“Clothes Make the Man” 10-19-08

     In the Church of Thomas we see the Ministers in a different light than most mainstream Denominations. Jesus told us it was more important what we taught than what we looked like. It was the Compassion in our hearts that mattered. It was our willingness to fight our baser urges to be better role models for our Congregations. It is our Openness to being guided by God and the Holy Spirit that sets us apart as helping us to be good Ministers.

     As many of you have noticed by now I do not wear a robe in my Sermon Videos. I do not even wear a collar to distinguish me from the average person. I am an average person in many respects. In many things I still have Tons to learn. And in a few things I excel. Unlike the TV Evangelists I don’t even dress up in a suit or fancy clothes. If all I had was rags I would proudly wear them instead of what is in my closet.

     If Jesus showed up to be a guest speaker at one of our services we would welcome him with open arms despite his dust encrusted sandals, barely hanging on his feet, from the long miles he has walked. His soiled clothing that is in disrepair would not stop us from finding him Beautiful and Inspiring. Because the Beauty will come not from what he wears but from how he reaches into our hearts and heals us all. It would be his ability to inspire us to do the impossible that would blind us to whatever he was wearing.

     One of the reasons for our clothing differences is a practical one. It is expensive to dress up in a set of robes. I have known some Ministers to have at least 4 sets of robes for different Holy Days or Seasons. These are not cheap. They are often made to order. Custom Clothing is Expensive. The expense can sometimes be borne by the paying Congregation. Since no Church of Thomas gets a Salary it would need to come out of our Salaries.

     Yes Salaries. We all have outside Jobs. I have never heard of a Church of Thomas Minister that was independently wealthy.  God seems to call those that have experienced a lack of money. God seems to call those that are more attached to the giving rather than the accumulating of wealth.

     Like Paul in the Bible, during his many years of setting up Churches he never took a paying position as a Minister. He supported himself constructing tents. It was a skill that was very portable. Every town needed tents.

     Like Paul most Church of Thomas Ministers are categorized as Generalists. You could call them Jacks of All Trades. We can move and get a job almost anywhere God tells us we are needed. We often have experience in many different fields. I am a good example of that characteristic. It has made me very Portable and Mobile.

     The other reason we do not wear robes is that it takes resources away from what we are asked to do for God. Every penny I earn needs to be allocated. I have to find out first where God wants it to be used. Then when that is done, I meet my own needs. I try very hard to consider the Principle of First Fruit. I try never to give God what is left but the first right to my resources. I always seem to be provided for in my basic needs. I do not always manage to fight my desire to do what I Want, but I do try.

     We do not wear collars because we are never Ordained as Ministers. We are called by God, if we accept the calling and all it’s hardships we become Ministers. Every member of our Church has the potential to become a Minister. Ministry is not always about writing Sermons and leading Congregations. Sometimes it is like Tracy who is answering the call to create a Grief Support Ministry. She was inspired by her own loss of her mate through Death. She discovered that there is no real support system for non traditional relationships when death takes one of them. If you would like to talk with her I’ll connect ya’ll. If you feel the call to be a Minister in the Church of Thomas talk with me, I’ll fill you in.

     The fancy clothing worn by many modern Ministers is also a showy way to tell their Congregations that they are a Power to be reckoned with. They take the old adage, “the Clothes Make the Man”, to heart. They are in Ministry to Make Friends and Influence People as that book on success would say. The clothes give the cache of being “Blessed by God”. Unfortunately, these fancy clothes are not paid for by a job of tent making. The money for these clothes comes from the salaries they give themselves out of the Donation basket.   

     We do not believe the Holy Spirit comes to only those that are well dressed. We do not believe the Holy Spirit cares if the person they enter is wearing Robes or a Collar. We believe the exterior has no bearing on who will be blessed by being moved by the Holy Spirit.

     Here are some verses that are from the Reconciler Gospel of Thomas that will help illustrate my points. These are the verses we use as our Guides to how to use our resources versus how those that follow the Pharisees model do things. For those who do not know the tribe that took the position of Priests in the time of Moses was the tribe of Levi. From that time to the present all important Priestly jobs have been filled by descendants of that tribe.

     RGoT Verse 78   Jesus said, “Why do you seek the river reed out in the desert? Why do you seek truth from a man of the Tribe of Levi, clothed in fine garments like your Kings and your Great Men? Upon them are the finery and clothes bought with the blood of Widows and the sweat of Slaves. They are blind to the truth that stands before them.”

     RGoT Verse 81   Jesus said, “Let the person who has grown rich in Spirit be your Leaders. Let the person who holds great power renounce it. It is because it is better to be Rich in Spirit. It is because Power Corrupts.”

     There are many verses in the New Testament also that chide the Priesthood of the Jews to understand that being showy does not lead to faith. The robes are symbols of a decadent past that should have been left by the wayside instead of adopted by the newly forming Christian Church. It is one reason that Peter’s Church found us annoying and dangerous to the Temple System they were duplicating. Jesus was very sad to see this happen, especially since it was being done in his name.

God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions.

Angel Eliza