What goes into your mind whenever you open your wardrobe to decide what to wear to church on Sundays? For those like me (thank God for a dress code!), it may be an automatic task which can be done while still catching up on my sleep. In church, in fact in any church, we see a variety of dressing. Some tend to dress up, others like to dress down. As the youth pastor, I have been accustomed to the more casual style of dressing. However, as with many things, there is a spectrum of opinions about the issue.
But what does the Bible say about clothing in church? The short answer to that is that the Bible says almost nothing about what we should wear in church. Yes, there are general commandments about female modesty (e.g. 1 Pet 3:3-5) but these passages do not speak specifically of church gatherings; they are applicable even outside of church.
Then there are extra-biblical arguments about why we should be dressed formally. I remembered the standard argument, “Would you wear that before the President?” But there is also always that come back, “I would wear that before my Father.” Others say that God is everywhere and thus there is no need to dress up to meet Him in the church. We also hear the saying to be in our Sunday best when coming to church. What does that entail? To some, it is his or her favourite jersey. For some, it is the most expensive shirt in the wardrobe. There can be no end to the discussion.
You would have noticed that those who serve in the worship services—the worship leader, the preacher, the choir members in robes, the ushers, and the church leaders etc—are often dressed formally. As a church, we have guidelines for those who are serving. But what about the rest of us who are attending the worship services? Should there be a distinction between those who serve and those who just attend?
When you attend a concert or a show, you are the audience and the person on the stage entertains you. But it isn’t so with worship. The word ‘worship’ is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “woerthscipe” meaning to ascribe worth, to pay homage, to revere or venerate. In worship, we are all gathered before God who is the sole audience. All the elements of worship: the songs we sing, the Scripture we read, the prayers we pray, and the sacraments we partake are all directed to God. He is the sole audience and we the performers. Knowing that, how would you dress up?