Century Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)

1301 Tamarack Road, Owensboro, KY 42301, (270) 684-0286, Pastor:  Rev. Jim Westmoreland

Does How We Dress Make A Difference?
Ephesians 6:10-20
delivered by JimWestmoreland

Will Willimon shares about his observations over the years of students on campus. "Lord help me, he says, "I still can't get accustomed to people walking around campus with corporate names emblazoned across their clothes - walking billboards, I call them.

"I first thought that they were proudly displaying their names, though I thought "Old Navy" was a strange name for a child. I thought that any parents who would name their child, "The Gap" had to be perverse. The person I met whose clothes told me that his given name was "Abercrombie & Fitch" I suspected of being a Virginia Episcopalian!

"I can think of no more stunning portrayal of the ascendancy of the capitalist mentality. We have no identity, it appears, other than the brand of clothes that we wear, the corporation with which we are associated. Our bodies have become part of the corporate image, advertising. Whereas earlier generations of college students were criticized for wearing fraternity and sorority Greek letters on their clothes, merging their individuality into the identity of group, for too many today, they do not exist unless the corporation names them, employs them, and affirms them."⁽¹⁾

We are all influenced by expectations, by trends, styles as well as by a sense of what is appropriate. Even our attempts at individuality are most often imitations of someone or some group with whom we are identifying.

Ephesians has been one of the lectionary reading for a number of Sundays now. Today's selection comes toward the end of the epistle. The letter is evidently attempting to give encouragement and strength to Christians who are engaged in a "struggle" (6:12).

Here is a church under attack. The enemies of the church are not only human but also "cosmic powers of this present darkness." Difficulty with governmental authorities is perceived as nothing less than a cosmic struggle with the Pauline "principalities and powers." Therefore, the writer of Ephesians hopes to give fellow Christians at Ephesus what they need in order to "stand."

In resisting the powers that be, Christians stand not alone. God graciously gives the armament that is needed to resist (6:14-17). The six armaments mentioned are mostly of a defensive nature.

A couple of thousand years separate us from these struggling Christians. The government is not against us. We are not experiencing widespread persecution. And yet, if we are honest about our situation, we must admit that there are aspects of our current situation that make this passage from Ephesians sound contemporary.⁽²⁾

Who among us needs some defensive armament, some godly encouragement in order to resist the powers? What word can we give today's struggling disciples that will give them hope?

The letter to the Ephesians concludes with a stirring exhortation. These early believers are urged to "be strong in the Lord" (6:10), no small accomplishment, particularly for a church whose leaders are "in chains" (6:20). How is it possible for these struggling believers to "persevere" (6:18)?

The writer uses the metaphor of dressing for combat. Christians are blessed with some wonderful defensive armament like "the whole armor of God" (6:11, 13); the "belt of truth" and the "breastplate of righteousness" (6:14); "shoes" (6:15) that will make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace; the "shield of faith" (6:16); and the "helmet of salvation" (6:17). The image is of a warrior dressing for combat. Note that most of the armament is defensive, rather than offensive, in nature. The clothing is for defense, resistance, rather than for launching an attack.

This metaphor of clothing appears elsewhere in the New Testament. In Romans 13 Paul speaks not only of putting on "the armor of light" (Rom 13:12) but also urges his readers to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 13:14). Today's proclamation will be a development of this image of putting on clothing, dressing for combat. Clothing, as we know from our own childhood, is not just a superficial covering; it is also an expression of who we are and who we want to be. To be Jesus' disciples we need to "Put on the whole armor of God." It make a difference how disciples dress!

Will Willimon, who was Dean of the Chapel at Duke University for many years, shares a story from one of the students. "I was talking with a student who wants to be an actor. She was telling me how much she had enjoyed her courses in drama, and how much she had received from the plays in which she had had a part during her college years. I asked her what she thought was one of the most important aspects of becoming an actor.

"Putting on the makeup," she replied. "I know that may sound a bit superficial, in the literal sense of the word, but it's more than skin deep. A good makeup job is one that the audience can't see. How can a thin layer of grease and color make you an actor? But I realized that the makeup is not so much for the audience as it is for you. When you sit there before a mirror and spend thirty minutes putting on this makeup, you participate in the transformation. You take on a character by taking on the mask of that character. You are different. In Greek drama they always wore masks. I don't think we've ever gotten beyond that. It is too difficult to take on the role of another without some help. That is where the makeup comes in."

Maybe we make a mistake in thinking that the Christian faith has got to get deep within you, got to become something that you really feel or deeply understand, deep within. Maybe this faith is also something without. I know that people who are not Christians often judge the Christian faith by the outward behavior of Christians. Many of them say that they don't follow Christ because the Christians they know don't seem outwardly to be following Christ. Then we patiently explain to them that the Christian faith is a great deal more than external actions. It is also a matter of the heart, the mind, something in the depths of the soul.

But maybe these critics are right. Maybe the Christian faith is external: a set of practices, a way of life, and some predictable motions that you go through, regardless of your inner disposition. Maybe your inner disposition is not all that big a deal. Perhaps you have to act your way into believing before you can believe.

I find it interesting that Jesus does not say, "Close your eyes and think real deeply about me until you come to that self-awareness whereby you believe in me." Jesus says simply, "Follow me." Put one foot in front of the other, stumble after me, imitate me, try to walk and live as I walk and live. Act like you are a disciple, make believe that these folks beside you are your brothers and sisters. Eventually, it will come to you.

As I have been reading recently about the challenges that mainline churches are having in both ministry and evangelism, I am hearing many begin to suggest that we have made converts or members and have not made disciples. People give mental assent to things that are not evidenced in their lives. Willimon provocatively suggests, when someone comes forward for membership, perhaps we ought to ask this person not simply the questions like, "Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ who saves us from our sins?" If the world judges us by what we do, not what we say, maybe we just ought to say, "Give us ten percent of your income. Go out and tell somebody that you are a Christian. Invite at least one person to church each Sunday. Put on Christ until Christ gets in you."

If we dress with the spiritual armor that God provides, when the cynicism and skepticism of the world attacks our motives and commitments, we will be able to stand firm in our faith and continue to live as Jesus' disciple. Sometimes, we lose sight of things in our lives and we have to reaffirm our values and commitments to Christ.

Austrian-born action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger uses faith as his biggest weapon to combat the Devil ... in the apocalyptic movie-thriller, "End of Days." "I have more faith now than when I was younger," says Schwarzenegger, who is Catholic and was 52 at the time. "My mother took me to church every Sunday, or I'd get smacked, so to me that was just an obligation. Later on, when I came to this country as the bodybuilding champion, I had a chance to rebel. I never went to church. I thought the whole thing was absolutely absurd. Then when you get older, especially when you have children, the circle comes around again, and you get back to where you started. All the things you rebelled against, fought against, you start thinking, 'This makes sense now!'"⁽³⁾

Paul suggests that there is a battle to control us going on everyday as we live our lives. Though we may grow numb and inattentive to the battle going on both within and without us, it is there nevertheless.

1. William H. Willimon, Pulpit Resource, Vol. 34, No. 3, Year B, July -Sep, 2006, p. 42.

2. Ibid. This is Willimon's work with some modification.

3. Chuck Arnold, "The Spirit of Ah-nold," People, December 13, 1999, 232.