Should I Attend Church In a Suit And Tie?
Does God care about how I approach him? Ecclesiastes 5 has something to say about this.
When I was new to pastoring, I made a mistake I've worked hard not to repeat. Always looking to build a connection with my audience, I remember sharing a cheesy PowerPoint slide that got a modest laugh from everyone in the room...everyone except one person.
A few days later, I was chatting with this individual, and while I can't recall the details of our conversation, I do recall the gist of his message. After referencing my funny picture, he said something like, "Ezra, speaking is a sacred calling. When you make it trivial, you water down the message and make it tougher for people to take you seriously."
My initial thought was, Dude, relax. It was just a funny picture. People thought it was funny! I'm just trying to connect. Besides, isn't God the author of fun?
But the longer I thought about his words, the more I realized he was right. It wasn't just that I had shared a funny picture. It was the way I did it, and I could see that there was a broader point to his message. I had indeed become too casual too often, and in the process I was making it tougher for more serious-minded Christians to hear God's message through my words.
Oh sure, this man was probably a little too uptight and formal, and I still make an effort to inject humor into my messages, but his advice was exactly what a young twenty-something needed to hear.
Over the past few decades, many Western churches have leaned into a hyper-casual approach to worship. Worship leaders in ripped jeans and a ballcap, pastors in T-shirts, and communion contents presented in one-stop-shop packages (Note: This is why I believe many of my generation are shifting toward more liturgical traditions).
Now, lest you think I'm a get-off-your-porch curmudgeon, I mean this as less a critique and more an observation. When I speak, I speak in a polo. I literally do not own a tie—maybe I should. I also have a packet of one-package communion cups in my office so my kids can take communion together at home!
But maybe I need to be more careful.
A Warning
While many Western churches in previous generations erred on the side of "stuffy fundamentalism" that made God feel unapproachable, many churches today err on the side of “buddy Christianity,” where God is viewed no higher than a casual acquaintance. A good luck charm or “mouse in the pocket” to talk to when times are hard.
But we do ourselves a disservice and God a great injustice when we swing too far in either direction. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 offers a warning to those who swing too far in the casual direction. The preacher says,
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Better to approach in obedience than to offer the sacrifice as fools do, for they ignorantly do wrong. 2 Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 Just as dreams accompany much labor, so also a fool’s voice comes with many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, don’t delay fulfilling it, because he does not delight in fools. Fulfill what you vow. 5 Better that you do not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For many dreams bring futility; so do many words. Therefore, fear God.
The Hebrew word (Shamar), translated as “guard,” means to keep, watch, or preserve. The house of God was the temple, and offering a “sacrifice as fools do” meant speaking too quickly when the proper response was silent reverence. Jerry Shepherd writes, “While operating with speed and haste can sometimes be good, that principle never applies to speaking in the divine presence.”[1]
The key part of this passage is verse 4. Making vows was a serious matter in Israelite culture, as these were considered unbreakable (Think of the story of Jephthah in Judges 11).
Deuteronomy 23:21-23 says, “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to keep it, because he will require it of you, and it will be counted against you as sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, it will not be counted against you as sin. Be careful to do whatever comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed what you promised to the Lord your God.” And Proverbs 20:25 says, “It is a trap for anyone to dedicate something rashly and later to reconsider his vows.”
In Isaiah 6, we’re given an excellent example of the proper awe of God we should have. Isaiah says, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.” He then says, “Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies.”
As Iain Provan writes, “Holiness is in fact understood throughout the Bible in terms of a mysterious power that is dangerous, unapproachable, and fearsome.”[2] Nadab and Abihu died for offering unholy fire before the Lord (Lev. 10:1–3). Many in Beth Shemesh died for looking into the ark of the covenant (1 Sam. 6:19–20). And in Exodus 19, the Israelites trembled at Mount Sinai as God revealed himself in a storm, knowing that touching the mountain meant death.
God wants us to approach him, but to do so with reverence. This is not just a message for people 3,000 years ago; it is one we need reminded of today.
Approach With Boldness And Reverence
Building off the idea of oaths in the Old Testament, Jesus said in Matthew 5:33-37 that we must let our yes mean yes and our no mean no.
When Jesus came and tore the temple veil in two, he “eradicated the distinction between holy and profane places.”[3] Now, anyone can approach God, and the formality described in Ecclesiastes 5 is no longer our reality. But this is where we need to be cautious.
Because we have constant access to God and can, as Hebrews 4:16 says, “approach the throne of grace with boldness,” it’s easy to take this access for granted. We become too casual and act in ways that are disrespectful. We become flippant about sin, flippant about our prayer life, and flippant in the way we worship.
Yesterday, I was volunteering in our kids' church, and one of the points our children's pastor made was for kids to sit up straight when they prayed—not out of some rigid legalism but because posturing the body has a way of positioning the heart. I'm glad she did, and it's for this same reason I have a prayer altar in my home office. To remind my casual-prone heart and my family that speaking to God is an act of reverence.
So where does this leave us?
No, I'm not saying you need to show up to church next week in a three-piece suit and tie. And I'm not suggesting the only way God will hear your prayers is when your body is aligned at a perfect 90-degree angle. But I would challenge you to be thoughtful and evaluate how you approach God in private and in public.
*Unless you specify otherwise, comments and questions you ask may be featured in upcoming podcast episodes.
[1]Jerry E. Shepherd, “Ecclesiastes,” in Proverbs-Isaiah, vol. 6 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised Edition. eds. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland; Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 303.
[2]Iain Provan, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, The NIV Application Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 119.
[3]Tremper Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 150.
