(OPINION) Charisma – My wife recently attended a memorial service for a longtime friend, who was in her 90s and had been known and loved by our mutual families for many decades. The officiating pastor dressed as he normally does for public worship services, in casual pants and an untucked shirt.
I’m not his judge (1 Cor. 4:5), but I do continue to question what has become of a common sense of decorum and discerning appropriate dress for public worship or solemn gatherings.
Paul calls us to show “honor to whom honor” is due (Rom. 13:7). There are occasions where our own casual convenience or cultural preferences should not be the focus but, rather, a holy obligation to show respect and honor for the occasion, for other worshippers, or—most importantly—what is pleasing to the Holy One of heaven.
The great “love chapter” (1 Cor. 13:4-6) teaches that love “is kind …[and] does not behave itself improperly, seeks not its own.” Often, it seems we have forgotten that we come together not for our own purposes or pleasure but to worship God and to edify, encourage or comfort each other.
I would be the first to admit that this specific topic is not a moral issue, where God has already ruled on its acceptability (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11). Paul said that, as a believer, “all things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable” (v. 12, NASB).” That could also be expressed as “not all things are helpful” (MEV), or maybe, as may relate to an appropriate dress, “not all things are appropriate, respectful or positive.” READ MORE
The advent of “dressing up for church” for those other than the rich became a habit during the industrial age with common folk began earning enough money to afford “Sundaygotomeeting” clothes. Up until that time commoners simply wore what they wore every day. To me, a non-functional “sport coat” or suit coat along with a piece of non-functional colored cloth hanging around one’s neck, none of which serve any useful purpose is simply a ‘do as the herd does cause I’m just a herd animal’.