I’m not sure what you think of men with ties, but I have a whole new perspective today.
In reading my father’s letters from 1937 I ran across a rather unexpected story. He and his older brother (both just in their late teens/early twenties) were at a church service outside Stayner, Ontario. The Brethren in Christ were holding a communion service – a sacred sharing together that shows commitment to Jesus and Jesus’ commitment to us.
To show this sacredness the church had bylaws that governed how you come to communion. One of those bylaws required that men not wear ties, I’m presuming because of the vanity of such apparel. And so my dad and his brother were told they could not wear their ties.
Now, as fashionable young men, this certainly must have struck them hard. Both agreed to not wear ties. They would have worn ties but they chose not to. Here’s where their personalities differ. My father was always a peacemaker – he joined in communion. My uncle, a feisty type, was at the communion service but did not join in.
Now, here is my question. Should we all (men) be wearing ties nowadays? Our culture has changed so much that the fashion is to come up with the nicest open necked shirt we can find. Perhaps we should wear a plain black tie with our shirts to show our rebellion against worldly influences? Is this legalism to the last degree? Does it really matter?
I like ties, they keep my neck warm, cover buttons I might have left undone, and look good. My father liked ties – I always remember he wore a tie to church. Perhaps we get too tied up in the fashion of the world and forget the heart of the matter?
