Date: 13 Dec 2000
Time: 14:20:16
What's an "ephod?" I'll want to look at this a little--exploring the connection between this robe that Samuel's mom makes him and the Colossians passage about "clothing ourselves." Hmmmm....
Date: 13 Dec 2000
Time: 14:22:57
OK, just answered my own question. An ephod is part of the ceremonial garments in the tabernacle texts. "helped bring human beings into contact with the deity," (Harper's Bible Dictionary). Maybe I'll talk about getting new "clothes" for Christmas...
Date: 27 Dec 2000
Time: 14:57:41
I am going to connect this with Jesus in the Temple and show how both boys were young but did not give into peer pressure. How it must have effected both mothers And try to show how if we are connected to God, we can give our best and still have more to give. MR in NY
Date: 28 Dec 2000
Time: 02:30:52
Well, I'm going to do our yearly "Covenant Renewal Service," and this fits in quite well - especially in using clothing as a metaphor for clothing ourselves in Christ. I was baptized as an adult and as part of the ceremony, I took off one jacket and put on a white one. The only time I've ever seen that was in that particular church, but I liked the symbolism.
Anyways, the connection being that we need a "new robe" once a year (at the very least) as we continue to take stock of our lives, examine our hearts, and grow ever more towards keeping Christ central to our lives. In my church, we'd call it "growing in grace," or "going on to perfection."
revo in GA
Date: 28 Dec 2000
Time: 02:33:59
The caveat, of course, is using religious-looking clothing as a substitute for our religion. I have people in my little church who want me to wear the robe, stole, collar, and others who want me to wear plain clothes. Both sides, in my opinion, are focusing on the clothing instead of whom the clothing points to.
revo, again
Date: 29 Dec 2000
Time: 21:03:42
It was a relief to read that someone else was brave enough to state that they did not know what an ephod is! Regardless I want to point out that such traditional garb of old is similar to our traditional garb whether it be ceremonial liturgical or casual. As someone else pointed out -why is it so hard to see inside people rather than the outward superficial side of people?
Date: 30 Dec 2000
Time: 21:57:38
Revo,
I've never had a big issue made of what I wear, but am aware that congregants do have varying opinions on how "formal" they want their church to appear. Here is what I have developed as an answer, to(as Paul) be all things to all people.
I wear the vestments from beginning of Advent thru Pentecost- the half of the year that we focus on Jesus' life and ministry in the world, all the ascendings and descendings; Incarnation, Crucifixtion, Resurrection, Assumption, Inspiration. From Pentecost to Advent, the focus is more on the life, growth, and work of the Church in, and to, the world- the horizontal rather than the vertical relationship. So I change to worldly wear, first coat and tie, then shirt and tie, then open collar. As a happy coincidence, This puts in the robe thru the cold months and gets me down to shirt sleeves during "Casual Summer". Also, I don't like the green side of my stole. It doesn't match the paraments. Not that I obsess on petty things like that...tom in TN(USA)