In light of some recent news, I’ve found myself noticing the types of specialty license plates people here in Arizona tend to drive. While the vast majority of people have a generic license plate, every now and again I find an alternative license plate that catches my attention – perhaps based on the various bumper stickers also attached to the vehicle, or perhaps by how the person in the car happens to be driving at that time. I distinctly recall the occasion that I witnessed a mild case of road rage involving a driver with an Organ Donor license plate on his vehicle. I’m glad that didn’t turn out to be prophetic in that moment.
One thing that I’ve found especially fascinating, however, is the number and overall nature of the cars that have the “In God we Trust” license plate option on their vehicles. Unsurprisingly, several of them have personalized letters or numbers on their license plates. One I came across recently suggested the driver (or perhaps the car?) was “virtuous.” Another one referenced a book of the Bible while they zipped around myself and other drivers on the freeway. I’ve come across a few that suggest that the driver feels blessed. Whatever it is, it’s interesting to see what message that people are attempting to portray with their vehicles, and it makes me wonder what type of message we convey to others about who we are based simply on how we present ourselves to the world every day.
While I truly believe that performative acts of faith miss the mark about why we do the things we do, there are ways that I feel we’re able to effectively advertise ourselves and God’s love for us throughout our walk of faith in this world. As we do acts of service, oftentimes we’ll wear our “God’s Work, Our Hands” t-shirts. In fact, at our most recent roadside cleanup day, I joined in and was wearing my Esperanza “God’s Work” t-shirt, and a couple walking past commented on it while we worked. For the past few years, this t-shirt has been a simple, non-threatening way for us to share who we are and what we’re about. More than that, however, it’s our entry into opening ourselves to greater service.
I don’t know about you, but I feel when I’m wearing the collar or wearing some other wardrobe that readily identifies me as associated with the church, I am more aware of what I’m doing – how I interact with people, how patient I am in traffic, and more. I wonder if in some ways our outward signs impact our inward hearts and intents. Does it matter to us more to act as God intends when we know that we are more easily identified in matters of faith?
I’d like for you to consider trying a holy experiment with me. If you’ve got one of our “God’s Work, Our Hands” shirts, or another shirt that identifies you as being connected to Esperanza or just a faith community in general, find a day to wear it where you have nothing special going on. Pay attention to your interactions. How do people identify you? Do they seem more wary? More helpful? Open to conversation? How do you interact with others? Do you try to be a little more patient? Do you seek out ways to stand out to show off what you’re wearing?
People of hope, I believe that God’s Holy Spirit is still working to guide our words and actions here in this place. But maybe we all could benefit from reminders of whose we are as we go about our daily lives. So I invite you – if your experiment reveals something interesting to you, strive to find ways to live your life as if you were identified as a person of faith every day, regardless of wardrobe. May your awareness of your being called to serve, and your humility in knowing that there are things bigger than just you as an individual, reveal to the whole world that whatever we wear, we belong to God. And belonging to God, we live lives of humble service, so that the whole world may know who we are, not just by what we wear, but also by how we live each day in the light of Christ’s gospel.
Pastor Chris