Christian Makeover
A talk given by Ruth Hardy on Sunday 9 August 2009
Ruth
Introduction
In thinking about today’s meeting I was expecting to not be here, and by the end of my rambling you might wish the same!
What I actually mean was I was expecting the work to have started on the hall and for us to be at Fort Pitt, and it was with this in mind I was reminded of all the programmes on the T.V. about property refurbishment, you know Build a new Life in the Country, Grand Designs, To buy or not To buy… and so on, this then lead me on to thinking about the ‘people refurb’ programmes. You know the ones Trinny and Suzanna, Gok, 10 years younger and so on. Now looking at me I’m sure you’ll understand that I have no need or desire to go on such a programme, and I certainly could never be persuaded to stand in my underwear in front of a wall of mirrors and a television camera to see how I can be improved on. In fact I can remember at one Corps being asked why I was happy to change in the office with a picture of Jesus on the wall but not of one of Bramwell Booth and kindly reminding the enquirer that Jesus had seen me undressed but the General hadn’t!
I digress but keeping along those lines it’s true isn’t it that sometimes we’re happy to take friends and family with us shopping for outfits, gentlemen I include your other halves in that advice, or to seek their advice on which diet to follow and what work we need to do but do we ever look to Scripture and ask God about it. Therefore this morning I’d like us just to spend a few moments considering… if we were to have a Christian makeover what would it look like.
Clothing
I may not go in the order the TV uses but bear with me please. To start with lets look at what we wear.
Now this morning I was going to ask someone to come up and model the outfits I have with me but instead I’m going to just hang them up here. These days Fancy Dress is no longer a childhood theme. I wanted David to be dressed up this morning in his Pocahontas outfit but sadly he’s not here. This isn’t the only fancy dress available of course, just have a look in catalogues and you can find anything from Spiderman to Bob the Builder. Now being an officers kid when I was growing up the only fancy dress outfit I had was my mums uniform and some may consider it remains a fancy dress outfit on a par with the others. Yet as Salvationists our uniform represents what we believe in, we wear it to identify ourselves as Christians in the community.
But we need to be careful that it isn’t the only way people can tell what we believe. Our uniforms don’t make our faith they just indicate we say we have one.
In looking in the Bible at what we should wear, there are lots of rules in the Old Testament for what is appropriate dress and what isn’t, what should be worn when, how and why. When Jesus came he told us that the old had gone the new gospel had come and his words in Matthew 6 verses 25-30 say:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life what you will eat or drink; of about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life. And why do you worry about clothes. See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire will he not must more clothe you, O you of little faith.
Uniform or not, dressed up or dressed down, Jesus teaches us that there are things far more important in life than wondering what outfit we will wear tomorrow. We need to seek his Kingdom first and foremost
Head/Face
Moving on the next thing for us to consider is our physical appearance. Now I don’t want to alarm you, I am not going to have a gastric band fitted this morning, (I think an elastic band on my wrist which I ping every time I’m hungry is much cheaper), nor am I going to attempt plastic surgery or even botox today although I am informed you can buy your own over the internet now….. I was going to consider bringing plasticine and offering to shape noses out of it but instead Rachel is going to conduct some face painting for us on a willing vict….. I mean volunteer. I had asked Adrian but he thought it wouldn’t go with his tan and so instead we are going to use…. now what I’ve asked is for Rachel to paint something that represents the person she is working on.
Policeman and Salvationist musician Tim
Art work on people is nothing new it has happened through the centuries representing events in peoples lives which they have wanted recording. Similarly people have worn make up to enhance their features, and most recently surgery is used to change bits of ourselves that we want improved or removed. I believe I am a fortunate individual in that I am allergic to anything scented or with lanolin in it and so make up is a challenge I have never had to conquer… and you all that I was just lazy….
We can become hung up on our appearance and what image we are portraying, falling behind masks that we put up so that people only see the image we want to portray. Yet we forget that often what we think can be the most damaging image we leave with people as what goes on in our heads often comes out of mouths. There is a saying along the lines of keep your mouth shut, people may think your an idiot but you don’t need to confirm it! On a serious note If our thoughts are not Christian that will come out in our words and our actions. In his letter in the New Testament James is very clear about the ‘taming of the tongue’. He reminds us of the damage we can make by what we say In verse 9 we read
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in God’s likeness Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brother’s this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring. My brothers can a fig-tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs. Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
People will quickly forget our appearance on any occasion but never forget a word said in spite or to harm. When thinking about how we appear to our friends and associates, this should also be taken into account.
Overall Presentation
Lastly the subjects in the programmes are talked to about how they can change the way they portray themselves, now deportment has in my family always been top of the agenda. I may not know about clothes or make up but I do know that I should always walk with my head up and my shoulders back… bit of a problem with arthritis of the neck but irrespective… I know which knife and fork goes with which course although being left handed doesn’t help with that either and I know about only speaking when I’m spoken too, which I have always failed on! I know that how we present to people is the lasting memory they will have and yet surely at some point we need to just be ourselves or we will trip up.
As Christians it’s important that our lives reflect our beliefs that our actions mirror our relationship with God. There’s no point having everything on the outside correct if your hearts not alright with God.
Throughout thinking of today my heart and mind was lead to the passage in Philippians 2 which said,
‘Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heave and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’
Our deportment should follow that of Christ, our lives should reflect him. We should humble ourselves and serve as he served remembering that all the praise and glory should go to Him.
Conclusion
Why did I talk about what we wear because nothing we wear should take away from Christ…
Why did I ask Rachel to draw something on …. face to represent them… because when people look at us our lives, what we think and say we should reflect what Christ wants of us..
Why mention the way we act because what we do leaves an impression on peoples lives and ours should reflect Christ.
Yes we are human and yes on the whole we want to look nice and yes we are all individuals and should act as such, but it should always in a way that leads others to Him.
I asked Jess Scott to think about the passage in Philippians and having a Christian makeover and this presentation reflects her absorption of those thoughts… this morning as you watch…ask yourself this… do I need a Christian makeover and if so put in place what’s needed to reach Christ today.