John recently asked me if it felt any different to preach wearing my robe
and stole. I had to think about that for
a minute…and that’s not always something that I necessarily do. I told him that I like the reverence and
dignity that liturgical dress gives to our service, and the fact that it's not
a weekly fashion show. But most of all, I like the way the
robe and stole make me feel in relation to all of you. Of course I will never forget that you gave me
this robe for my ordination and that makes it all the more special. When I put
on this robe and lay this stole across my neck as a symbol of the yoke of my
calling, I feel like an athlete taping her ankles for the big game or a dancer
lacing her shoes for the ballet. It’s an integral part of my preparation
before our service begins.
As member of the United Church of Christ, we know that pastors are no
different from any other Christian in the congregation. We all share the same
Spirit. God is equally close to us all. We all share the same calling to embody
Christ in the world. But the robe reminds me you have laid a holy trust upon me
to preach the good news of Christ. A suit or dress, no matter
how fashionable they may be, just don't feel the same for me. Mind you,
it's not about power or an elite separation from the people. It's about
responsibility. It's about service. It's about the holy task at hand.
You see, some days I don't feel like preaching. Most Sundays I feel
fulfilled and glad to be alive and grateful for the privilege to be your
pastor. But some Sundays I feel tired or depressed or angry or filled with
doubt. We all have our days. But when I put on this robe I remember that God
has not called me to bring you along for the roller coaster ride of my moods.
God has called me to heed the words of 2nd Timothy… to "preach
the word; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince,
rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching" (2 Tim.
4:2).
Week by week, when I put on the robe and stole, no matter what my mood, it
changes my mood to prepare me to preach. It's the same way when you come to
church on a Sunday even though you don't feel like coming that day and you
aren't even sure you want to be a Christian, but you do come, and by the time
worship ends, you feel glad that you did. God has something for you, and the
hymns and the prayers and the music and the sermon all have an effect on you.
You leave a better Christian for being there. You may not feel like it, at
first, but when you put on the behavior of being a Christian, you become a
Christian.
In the early church as the newly baptized rose from the baptismal pool, they
were cloaked in a white robes. It was a symbol of what
they had already experienced in Christ, but also a calling, reminding them who
they should be in the world. You know how it is when you dress in the morning.
You think of the day that lies ahead. It's Saturday, you put on your grubbies to mow the lawn. It's Monday, you put on your
overalls and your steel toed boots or you put on your suit and black leather
loafers, depending on what you do. You have a job interview or an important meeting, you wear your best dress, put on your newest tie,
the one without the coffee stain on it. We dress for success, for the task at
hand. And the way we dress changes who we are, the way we feel about ourselves.
Being at that wonderful retreat center in
The clothes we wear can change who we are, not only in the way they
advertise us to the world but also in the way that they make us feel about
ourselves. In the church we focus mainly on internal transformation … on
spiritual and psychological health. Change the way you think and it will change
the way you behave. But sometimes it works the other way around. Change the way
you behave and it will eventually change the way you think. As they say in
Alcoholics Anonymous, "Fake it `til you make
it." Act like the person you want to be until it becomes who you are. This
is not hypocrisy … it’s not a way of hiding the truth behind a
facade. It is a way of acting that pulls you beyond the truth of who you are …
to the person God wants you to be.
I remember a stage in my life where I imitated different people I respected.
Sometimes I was like a child trying on grownup clothes, but sometimes, it made
me a better person. From a nun to a cowgirl, I tried on different identities
and styles until I discovered who I was, but who I was included pieces and
parts of the people who had influenced me.
"As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves
with Christ." (Gal 3:27). The world tells us to put on power and intimidation.
The world tells us to put on intelligence or success. The world tells us to put
on wealth or conspicuous consumption. The world pulls us this way and that
until it leaves us running naked in the tombs … cut off from community
… confused and demented, so broken and fragmented that we could frighten
the pigs. The Bible tells us to put on Christ.
Be clothed with Christ. Everywhere you go, whatever you do, be clothed with
Christ. That is the calling we all share. We say to our clergy, be clothed with
Christ. Let us see Jesus in you. We say to our members, be clothed with Christ.
Whether you are an accountant or a computer expert, a financial planner or a
school teacher, a volunteer coordinator or a world class scientist, let us see
Jesus in you. We say to every person who has been baptized, whatever your race
… whatever your nationality … whatever your gender … whatever
your sexual orientation … whatever your career … whatever your
political party … whatever your economic class … whatever your
beliefs … be clothed with Christ. By your words … by your actions
… by your relationships … by your investments … by your
choices … by your service … by your love … show us who Jesus
is. Because if you have been baptized, you have put on Christ. Christ is who
you are … Christ is who you want to be … Christ is who the world
needs to see.
When I was a child, my parents were always buying clothes for me that were too big. "You'll grow into them!" they would
say. And I did. If they had bought clothes that already fit, they would have
been worthless in a few weeks. Well, Christ is too big for us. How can we
measure up? Sometimes, we look a little ridiculous trying to be Christ in the
world. So what? Don't set him aside when you leave this place because someone
might think you look foolish. If you wear him as your identity in the world,
you will grow into him more and more, and both you and the world will be so
much better for it.
Some congregations worry that they might become a one issue church. Well, let
me tell you, we are a one issue church. We have only one issue, and that is the
gospel, to take on the form of Jesus Christ and embody his love to the world.
And whatever stands we take … whatever ministries we support …
whatever mission projects we accomplish … whatever staff we hire …
whatever long range plans we make … Jesus is the reason and the goal and
the point and the purpose.
This is who God wants you to be. It is a reminder of who you ought to be in the
world, not just here for an hour on Sunday, but in every conversation …
in every transaction … in every decision you make this week. Christ is
the uniform of the day. Christ is who you are in the world. I hope you'll
remember that when you slip on your shoes tomorrow. Whatever clothes you may
wear, put on Christ.
May we pray?
God above, you have surrounded us with love, with friends, and family, and all
manner of blessings and challenges to meet our gifts.
As we are clothed with Christ, so let us grow into our garments and dress ourselves more with love. May Christ be in our words and in
our ways. May people see Christ in our eyes, hear
Christ in our speech, be touched by Christ in our
handshakes and hugs. And keep changing us into the persons you want us to be
through Jesus Christ, in whose name we live and pray. Amen.
Rev. Mary Anne Biggs, Pastor
Nekoosa United
Nekoosa