I am going to take something for granted this morning. I am going to take for granted that everyone here today is a Christian. After all, who except the redeemed of Christ would show up to church on the Sunday after Christmas? I am going to assume that you have heard the message of the angels, “Unto you is born this day in the City of David, A Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” You have heard it and you believe it. This message of a Savior, Jesus, who came and died for sin and rose again is the only hope that you cling to in your relationship with God now and the only hope that you have for your eternity. I assume that you are a Christian, a baptized believer in Christ.

As a Christian then it is time to get dressed. That is the word that Paul gives to us in our reading from the book of Colossians. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves…” (3:12) But before you can get dressed as Christ wants to dress you, you have to get undressed. I got home from the Christmas Eve worship service around 9:00 on Thursday. Our son Danny and his family are with us for Christmas and so when I got home it was time to open a present before bedtime. But when I walked into the living room Patrick, their son, our grandson, who is 3, had only his underpants on!! They had just made some hot chocolate and some of it got in his belly but most of it got on his clothes. So instead of changing clothes, because the package to be unwrapped was his new Christmas P’J’s, he just waited to get dressed with his new gift.

We need to get dressed but before we get dressed we have to get undressed. Earlier in the chapter Paul says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things…Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. And do not lie to each other…” (3:1-2, 5-9a)

In just a few days we begin a New Year. Along with the New Year comes the desire to change, improve, grow and be different. It is time to get rid of those things which take away from us life and joy and then wear something new and glorious. It is time to get dressed.

There is a show on Cable T.V. called What Not To Wear. A number of experts in fashion invade the wardrobe of someone who wants to have a makeover in their closet. Sometimes these experts are just a little bit cruel and mean to the people who are part of the makeover. They make fun of what they have been wearing – saying that some (or all) of the clothes that they have been wearing is out of date, or just plain ugly!! After holding up a piece of clothes, you see them throwing it away!! “Out it goes!!” I am not inviting them to inspect my clothes!! If it was good in 1980 don’t you think it would be good today? By now it can be called a classic. And I’m sure that that style will be back with us soon!!

There are things in our character, how we are, that need to be changed. What Not to Wear also applies to all of that!! So what should we wear? “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14) High sounding words aren’t they? “Compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love.” That is what we are to wear. That is how, we, as believers in Jesus Christ, should be dressed.

In a class that I teach to folks who would like to be members of this church we speak about this passage and how it is that God wants His people to live. I ask the question of them – what virtue seems to be the hardest to have? The hands quickly rise and patience seems to be one they struggle with. But each of these garments, these virtues to be worn, can be hard to put on. We especially have difficulty in living that way when the spot we find ourselves in is hard. We have trouble with patience, when we think something needs to get done right now, or on our time table, or how we want it to be done!! We would just like someone to get out of our way!! Now!! Forgiveness is hard when someone has hurt us, when the wounds are deep, or when we feel the person has no true repentance over the incident. It is difficult to be filled with compassion or kindness or gentleness. It is a challenge to have a deep enduring love when we do not seem to receive it in return.

But that is our dress. That is what we are called to do. When the world looks at us they are to see a brilliant dress. They should see real compassion for others. Great patience, kindness, humility are to make up the clothes that we wear. They are to see our good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven. Paul in Ephesians says this, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (4:1-2)

That is how we are to be. But sometimes we can be like my Grandson Patrick and get everything spilled on us and our dress is not so perfect. So we go to get dressed again. We go and get dressed in the forgiveness that Christ has for us and the righteousness that He would allow us to wear. We receive His body and blood of Christ for our forgiveness and cleansing, for a dress that is absolutely perfect. What we are asked to wear is everything that we have already received. We have received the boundless love from God in the gift of Jesus for us. We have received His patience in our life – He has not given up on us. God doesn’t have a short fuse. Gentleness, kindness and forgiveness first come from Him and they flow to us. In the words of Jesus, “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8) The reason that our lives can be lived with such goodness is because they have been made good by the workings of Christ. In this same thought of being dressed Paul says, ”You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:26-27)

But being dressed in this way is not some strength that we possess or what we can do by ourselves. The Bible says, “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” (II Corinthians 3:4-5) It is God’s Holy Spirit that does this work in us, allowing us to be dressed so wonderfully. You may remember what Paul says about the fruit of the Spirit in the book of Galatians, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (5:22-25)

On Christmas Eve a number of the folks that came got to wear something new to the service. And they were so proud of the dress or the shirt and tie, or the hair that was just perfect. For us to get dressed in the virtues that God calls us to have is not something we wear just on occasion. In our section we are told, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” (3:16a) That is how love and patience and forgiveness and humility grow within us. Dwell in His holy Word, take it in, consume it, making it part of our life. Live under the grace of Christ knowing that this dress has been given to us. And then stand strong in God’s Spirit, asking God to do His work in us and through us wonderfully.

Everyday it is time for us to get dressed as God would so wonderfully dress us!! Amen!!