When I first came to Montana back in 2010, I was curious to find out how people managed the cold weather in winter. One of the things that I heard (without a complaint but with a smile) was that, “there’s never bad weather, just bad gear!” And I noticed that Montanans meant that, as I noticed the type of cars, the type of clothes, the type of homes you see here.
So, before we came, we made sure we got the right clothing for Montana. We went to an outlet mall outside Houston where there is a Columbia outlet store and we got vests, jackets, parkas and what not to make sure we were ready for our new life in Montana. I remember going through the labels, which indicated what temperature each item was good for. “The wind blows, the rain pours, the snow falls!” was one of the slogans posted at the store, so we knew we had to gear up because no matter what, we would experience cold weather in Montana.
Throughout the Bible we find several passages that mention clothing. We know from Genesis 3:21 that the Lord made garments of animal skins for Adam and Eve. In Genesis 37 we read about Joseph and his coat of many colors which got him in trouble. In Chronicles 34, we learn that king Josiah tore his clothes when he found out the people were not following the commandments of the Lord. The king of Nineveh ordered his people to take off their clothes and cover themselves in sackcloth as a sign of repentance in the book of Jonah. The book of Ezekiel records a complaint from God regarding Jerusalem because she had not been faithful even though God said, “I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you.” (Ezekiel 16:1-19)
It’s no surprise then that Paul, who knew the Old Testament to the last letter, ends the book of Ephesians using the imagery of clothing. Last Sunday, during the message, Pastor Ken reminded us that we need to gear up properly because there is evil in this word. Just as there is cold weather in Montana, there is evil in this world, particularly during these times we live in. We need, more than ever, the belt of truth and the armor of God’s righteousness. We need, without a doubt, the shield of faith and the helmet of our salvation if we are going to be faithful and true to our God amid all the temptations we face. And we need the sword of the Spirit to fight our daily battles.
May God help us to do so.
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