Episode 40 Everything Between Shouting and Silence

On Tuesday, as part of my Sermon prep, I counted 33 dress shirts in my bedroom closet. That is not counting a few in the laundry room, summer shirts in a big tote in our basement, and an entire wardrobe filled with t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, outdoor and farm wear. If you added in pants, jeans, jackets, and coats I might have enough clothing to line a city block if there was another Palm Sunday Parade.  Is it time to go to Goodwill? What if you only had the clothes you were wearing, would you offer your only coat as a saddle or toss your tunic in front of the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem?  Would you worry about the donkey’s hooves tearing your coat? In 30 AD day laborers and working class people generally owned one change of clothes. People patched and repaired clothes wearing them every day for years. In Genesis 37, Joseph’s older brothers loathe him for his coat of many colors that his dad gave him. After crucifying Jesus the soldiers gambled for his clothes. Exodus 22 mandated that if you took a neighbor’s coat to secure a loan, you must return it before sunset. The commandment appeals to humanity more than legalism asking: “How will your neighbor keep warm?” And promising that when your cold neighbor cries out, God “will listen, because God is compassionate”.