Episode 54 - Dress

In the past, we had certain rules in our church of what to wear. Nowadays, we understand that dress is more of a personal matter of how we come to God and our neighbor. We want to grow in the mind of Christ. We take Apostle Paul’s words as a parallel, when he said that if what he eats offends his brethren, then he will not eat that. The same applies to the way we dress, however, let us remember that we are growing together in the mind of Christ, so we also do not have to be too sensitive about what other person is wearing either. Just as James said (cf. Jm 2:2-4) we cannot be judges, regardless of what our neighbor is wearing. 

Additionally, there should be a certain sanctity when we come into the sanctuary of God, when we are in His nearness. Moses went to the burning bush and God said, Take your shoes [sandals] off, for you are in holy ground. God wanted to show Moses that there is a holiness that surrounds Him, that even reaches the ground around Him. This continues to be true in our days, in the divine service, regardless of where it is being held. In a way, our dress could be a form of worship. 

Because of His unconditional love for us, He accepts us in any way, just as He accepted Adam and Eve when they were naked in the garden. However, He made clothes for them before they left. God accepts us as we are, but He also expects us not to stay in that place. 
In summary, we:

• Should not judge anyone for any reason, including the way that they dress.
• Should not purposefully offend people with our dress, but also should not be so concerned with what people are wearing.
• Should understand it is a personal responsibility to respect God and not diminish the sanctity of an encounter with Him.