What To Wear, What to Wear?!

Halloween.

This has got to be the most ridiculous holiday or festival ever. Really.

No one knows why in the world we're doing this, and I'm never sure about what I'm going to wear. I prefer something subtle yet understated. Obama is hot this year, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller outfit. I might just jump into a Lady Gaga outfit and see what happens, or, failing that, get out my Richard Nixon mask. Always good as a conversation starter.

And then you have the kids knocking on your door asking for candy.

I got into real trouble from parents one year because I said to a coven of little sheet-covered PreK-ers at my door, “Ghosts don’t exist! Zombies don’t exist! Vampires—they don’t exist either. Get over it.”

My wife, the teacher, explained it to me: “Honey, U.S. core curricula standards have established that we don’t tell kids the truth about vampires, Santa, and the Easter bunny until at least fourth grade. Get over it.”

If it’s Halloween, we must be on the cusp of November, and that’s hard to believe. Wasn’t it August just a few days ago?

But, speaking of Halloween, I have an assignment for you: Think about your congregation and all they’ve been doing this month and the clothes—“costumes”—in which they’ve been doing it. Not scary costumes, to be sure, but the clothes of ministry.

Think of the people who’ve put their aprons on to cook in kitchens[ or the overalls the mechanic has put on to repair the car of a single parent who needs it desperately; of the running shorts put on by people running for “the cure”; or the backpacks worn by youth workers out on the trail with teenagers.

Think of the “clothes” of kindness, compassion and gentleness worn by so many in the community to help make the lives of other better.

This kind of costuming in not ridiculous, it’s real.

These clothes are also suggestive of incredible stories. They tell us about hours of preparation for choir rehearsals in order to bring music every Sunday and during Advent coming up in only four weeks or so;  they speak to the humanitarian relief some church members bring when they go on a Habitat for Humanity trip; they remind us about teamwork and team-building as people come together to clean up the house of worship, or meet with the homebound to rake the leaves and make small repairs.

I’ll bet there are a lot of stories the clothes/costumes could tell in your congregation.
And every day we’re creating and telling stories, and when we leave church, moving on and out into the community and we take with us core values and a faith enriches us as well as others for the rest of our lives.

Meanwhile, I’ll still be wondering what to wear for Halloween.

I’m leaning toward Little Dead Riding Hood or Einstein mask.

Probably Einstein.

 

Comments

[Lois Meerdink]

Einstein! You don't have enough hair!
Love Sis