Shoes and other clothing in church

Argh. It’s been months since I’ve posted, but Dash’s post (drat her, anyway!) has provoked me. Well, at least the comments, on top of Dear Abby’s column of weeks ago.

Proper attire in church.

Not a topic that concerns me so much, except that people are judging others—primarily on their appearance in church.

Is it a question of respect, knowledge, or awareness?

I know that Biblical Jews were bound to ritual cleansing (and I guess, by extension, concern for attire) before presenting themselves in the Temple. The culture was inseparable from religion.

Over the centuries of Christianity, there were times when laity mattered little, if at all (if not of high-born class). They might have received the Body (and maybe the Blood) only at Easter—otherwise they were expected to be seen, not heard; mostly disregarded. Peasants—serfs—probably didn’t have a whole lot of clothing different from their everyday attire in which to clad themselves. They could only look upon and (perhaps) admire royalty.

Dear Abby’s column contained complaints of those who felt disrespect for themselves and the church on the part of those who came in everyday clothes.

In these days, not so many people come to church because of parental/peer pressure or cultural expectations. They may be seeking the Holy (however diligently or not), and many come without any training in how to present oneself in the presence of the Holy as it has been understood, at least over the past two centuries in this country. They are probably very akin to the pagan converts in the first century.

Debates raged then over actions—circumcision or not?—eating food that had been offered to idols?

I haven’t seen a whole lot that indicates “dressing up” was a concern, if only because everyone then of peasant status probably more or less dressed the same all the time. So: not worthy of further consideration.

So much for respect and knowledge. How much does our culture—no longer explicitly Christian—transmit to us of these?

Awareness—self-awareness—is a topic that transcends spirituality. Yes, spirituality addresses self-awareness, but psychology has much to say in this arena.

Years ago, I had a piano up for sale. People came to the house to try it out. One woman sat down to play, and I instantly noticed her beautifully manicured, extremely long fingernails. As she played, she was rather disturbed: what was the noise she kept hearing? I heard her fingernails clicking on the keys, but tried diligently to hear what she might be hearing, because I couldn’t imagine that she didn’t know how her fingernails sounded on the keys. Eventually she did discover the cause—but even now, I wonder if that lesson stayed with her.

I ride the el to and from work, which has given me plenty of opportunity over the years to observe how people perceive their presence. So many perceive it not at all. Bulky bags pounding into fellow travelers, cell phone conversations which ought to be private—no one else is present, even on a crowded el platform when there is plenty of space to spread out. Spirituality would enlighten people as to their impact on their world—but so would simple lessons in observation and logic.

Does the church now solely bear the burden of enlightenment? I won’t presume to answer that one. But surely the church needs to be aware of concerns that impact not only worship.

We each of us have an arena of impact. What we do and say might make a difference. Is it a child, godchild, close acquaintance who wears the wrong shoes to church? It is appropriate to discuss your concerns with this person. Is it someone else? Then why are you consumed by it? Is it about you or about them? Honestly?

God looks not on the outward appearance, but on the heart. Can we presume to know what is on the person’s heart? Even if that person appears repeatedly in what parts of our culture may say is wrong?

How much impact can you have, approaching someone in criticism, as opposed to approaching him/her in love and concern for his/her spiritual journey? Get to know someone—very well—before judging them—and even then, maybe not.