“Blue Jeans Welcome!”

 “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  “Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? Now you have insulted the poor.” James 2: 1-6 NIV

“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:10-12 NIV

“Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:12 NIV

“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:10-14 NIV

For some time, my goal has been to have a new blog post ready to go each Monday morning. However, on the drive to church yesterday morning, I shared with my husband, Ray, that I didn’t have anything written for The Resting Place. I thought, “Well, I’ll sit at the computer this afternoon and hope the Lord gives me some encouraging message.” At that moment, I had no idea what it would be. But as it always seems to happen, unknown to me, God was already setting up my next post with a LOT of thoughts. I dearly love how He orchestrates these things!

The church service had begun, and as we stood for the first song, I excused myself to go to the restroom since I had forgotten to do so after our ConnectGroup (Sunday School) Class. Leaving the inner sanctuary, I walked into the foyer to see two church members engaged in warm conversation with a young man. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and nothing seemed unusual about him. While I wasn’t privy to much of their conversation, I did overhear the young man saying, “I don’t have any nice clothes to wear to church.” Immediately, the church members reassured this man that nice clothes were not a requirement to attend our church and that he was dressed just fine. Upon returning to my seat, I noticed that the young man had seated himself just a few rows in front of us. When the invitation was given at the end of the service, this same young man walked down to the front of the church to have one of our pastors pray with him. I couldn’t help but feel thankful and excited simultaneously! Wow! God did that!

With a lot of thoughts running through my mind, one thing I knew for sure was that this young man was not there by accident, and the church members who spoke to him in the foyer were placed there at just the right time to welcome him and set his mind at ease. Had I not left the sanctuary when I did, I would not have overheard part of their conversation, and would not have written this blog post. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God did some good work yesterday, and I am so thankful to have been there for just a tiny part of it.

After realizing how God’s timing had intersected perfectly for the young man, the church members, and myself, I leaned over to Ray and said, “I have my blog post for tomorrow.” Well, at least I had a title. In those moments I was reminded of a church marquis sign that I had seen some years ago which simply read: “Blue Jeans Welcome!” Of course, the sign was letting people know they were welcome to attend that particular church dressed informally if they wished. It was a “Come Just as You Are to Jesus” kind of message.

Remembering the marquis sign, I thought about how many churches, including mine, have changed to a more informal style for their worship services. These noticeable changes, which have been at the heart of much discussion and, sadly, much division among church members, are as follows:  

1. Style of music.  The incorporation of more contemporary praise and worship songs and less or no traditional hymns being sung has now become the norm.

Right off the bat, I will let the readers know that I am among the group of people who learned the traditional hymns of the church, will always love them, and still know most of them by memory. These hymns continue to bless me in many ways because their words have always profoundly affected my soul. There is no question in my mind that the writers of the timeless old hymns were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

At the same time, I am blessed by many of the upbeat contemporary praise and worship songs. Years ago, we didn’t lift our hands in praise to Jesus while singing in church. With these songs, there seems to be more freedom to worship this way, especially for the younger folks. Many of these songs also have a melody added to verses straight from scripture, and since they are God’s Word, we can safely say that they are also divinely inspired. More often than not, the words of a song lift my spirit rather than the beat of the music; therefore, my focus is always on the message found in the words.

While I am trying to frame my thoughts in a positive light, there are two things I will share in honesty that I don’t care for. I don’t always care for the repetitiveness of the praise songs. That’s a preference thing for me. The only thing that would be of more concern to me than repetition, is that some of these songs tend to be weak, theologically speaking. It is therefore important that our church worship leaders make sure the songs they select for the congregation to sing line up with the infallible doctrine of God’s Holy Word.

2. Less emphasis on the clothing style a person wears to church. It is with gratitude to my parents that I was taught to recognize Sunday as a special day–the Lord’s Day. At a young age, I was taught that I should “dress up” for church. My best dress was always starched and ironed for Sunday church services. This was my upbringing, and I carried those habits into adulthood. I taught my daughter to dress her best for church, and she, in turn, taught her children to do the same. However, many young adults were not taught the same practices as I was. Consequently, they are not teaching their children these traditions. Because of this, we now find many un-churched families living in our communities whom we desperately need to reach for Jesus Christ.

Thankfully, many churches are reaching out to people who would be reluctant and uncomfortable to attend because they would not meet the “standards” of the “unwritten” church dress code. Yesterday, the young man who showed up at my church was the beneficiary of a changing mindset among long time church members. I was so happy to see him welcomed in the manner that he was. But it hasn’t always been like that.

For many people my age and older, these changes in church tradition have been a very serious issue.  Some could not adjust to it, and that’s okay. What is right for one individual is not necessarily suitable for someone else. Some larger churches now have separate services for traditional and contemporary worship. Church members who don’t have that particular option have two choices: they can leave and find another church, which sadly, many have done, or they can go forward and pray that God will help them become productive members of a changing church. The last scenario is where I find myself. Although I would “prefer” the old sacred hymns, I am thankful to be adjusting and learning to appreciate the differences in both worship styles, for I do not believe that we will sing hymns or contemporary praise and worship songs in Heaven. Dear friends, it is going to be so much better than that! Our feeble minds cannot imagine what Heaven will be like. All I know is that we will be praising Jesus, and whatever style of music that involves is okay with me! 

Even though I still like to look my best for church, I will not judge others for what they wear or for what style of song they prefer to sing. I have adjusted to seeing the more casual dress at our church services. I continue to ask the Lord to help me place my focus on Him as I pray for unity in all churches. May we always keep our eyes focused on the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ; that we will be good role models for our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all young people; and that we will lay aside OUR preferences for the desire to come back the true heart of worship. Only God can bring us to that point through the work of the Holy Spirit within us, for He is so much bigger than our preferences. It’s neither hymns nor contemporary songs that will make us true worshipers, nor our clothing preferences, because the answer is found deep within each of our hearts. I pray that we will allow God to strip away our preferences in exchange for an overfilling of the same living water that Jesus offered the Samaritan women at the well. Then, as a church, we can meet in one accord to worship and adore the Lord our God. This is where I want my focus to lie.  How about you?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, You are God alone. There is none like You! May we strive for harmony within our churches and families over this controversy or any others that might arise. First and foremost, we belong to You. We are not our own and have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus. Help us to be Your obedient children so that we might radiate Your love to others. May we never miss what You want to do in our lives for Your good purposes. Thank You for allowing me to be a small part of this young man’s story, if only for a moment. I pray that You will meet his needs and that he will return to worship with us again. May he find his strength and comfort in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.