Jehovah God, our great Creator, is worthy of praise. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11).

The Psalmist stated, "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker" (Psalm 95:6). Yes, as Christians we do live under a new and better covenant. It is also true that we are not governed by the specific worship instructions of the Old Testament. However, there are principles that do not change with the passing of time. The verse that we just noted from Psalm 95 makes it clear that when people worship properly, they worship our Maker. Also, when we worship we bow down and kneel before Him. This indicates that He is greater than we are, and because of such, He is to be revered and treated with respect, always.

Worship is not a trivial affair. It is a sacred, serious, from-the-heart activity. The attitude that we show toward worship and during worship, is a matter of tremendous importance. God has not given Christians a "go-to-meeting" or "Sunday-best" dress code. He does not need to. The very idea of coming together to worship the One that is "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty" (Revelation 4:8) ought to cause us to think within ourselves that this is a special, yea, mighty special event. Dress for worship is certainly worthy of more thought and attention than dressing to attend a baseball game or throwing on clothes to go buy some paint.

I may not end up with a large cheering section after writing this article, however my motive is not to receive men’s praises (Galatians 1:10). Rather, I hope to provoke serious thought and to be helpful. I am, my dear brethren, concerned about what I perceive to be a trend in the church in general for saints of God to wear clothing to services of the church that is ultra-casual, sometimes indecent, and on some occasions makes the wearer look like a slob.

Friends, it is undeniable: it says something about our thinking when we "dress up" for "special occasions," but for the ultimate special occasion known to man – worship of the Creator, we "dress down." I know that I have numerous gray hairs and I take an old school approach to many things in life, but I just cannot buy into the philosophy that says the most important matters in dressing for worship are comfort and convenience.

Our respect for others is indicated, in part, by the way we are attired in their presence. Brother Bubba, a mature Christian man, attended a funeral. His attire? Dress pants with a nice shirt and tie. Some people readily admit that they dress up for a funeral or visit to the funeral home simply out of respect for the deceased person. Question: When a brother serves by leading in public worship, especially in the memorial of our Lord’s death, should not respect "for the deceased" (the Savior) be as important as respect to the passing of one that was merely human?

Another day brother Bubba went to worship services. He wore a collared, pullover shirt with a white undershirt beneath it. Neither shirt was tucked in, and the undershirt hung down lower than the collared shirt, stretching down past the pockets of his blue jeans. It may be the "fashion" of the day, but why would a servant of the King choose to come before Him with the sloppy look? Would we dress like this for a job interview (if we really wanted the job)? Would we dress like this when attending a funeral? A wedding? If not, why, then, do we want to "dress down" to worship the Rock of our salvation?!

On a different occasion brother Bubba went to another non-worship activity. Those that attended were asked to wear "Sunday dress." That time he wore a suit and tie. So, for a non-worship activity, he wore Sunday dress of coat and tie, but when he joined his brethren in the Christ to worship the Almighty, he chose to let his undershirt hang out over his blue jeans. My personal thought is, "What is going on?"

What are other priests of God thinking when they come before Him to worship in clothing that leaves their midsections or thighs uncovered (pronounced "naked")? It is distracting. Or, do we really think other people can keep their heart focused on the Lord during a prayer or during the Lord’s Supper that is led by one that wears a T-shirt with a huge, bright orange "T" on it, or a picture of a well-known athlete or singer? Remember, some clothing is immodest because it draws excess attention to its wearers.

Pants with holes in them, shirts unbuttoned down to the naval, and a legion of other dress styles that are common place in some worship assemblies today again make me wonder, "What is going on?" Some brothers in the Lord expect their wives to wear dresses or skirts again to Sunday night services like they do on Sunday mornings, but the brothers themselves dress down from their nice clothes in the morning to jeans and a Titans T-shirt at nighttime. I wonder, "Why is there a double standard?"

In the spring of 2001 Donna and I attended an honors banquet at Bradley Central high school. A few days prior to the banquet the students were instructed that those who attended were to wear "Sunday dress." I cannot say that I saw the attire of every single person that attended this event, but out of all the approximate 500 people that were present, I personally saw only one person wearing jeans. All others whom I saw dressed much nicer. I do not mean in more expensive clothes, but nicer looking. You might say they did what they were asked to do: wear "Sunday dress." Now here is a point to ponder. I know that the great majority of those that attended this school function were not members of the Lord’s church. Yet, they manifested self-respect and respect for the occasion in the way that they dressed. If non-Christians understand what "Sunday dress" means, then it makes me scratch my head when I observe the sloppiness and dress-down look that some of my brothers and sisters manifest.

No, I am not appealing to folks to wear tuxedos to services, nor do I propose that everyone empty their savings accounts to go out and buy nice looking clothes. The Almighty, though, does deserve His respect, don’t you agree? Our kids are watching how we dress for services. It sends a message to them. Our brethren in the Lord notice our attire. Our non-Christian friends do the same. Let us always keep in mind the sacredness of worship and the majesty of the Master Whom we serve.

-- Roger D. Campbell