Excerpt from Exodus 28:29-38

"You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue….On its lower hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the lower hem, with bells of gold between them all around….You shall make a rosette of pure gold….You shall fasten it on the turban with a blue cord…"

Reflection by Quinn G. Caldwell

Every intern I've ever had has shown up for the first day of work all conflicted about whether or not to wear robes (I love you guys, but you know it's true).  This is good; it shows they're thinking, and of course this is the kind of thing internships help sort out.  But next time it happens, I'm going to make them read this passage.  "Just be grateful God's not your supervisor," I'll say.  "All I want is black robes.  God wants pomegranates and bells."

Why all the detail and fussiness?  It's like being backstage before a show at Fashion Week.

Well, because every bit matters.  Every piece of the outfit is dripping with significance, not a stitch without meaning and reason.

What if you dressed the same way?  Not in the same outfit (though that would be awesome), but with the same kind of significance?  What if you remembered Jesus washing feet when you put on socks?  The towel around his waist when you put on underwear?  The Israelites who walked dry-shod through the sea when you put on your shoes?  What if you longed for your long white robe as you pulled on your shirt, prayed for your belt to be Paul's belt of truth, thought of your hat as the crown you will one day cast at Jesus' feet?

Your outfit might be the same as every other day, but I bet you wouldn't be.

Prayer

God, even when I'm just putting on ratty old shorts, grant that I might manage to put on Christ in the process.  Amen.

About the Author Quinn G. Caldwell, a United Church of Christ minister, is the co-author, with Curtis J. Preston, of the Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ, published by The Pilgrim Press.

Bless, by Quinn Caldwell, available now.