It’s the first day of Winter! That means that for the next three-plus months I’ll be wearing woolen socks and sweaters. Shorts and sandals will be stored until May. It’s good to have a change of seasons, which demands a change of clothes. We in the Great Northeast are ready to make the change–and I’ll be the first one in February to groan about the continued cold weather! Brave souls who still want Christmas this weekend will hear about changes, and be admonished to move forward in self-worth and compassion for others.
I SAMUEL 2:18-20 (26) tells a simple story about mother Hannah, rejoicing that she has a child, bringing new clothes each year to her son Samuel who lives at the shrine at Shiloh with Eli, the old priest. We read that the boy Samuel grew in stature; not a surprise, we’ve all seen kids seem bigger & taller than the last time. How then could Hannah know what size robe to make him? (Do we have nostalgic older relatives who insist on sending our adult children booties “to keep their little toes warm”?) But this isn’t a story about logistics, it’s an account of concerned parenting dealing with the newness of the ongoing years and creating “new clothes” to affirm them.
The author of COLOSSIANS 3: 12-17 writes, “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…..Above all, clothe yourselves with love…” The metaphor seems warm & cozy, as the believers wrap themselves in these spiritual gifts. Here is a reference to the Body of Christ, dressed for service and worship. These garments have different functions–yet the whole wardrobe is to demonstrate the presence of God in Jesus.
The Gospel of LUKE (2:41-52) is our sole glimpse into the life of Jesus between the Incarnation and his baptism. This is how Mary remembers the occasion many years later: tradition says that Mary lived in Ephesus in her old age and that Luke visited her there to record these stories. Jesus like Samuel was growing each year; did Joseph mark his height on the door frame? In this “lost” tale of Jesus we can see our own kids, and probably ourselves as well! But here he was, “in his Father’s house”, putting aside his child-clothes and dressing in the traditions of the elders. Jesus went home with his folks and became an ideal child (?)–yet he knew that it was growing time to move on…
An early ritual of Baptism included the time when a candidate would shed his/her old clothes, and receive new ones as they emerged from the water. You could tell by their “uniform” that they had become disciples, and that they were ready to engage in whatever ministry was set before them. So these readings help us to decide what the well-dressed witness should put on: we’re often known by what we wear.
In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King
My encounter with lessons to be read during worship in the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com
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