The Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord

Today is The Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord.  “Easter” is a word that means “spring.”  It is not a church word.  It is not a faith word.  And it is absolutely not a biblical word.  Oh, I know that the church has appropriated all sorts of words and customs and calendar dates through the years.  And this is not the beginning of a futile campaign to ban “Easter” from the language.  What I do want to do is to highlight the true, festive nature of our celebration.  It is not a day for abbreviations or shorthand. It is a day for new Easter outfits.  The men should wear suits and ties.  The women should wear hats, maybe even gloves.  This is a season when high school girls are wearing $1000 dresses for a one-time trip to the prom.  How is it that they then wear jeans with holes in the knees to church today?  The fellows look like they’re headed for the golf course.  What in the name of the Easter Bunny happened to “Sunday best?”

I understand that it is not important (in the great scheme of things) what we wear, but the vital thing is where we are.  I also recognize that “informal” and even “casual” are important concepts for some congregations.  People give the excuse for their lack of participation in church activities as, “The people there are too stuffy.  They wear starched collars and high heels, and that is just not my thing.”  That’s a great excuse, isn’t it?  Question: if God phoned for an appointment; told you to be at the Pearly Gates at 2 o’clock a week from Thursday, and that St. Peter would escort you to the throne of Grace from there, what would you wear?

I know that the day is about the Empty Tomb and not about clothing.  But what we wear is a sign of the importance we attach to a given event.  I don’t know of anyone who has seriously sought a new job that didn’t check the mirror before they went through the door for the interview.  The Old Testament has scores of accounts of the apparel that people are to wear in certain religious circumstances.  Matthew 22 has a grace-filled story about folks gathered from the highways and byways to attend the wedding banquet of the son of the king.  But there was one guest who did not wear the appropriate wedding garment, and the king commanded that this offender be ejected from the proceedings.

I understand priorities.  And I don’t want to be a wet blanket.   But it is The Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord.  What is truly appropriate?