel would not likely be a “three-piece-suit.” When we see a man or woman “dressed up” we see them ready for an important client, an important task or responsibility. Similarly, in worship we should dress in accord with the significance of the task before us.
When we come into the assembly to give praise, honor and respect to His wonderful Name, our apparel should complement that honor along with the respect we have for God?
A worshipper’s apparel was important under the Mosaic code:
- David wrote, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29:2
- Priests under the Old Testament were to wear certain garments during their worship. See Exodus 28, Ezekiel 44, Leviticus 6, 16.
God demands of us no more than we can do, but when we come to worship Him we should dress in a manner that expresses our love, respect and reverence for Him.
Sloppy, soiled garments do not indicate “respect” for Him. T-shirts advertising things that are less than spiritual and apparel that says recreation are not garments of worship. Let us all dress and behave in ways that reveal our love for God – every time we come together.
