As
God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience.
In the old fable The Emperor’s New Clothes, the emperor
learned a hard lesson the hard way. His folly and his vanity left him vulnerable to
scoundrels who convinced him his new duds were from such a fine material that only royal
eyes could see them. Of course, the emperor was undone when a little boy cried out,
"Why is the emperor naked?" The emperor had to admit his error and came away a
wiser, though embarrassed, monarch.
But not all clothes are the visible kind you’d expect to find at
Kohl’s, Sears, or Brooks Brothers. A character in a Bogart movie might be described
as "clothed in mystery." A respected elder may be "clothed in
dignity."
And then there’s the clothing described by Paul in his letter to
the Colossians. Paul ponders the meaning of Christ in our lives, and he notes that Christ
died not just for one group, but for everyone. He saved everyone. "Christ is
all," he wrote. "Christ is in all."
If Christ was for everyone, Paul said, then we also need to embrace
everyone. Paul’s message was a continuation of Christ’s message: Love one
another. What we do for one another in love, we do for God. To that end he wrote,
"Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."
What fine clothes those would be! Instead of a scarf, we’d wear
the warmth of kindness. In place of a leather coat, we’d be covered with humility.
Compassion would be the gloves on the hands we’d hold out to others. These clothes
would come in a one-size-fits-all style, and anyone could wear them if they tried. If only
we could find such clothes at the mall!
The clothes of which Paul writes are invisible to the human eye, like
those of the foolish emperor. But God can see them – and he is pleased.
Dear God, Please help us realize that compassion, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience are values that we should keep on us at all times, as if
they were gifts from our King, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Ken Hobart
