Last Updated on December 6, 2015
I passed a banner hanging across a church’s parking lot advertising “Casual Sundays” the same way a restaurant might advertise shrimp being added to an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Apparently, putting on a tie is too much hassle for a visit to God’s house. Throwing on a t-shirt and shorts isn’t.
In the Bible, we are taught that to pray and really be heard, you must show your reverance to the Lord. You should kneel and show humble yourself before God.
I respectfully suggest that when we’re more concerned with wearing something “casual,” then we’ve lost the focus of what a church is and isn’t about. When we stop wearing our “good clothes” as a sign of respect to God, we’re no longer humbling ourself.
Think about it this way: if you were going to a dinner party at a friend’s house, where there would be both mutual friends and people you had never met, wouldn’t you dress up a little? (If your answer is “no,” I suspect you don’t get that many invites.)
Isn’t a visit to God’s house as important as some dinner party?
I realize that the main point of such “casual” services is to make everyone feel welcome in church. Some people don’t have a nice three-piece suit and silk tie, after all. But suppose there are two different people of different means: Tom, an upper middle class professional with a closet full of suits; and John, a struggling man who is between jobs who doesn’t even own a tie. When Tom throws on a polo shirt and shorts so that he can be comfortable, and John selects the nicest shirt and slacks he has in his closet, which man do you suppose is showing God the most respect?
