I go to church, and I dress up for it. Why? Respect. Reverence for my Creator. I am not knocking anyone who worships in shorts and a t-shirt, and I am certainly not trying to impress anybody in the building. It just feels good to show up a little cleaner, a little sharper, a little more squared away when I go in for my spiritual tune up.
What the Suit Was Always For
Think about the parallels for a second. As a football player, we traveled to away games, sometimes long distances, and the requirement was often a suit and tie. The coaches wanted it not only because we represented our school, but because dressing the part put us in a serious, business frame of mind and kept us focused on the job in front of us. The clothes were a signal to ourselves before they were ever a signal to anyone else.
I have also spent much of my career in courtrooms, where the standard for attorneys is a suit and tie. Partly it is a rule. But why is it the rule? Because it signals respect. Respect for the institution, for the law, for the judge sitting on the bench. We dress up for the things we have decided to take seriously, and people read the message instantly.
The Outside Posture Helps Set the Inside One
When I go to church, I am there to do some business too. Personal business, between me and my Higher Power. Dressing up is a bit of a lost tradition in American culture, and honestly I would love to see it come back, the big hats, the suit and tie, the shiny shoes, the simple sense that some occasions are worth your best.
Now, does God actually care what you wear? Probably not in the slightest. If you worship faithfully in jeans, keep right on doing it, and do not let anyone make you feel small for it. But if you are so inclined, spiffing up a little can shift your own attitude and the way you see yourself as you step into something sacred. Sometimes the outside posture helps set the inside one. The body leads, and the heart tends to follow.