What Not To Wear

             At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7) 

I wonder if Paul smiled when he wrote this passage. “At one time we too were foolish…” Paul, who had been a Pharisee, a model Jew. And when it came time to host another episode of “What Not To Wear: Spiritual Edition,” he could still trot out pictures of his bad polyester suits and collection of Christmas sweaters as examples poor spiritual fashion choices.

And what a wardrobe we had, and sometimes still have. We lived in Malice Jeans, with Envy sneaks on our feet. Our favorite hoody carried the Hatred brand name. And the conglomerate that owns all of those brands is The World, The Flesh, And The Devil.

God invites us to wear different clothes. Our jeans should be rough and sturdy Love jeans. Our tough T-shirt is produced by Kindness, Inc. Mercy produces our work boots. A conglomerate owns these brands, too: The Father, The Son, And The Holy Spirit.

But the real point of today’s passage is that we used to wear the same clothes we may be judging others for wearing. In fact, we may still be wearing them as we critique their fashion choices. They may still be our preferred outfits. So, we need to be careful to check in the mirror.