What are you wearing? Presidents, suits and fall outs

Apparently one of the things that upset some at the White House was that President Zelensky didn’t wear a suit. 

Interestingly, those people don’t seem too worried that Zelensky hasn’t worn a suit to other meetings with other world leaders. It’s a shame that  Keir Starmer did not opt to forgo a suit when welcoming the Ukrainian president on Saturday.

They also seem a little ignorant if history.  Both Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela didn’t wear suits and even last week, Elon Musk showed up at the cabinet minus a suit and wearing a baseball hat.

I remember a time when the big focus on church life was on men wearing suits and women,  dresses and hats. We would often be asked as young people “what would you wear to see the Queen?”

Focus on external appearance misses two points. First, our duty to show hospitality. Trump, Vance and the US press were so preoccupied with their own slighted importance that they forgot that this was their first responsibility.

If they had shown proper welcome and taken time to listen and learn, then they would have discovered that Zelensky doesn’t wear a suit because he does not want to dishonour his own people fighting and suffering in a war by being seen to enjoy the trappings of power.

Is our first focus at. church on outward appearance or on making people feel welcome, not putting up barriers to the Gospel.  This is more than suits and ties. It’s about the difference between focusing on the externals of actions and words and getting to the heart.

Then of course, the focus must be on our own heart condition.  Am I right with God and others?  Of course there is a dress code for believers but it isn’t about externals.  The correct answer for how I would go to see the King  of Kings is “dressed in his righteousness alone.”