Sermon

What Shall I Wear?

Theme

How does the Bible say we are to clothe ourselves?

Object

Articles of clothing. A shirt, pants, and a hat or cap.

Scripture

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)

Well, I hope that everyone had a merry Christmas. Did anyone here get any new toys? Did anyone here get any new clothes for Christmas? I know you may not get as excited about new clothes as you do about the toys you received, but I do know the good feeling that you have when you wear some new clothes that you really like.

One of the very first decisions that you and I have to make every day is the decision about what we are going to wear. The clothing that we wear is very important to most of us. Most of us want our clothes to be a style that is popular. To some people, even the brand is important. We want our clothes to be in good condition -- with no holes or missing buttons and, of course, we want them to be clean.

The clothing that we wear says a lot about us. Sometimes I see little girls wearing T-shirts that say, "Princess" or "2 Cute." No boy would ever be caught wearing one of those! Boys go more for football jerseys, Spiderman T-shirts, or something like that. Sometimes you need just the right hat or a cap to complete your outfit.

As you are choosing what you are going to wear each morning, do you ever give a thought to what the Bible says about how we should clothe ourselves? Well, the Bible doesn't tell us which shirt or pants to wear, but it does have something to say about how we, as God's children, should clothe ourselves.

The Bible says that we should clothe ourselves with kindness, gentleness, and patience. It says we should put on a forgiving attitude. Finally, the Bible says, we should top it all off by putting on love. That brings it all together in perfect unity. The great thing about this outfit that the Bible describes is that it fits us all -- boys or girls -- young or old. Do you know what else is great about it? It never goes out of style!

The next time you are trying to decide what to wear, why not put on a little kindness, gentleness, and patience? Add some forgiveness, then, top it off with love.

Dear Father, we are always careful in choosing what clothes to wear. Help us to be just as careful about choosing our attitudes. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.