26th
A dress code worthy of Friends gathering in Wichita
In light of the 2010 Young Adult Friends gathering this weekend, a friend of mine posted the following comment on Facebook, that I felt was worth repeating and considering with care:
Some people are concerned about the dress code for the YA Gathering in Wichita— here’s a thought. Dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength… and regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic all purpose garment. Never be without it. Col 3:12-14 (The Message)
I don’t have The Message, but here’s how the NRSV translates the same lines from Paul’s letter to the Colossian church:
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves in kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourself with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Faithful communities do well to heed Paul’s advice. For walking in brotherhood, there are no better threads than these. But in some locales, the weather can change suddenly, and it’s wise to pack extra clothes when traveling into unknown climates. Luckily, Paul’s closet has attire for these occasions:
…Our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. […] Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of justice. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
— Ephesians 6:12-17 (NRSV, emphasis mine)
The images of spiritual warfare aren’t as popular among today’s liberal Quakers as they were among the first Friends. Heck, many of us are too meek for our own good, accepting passivity as a bitter substitute for our calling as pacifists. Many of us are so accustomed to the refuge of peace offered by the silence of our unprogrammed worship, we forget that this peace is the fruit of struggle: struggle within ourselves, struggle with the Spirit, and even struggle with each other.
The willingness to struggle with one another in a spirit of justice and truth, while walking the gospel of peace, is just as vital as wearing humility, meekness, and love. Paul was aware that even the heavenly places can fall prey to the spiritual powers of darkness, and he equipped his friends accordingly. Even fellowship among Friends can be debased and dehumanized by invisible principalities; the armor of God gives us a metaphor for the dignity and nobility to face those principalities squarely: to name them plainly, and to refute them with the word— a New Testament expression for the personal, incarnate nature of God’s presence and movement among us.
For liberal Friends, that means hewing to the personal, incarnate Light that enlightens every one of us. Even if you reject all images and language of “God” as idols, your revelation and prophetic voice is every bit as vital as those who claim the Christian culture and language. Your concerns, your leadings, and your calling is the sword of the Spirit for naming and refuting the reign of darkness.
My purpose here is not to promote discord among those of you attending the conference in Wichita this weekend. In fact, I urge you to greet each sister and brother as the beloved of God, clothed in the “compassion, kindness, humility, and quiet strength” that Paul commends to the Colossian church— however weak, or humble, or misguided any one may be in your sight.
Yet, if the climate changes, and the horizon is choked by clouds— trumped-up authorities, obscure prohibitions, doublespeak, or whatever —clothes of kindness and humility may not be enough. Standing firm with each other in love will still be crucial, but I urge you to muster the dignity and nobility to name and refute those powers. Please, do not let it be your regret that you did not speak or act in the spirit of Truth.
This is a “dress code” consistent with the gathering’s theme: “Bearing Witness to the Word Among Us”. Each and every one of you is a trustee of the word. If you are called to attend this gathering in Wichita, be faithful to the word you are given, however trivial or divergent it may seem. Your testimony may be the unassailable armor that holds back a tide of darkness or provides a space for healing and reconciliation.
