St. Mary's in-the-hills Episcopal Church

What are you wearing?

To church, I mean (is your mind that far in the gutter?). We Episcopalians have a quirky dress code for Sunday worship, and I’m curious how people feel about it.

I grew up in a huge parish that had a half-dozen services over the weekend, with hundreds of people. Some people dressed very nicely – the “Sunday best” as we called it. Others came in jeans and t-shirts. I guess the choice of attire all depended on your accustomed level of fashion, running late, laundry day, going to an event immediately afterwards, or any number of other factors.

As a teenager, I felt self-conscious no matter what I wore! In my more rebellious years I deliberately wore the worst possible things in order to underscore my budding reputation as a church rebel. We all know where *that* got me! At some point however, attending worship services became important – at least in my head and heart, if not in my wardrobe. I’d become used to going casual, and although my jeans no longer had holes in the knees, I’d settled into the counter-cultural look. No one seemed to take notice anyways, so there was no impetus to change that behaviour. Until…

It was my first Sunday morning in an Episcopal Church. I was excited to visit a new place and decided to try to make a good first impression. I put on the best clothes I had. Now, to be fair I was a poor grad student in theatre. Just about everything I owned had a spot of paint on it somewhere. On this day, Sunday morning was opening night for me. And like any big production, I was more suited to backstage than on stage. *sigh*

But as it turns out, our quirky little denomination could speak it’s own fashion language. Somewhere between Rite One and Rite Two, between the 17th and 21st centuries, tucked in the gaps between England, America, Asia, Africa, and points beyond, we’ve settled into our own counter-cultural look. In the years since I’ve been part of TEC, I’ve seen plenty of Sunday bests.

I’ve served churches where people wore their work uniforms because they were either on their way to, or just coming from shift change. Some wore the same thing every Sunday because that’s all they had. I couldn’t afford the accessories, much less the whole outfit, of folks in other places. I saw pictures of worship services at Native American reservation parishes, and I fell in love. I’ve seen all sorts of ways cultures incorporate our way of worshiping in their own ways of being.

So now, I stand before my congregation each week wearing a thoroughly outdated 5th century costume of alb and chasuble. Anachronistic? Peculiar? You betcha. Will it ever make the runway in Paris or Milan? Unlikely. But somehow it’s a perfect match with Hello Kitty, sandals, silk ties and polo shirts. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What do you think?

“So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world.”
Galatians 4:3

I’ve begun reading a book for a clergy book group I’m in, and we had our first discussion about it today. The book is “Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked us” by Michael Moss

My group talked a lot about the slow and sneaky way the nutritional value of our food sources have been compromised by corporate greed for consumer dollars. At one point the conversation turned to the epidemic of obesity, diabetes and other illnesses related to poor nutrition. The question was asked, how do we preach about this important issue without making those who struggle with health issues look like bad people? One response was to frame the issue in terms of enslavement to the power of processed foods and their makers.

The wisdom says that we ought to be shopping the perimeter of the grocery store. That’s where the natural foods are – produce, organic products, etc. Interior aisles are where we find packaged foods that are ready to eat, or nearly so, with lists of ingredients containing chemical names that are difficult to pronounce. The more processed the food is, the less its nutritional value. Some processed foods appear to be healthy, but upon closer inspection, actually contain quite a lot of salt, sugar and/or fat. Those who don’t read the labels may be sabotaging their own efforts at healthy eating.

I believe framing the issue as enslavement to the processed food industry is accurate. As diets are beset with too much salt, sugar and fat, health issues related to these things arise. Children are conditioned to crave foods high in salt, sugar and fat, and the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating is eroded even before it’s set. The brain responds to sugar in the same way it responds to cocaine. Low wage earners cannot always afford fresh produce, or have the time to prepare a meal. Fast, convenient, inexpensive food can often be the only option. There’s no time or money to make truly healthy choices – the family is hungry and needs to be fed right now. Thus the cycle becomes more and more difficult to overcome. That looks like a form of enslavement to me.

As Christians, what ought to be our response to this issue of our time? How are we to show freedom from the bondage of slavery to our sisters and brothers caught in this health crisis? Jesus promises us life in abundance. God desires that we live healthy and full lives. The kingdom of heaven is about liberty, justice, and vitality. We have been called by Christ to present the kingdom of heaven here with us. What is God calling us to do in this situation?

“Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?”
Galatians 4:9