You Are What You Wear
In her 2012 book You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You, Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner helps readers identify the psychology behind their clothing choices, so they can not only develop a personal style that suits their identity but also make positive changes in all areas of life.
This weekend's Gospel reading is a parable Jesus told which makes us examine what we're wearing. It's about a King who prepares a great wedding banquet for his son, but everyone who is invited snubs the invitation. He has his servants go out and invite whoever they can find, and the banquet hall is packed. But when the King comes in, he notices a man who wan't wearing the proper wedding clothes. When asked about it, the man was speechless, and is kicked out of the celebration.
A key to understanding the story is that the King would have provided the wedding clothes for the guests. By not wearing what the King provided, the man was making a statement about his real attitude towards the King and his son whose wedding all were invited to celebrate.
Paul writes in Galatians 3:27, "All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." In other words, the King has provided us with the proper clothes for the eternal celebration in heaven. Without Christ, we would not be there.
Being clothed with Christ's righteousness is not just for heaven, but also for now. As the Holy Spirit continues to do the work we call sanctification (making us holy, more and more like Jesus), our words and actions reveal who we are -- the forgiven, redeemed children of God who love waking through this life following Jesus, looking forward to the joy of heaven.
As the Milwaukee Brewers continue to be in the playoffs, I've found myself wearing some piece of clothing each day that has a Brewers logo on it, reflecting my identity as a Brewers fan. All the more so can each of us delight each day in remembering our Baptism and the wonder of being clothed with His righteousness, invited to the eternal feast where all His people shall celebrate with Him for all eternity. Pastor Schmidt