Pant Rant

Received some feedback this weekend about how I dressed.  At Willowpark church, we have weekend gatherings in 5 different locations.  This past weekend, on the heels of finishing up a series called "One" stemming from the book of Ephesians (which oddly enough talks about those people who call themselves Christ followers to be "One Team" even with all it's weird, wild and stuck in the mud types - I know aren't we tricky).  Not gonna get preachy here, but check out Eph 4:4-6 in the Message:


(vs 4-6) “You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with oneness.”

That seems to cover it nicely.
 
Anyway, we decided to have all 5 campuses gather at one site as an exclamation point to the whole series.  It was a pretty sweet deal.  All the pastors were in full effect during the services.  The comment came after the second of three services.  "I guess the dress code for pastors is jeans."  Comically not all of the pastors were wearing jeans and one even had his shirt tucked in which was completely revolting... but I digress.  Interestingly, this caused me to check out the literal greek translation of the passage above. Incredibly it reads "You were all called to wear spiffy pants but not too tight."
 
Before you call Billy Graham for an intervention, let's get something straight here.   I get a little fiesty when comfy church going folk get so caught up in "nicing up" the church and the gospel and how we look and how we act.  My non-church going friends aren't looking for nice-ities, they are screaming for authenticity.   This contrast exploded from the tv this past Sunday when Phil Mickelson tearfully embraced his wife Amy who has been battling breast cancer for the last year, and who did not have enough strength to make it out of bed until those last few minutes of watching her husband clinch his 3rd Masters Title.  He had not been winning nor was he spending much time away from his wife and kids.  To boot, his mom was diagnosed with the same disease within months of his wife.  And then they interview Tiger who's statement, although not directly relating to his off course antics, was "people are just making too much out of this deal" when asked about his first 5 holes and how cranky he was.  Now, I do not know either one of these guys, nor do I dare put forward the allusion that I somehow understand what it is to live in their shoes, but the contrast between those 2 atheletes was stunning.  We desperately want authenticity.   People are desperately looking for an authentic people following an authentic God.    Listen to Isaiah 53 talk about Jesus...
 
"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Jesus was not known for his dress code, his hair gel or his picture perfect golf swing.  He was known for his gritty, passionate, faithful, relentless, tough, beautiful, authentic love.   Love for those who's mistakes are found out, who's lives remain hidden, and who's hopes are lost.   Love for those who long for tradition and those who push the envelope.   Love for champions and for losers.  Most stunning of all, is that he is depending on this ragamuffin group of mistake ridden, jean wearing, 18 handicappers to live that love out as aunthentically as possible.
 
For the record, my shirt was untucked.