Proper 17 B                                                                            Deuteronomy 4:1-9
September 3, 2006                                                                  Psalm 15
St. Margaret of Scotland Episcopal Church                              Ephesians 6:10-20
The Rev. Linda McCloud                                                         Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Fashion Advice from St. Paul
to Ainsley Helen 

“Put on the whole armor of God.”  (Ephesians 6:11) 

            The New Testament gives us few physical descriptions of its main characters.  For example, do you know how tall Jesus was?  Or how much he weighed?  When he sang Psalms on the night in which he was betrayed, did he have a bass voice, or a tenor voice, or was he a baritone?  We do know that Jesus had a beard, and the Prophet Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would not be handsome enough to stand out in a crowd.   

            What about St. Paul, who gets credit for writing the letter to the Ephesian Church?  The text of the New Testament does not describe him, either, except to hint that he might have had trouble seeing with his physical eyes after that blinding light knocked him off his high horse.  Subsequent Christian writings give us a glimpse of Paul’s physical appearance.  We have this from The Acts of Paul and Thecla (2.3), one of those second-century writings that did not make it into the canon of New Testament scripture:

“And he saw Paul coming, a man little of stature, thin-haired upon the head, crooked in the legs, of good state of body, with eyebrows joining and nose somewhat hooked, full of grace; for sometimes he appeared like a man, and sometime he had the face of an angel.” 

A later (sixth century) writer, John of Antioch, gives essentially the same physical description of St. Paul, except to add that St. Paul was “round-shouldered” and “inspired with the Holy Spirit.”     

            Descriptions of clothing in scripture are also rare.  We learn from John’s Gospel that Jesus wore a robe and a tunic.  From this and other historical descriptions, it becomes easier to make costumes for a Passion Play during Lent.  We know that the color of clothing often indicated a person’s wealth and social status, because only the elite wore purple.  It was usually reserved for kings and other rulers.  They were the only ones who could afford the expensive dyes.  Lydia, one of St. Paul’s first converts in Philippi, was probably a wealthy business woman because she was a “dealer in purple cloth.”  

            Somehow, I picture that St. Paul was not a slave to fashion.  But he was an observer of human nature and a follower of Jesus Christ.  This business of following Jesus Christ got Paul into trouble more than once.  By his own account, he had been imprisoned many times, and was a prisoner while writing to the Ephesians.  He put a different spin on being in jail, though.  He said he was “an ambassador in chains.”  In other words, wherever he went, his core purpose in life was to keep his relationship with Jesus in good repairs.  In this way, he could represent Jesus to anyone he met – even those Roman soldiers who were guarding him.  More than one of his jailors wound up being believers.   

            In addition to being a keen observer of human nature, Paul was also an observer of the attire of Roman soldiers.  He had seen so many of them.  And like any preacher, he was a hunter and a gatherer.  Paul looked for illustrations from everyday life that he could use in a sermon.  The armor of the Roman Soldier was rich with possibilities.  Paul would also have been a scripture scholar and would have drawn the comparison of the Roman soldier alongside the description of God in Isaiah 59:2:  “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head.”  So, when St. Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God, it is not a stretch for him to tell us how to dress spiritually.  Keep truth and righteousness close to your heart, and so protect yourself, he says.  Guard your heart.  If we know the truth, the truth will make us free.  Stay free because those who would entrap us are wily.   

            As for shoes, whatever path you take – whether you dance your way through life or march to the beat of a different drummer, shoes are also armor.  We must pay attention to where our feet are taking us and guard our steps.  St. Paul says to wear “whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.”  You don’t have to be vocal to proclaim the gospel of peace.  As St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel every day.  Use words if necessary.”   

            Take faith as a shield.  It will put some distance between yourself and evil.  And by all means wear your salvation like a helmet.  Protect your thoughts from evil.  Think thoughts of love for your neighbors, whoever they are and wherever you are.  Love is more an act of your will than it is a sentimental feeling. Loving yourself and others will make you more like God every day.  When Jesus was questioned about the first and greatest commandment, he said it is this: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”  If you love God with all your mind, you will think about God a lot.  You will read about God.  You will attempt to have the mind of Christ.  You will try to think like Jesus thought. That does not mean being a doormat.  That means standing strong for what is right even if it costs.   

Last but not least, Bible reading and prayer go hand in hand in our growth in faith.  Besides regular church attendance, the best way I have found to do this on a daily basis is to pray the daily offices of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer as outlined in The Book of Common Prayer.  Falling into this routine takes time and focused effort, but the rewards are great. 

As I mentioned, St. Paul was not a slave to fashion.  But he does have some serious fashion advice for Ainsley Helen as we baptize her today:  put on the whole armor of God.  Of course, it will take time for her to understand all this, since she will be a month old tomorrow.  She is in booties right now, not shoes, and her hats will be those frilly little girl things.  But Holy Baptism leaves an indelible mark. Ainsley Helen will be “sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own for ever.”   “Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church.  The bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble.”[1]  So as she matures and temptations begin to swirl around her, Ainsley Helen will already have on the whole armor of God.  Today she begins to grow into it.