Just remembering the good old days when life was simpler and a lot less encumbered.  Everything in life seemed to be a bit more organized and purpose seemed to prevail.  However, as one person put it “the devil is in the details”. 

One such detail was the tradition of having ‘Sunday go to Meetin’ Clothes.   On Sunday morning we would spruce up, slick down, polish, brush, and shine.  Then we would pull those special garments out of the closet that were only worn on Sundays and other special occasions.  After every button was fastened and neatness prevailed, the warning was issued to stay clean until we left for church, because we were wearing our ‘good clothes’. This ritual was not exclusive to our family, but was one that was common in practice.   We would go to church and then as soon as we got back home these special clothes would come off and older attire would take their place.

Sometimes I wonder if when we took off the clothes, if we didn’t symbolically take off our relationship with the Lord and replace it with having religion.   As a young person, I remember one individual saying he was Baptist, another declaring I’m a Methodist, still another stating he was Church of God and even my Catholic friends would chime in as if for good measure.  It almost seemed as if we forgot why we even went to church, no one ever just said “I am a Christian”

Nowadays, it seems our church attire is a lot more casual.  This is not a judgment but simply an observation.  Preachers wearing blue jeans and golf shirts, ushers wearing shorts and sandals.  The crucial difference is that when we leave the church, we return to the world around us just as we left the house of God.  When you think about it, isn’t that really what God wants?   Our heavenly Father desires for us to come into the church just as we are, enter into his presence, and commune in fellowship with Him allowing His glory to refresh and renew us.   Then wearing the garment of praise we exit the body of believers, clothed not in religion, but in righteousness.  AS a result, we are not simply changed, but we are transformed into His image, before the waiting world.