September 6, 2026 Trinity XIV

September 6, 2026

Trinity XIV

You may have noticed that things we wear are getting smarter.

Not in the sense that our clothes know how to match our socks and shirts, we’re still on our own there — but smarter in the technological sense. Watches track our heart rates. Rings and wristbands monitor our health and sleep patterns. Glasses can display directions or translate languages. You might even wear devices that measure blood sugar or remind you to stand up and move around. It won’t be long before things we wear know more about us than our doctors do. Your watch will tell you how well you slept, how many steps you took, and how stressed you were during the church board meeting.

Our clothes may not talk to us (yet), but things we wear are increasingly connected, responsive and full of information.

In other words, what we wear is doing more than telling the time or helping us pass an eye test when we renew our driver’s license. These accessories tell stories about who we are.

And it’s not just technology. Every day we choose what we’ll wear — clothes, jewelry and symbols that communicate something about us. A sports jersey says one thing. A business suit says another. A clerical collar says something else entirely.

We do the same thing online. We curate identities on social media the same way we assemble a wardrobe. We present a version of ourselves to the world.

So, before we walk out the door each morning, we decide, “What am I going to wear today?” Some mornings, that decision takes longer than we’d like to admit.

This makes the apostle Paul’s words sound surprisingly modern. Writing to the Christians in Rome, Paul says that instead of living for yourselves, seeking pleasure and gratification, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Put on Christ. It’s a striking image. Paul speaks about faith the way we speak about clothing. Just as we choose what to wear before stepping into the world, Paul suggests that the most important decision we make each day is not what but who we put on.

Paul’s command to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” might sound unusual at first, but the more you think about it, the more familiar the idea becomes.

A uniform tells you something about the person wearing it. A firefighter’s coat signals danger and courage. A judge’s robe signals authority. A wedding ring tells a story about commitment. What we wear shapes how we move through the world.

If you are wearing work clothes, you expect to work. If you are wearing formal clothes, you behave a little differently than you would in sweatpants and a T-shirt. Clothing doesn’t just express identity; it reinforces it.

Paul understands that. That’s why he talks about faith using the language of clothing.

When he tells believers to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” he’s not talking about fashion. He’s talking about identity.

Earlier in this chapter, Paul speaks about everyday responsibilities: respecting authorities, paying taxes and living peaceably with others. These aren’t heroic acts that make headlines. They are the ordinary habits of daily life.

His point is that discipleship doesn’t usually exist in dramatic YouTube adventures. It shows up in the way we conduct ourselves in ordinary situations. The life of those who follow Jesus isn’t something they keep tucked away inside their hearts. It is something worn out into the world where people can see it.

Every day, we step into the world wearing something. Paul simply asks: What identity are we wearing?

Paul then reminds his readers of several commandments: do not commit adultery, murder, or theft and don’t even think about coveting something a friend of yours might have. These familiar instructions, he says, all point toward a single reality: “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Why? Because love does no harm to a neighbor. So love, like onesies, wet suits, long johns or overalls, sort of becomes the garment that holds everything else together. Without love, morality becomes a checklist. With love, it becomes a way of life. Love shapes the way we speak to people who disagree with us. It shapes how we treat those who have less power than we do, like the teenager at the second window of a burger joint drive-through, the cashier at the grocery store, the person answering customer service when we’re already frustrated, or the neighbor who sees the world very differently than we do.

Love shapes how we respond when patience runs thin and irritation begins to rise. And people notice. They watch how those who claim to love God treat not only their friends but strangers or those in need. They watch how disagreements are handled. They watch whether kindness shows up when things get difficult.

In other words, they watch what we are wearing.

Christ becomes the garment. To wear Christ means allowing his character to shape our instincts and reactions. Clothing affects how we move. Heavy boots change how we walk. A uniform changes how we carry ourselves. In the same way, putting on Christ begins to shape how we live.

Before we leave the house each morning, we make a simple decision: what are we going to wear?

Sometimes the choice is easy. Sometimes it takes a little thought. But one way or another, we decide. Shirt or hoodie? Boots or sneakers? Jacket or cardigan? Sweatpants or pajamas? Do I need a pocket for my sunglasses and phone, or is my smartwatch enough today? Earrings or AirPods?

Paul says the most important decision we make each day isn’t what we wear on our bodies, but who we wear in our lives. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” he says.

· Wear his patience when tempers begin to rise.

· Wear his humility when pride starts whispering in your ear.

· Wear his compassion when someone else’s burden crosses your path.

· Wear his courage when doing the right thing becomes uncomfortable.

Long before wearable technology, Paul understood that identity is something people can see. When the world looks at the church, it should be able to recognize what we are wearing.

So before we step into each new day — before the first conversation, decision or challenge — the question isn’t “what am I wearing today?” but rather, “who am I wearing today?”

Let us pray.

In today’s Gospel Jesus emphasises the importance of reconciliation in our lives.  We pray for the grace to forgive those who have wronged us and for a spirit of reconciliation among feuding families and neighbours. We pray to the Lord.               

We pray for all families that their homes be an oasis of love, peace and harmony.  We pray particularly for those where relationships have broken down and for those in conflict that the loving spirit of Christ be bestowed upon them. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for ourselves that through the love of Christ we learn to listen to each other with respect and to grow in compassion, patience and caring. We pray to the Lord.            

We pray for  a recognition that in today’s world we are destroying so much of God’s creation and for an awareness that in our own lives we ourselves can make a difference. We pray to the Lord.            

We pray for the earth and all its creatures bestowed on us by our generous and loving Father, that all nations be united in its protection and in the fight against global warming. We pray to the Lord.                                    

We pray for those affected by the terrible floods in Nepal and Tibet. We pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, for those missing and for their families and for the rescue workers. We pray to the Lord.                        

We pray for peace in our world and for an end to the killing of the innocent. We pray to the Lord.  

We pray to God for an increase of priests, deacons, and religious for our denomination to bring the Good News to all peoples without prejudice. We pray to the Lord.

For generous benefactors who can help our tiny parish with needed repairs and better fiscal foundation. We pray to the Lord.

For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.

We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.     

Father God, forgive us for failing to understand and accept the great demands placed upon us by your love. We enlist in your causes, but find ourselves losing interest. We promise to be courageous, but find ourselves afraid. We want to be sensitive, but find ourselves hard and callous. Forgive us; take our limitations and turn them into possibilities for service. 

We know that we have not lived according to your desires for us. The brokenness in the world, and the sin and despair in our hearts, threaten to consume us as a mighty flood.

Creating God, in love you moved over the waters of chaos and separated sea from dry land. And yet, we cling tightly to rigid boundaries of our own making. You claim us in the waters of baptism and declare us dead to sin and alive in Christ. But too often we deny that call, conforming ourselves to the whims of culture. At Pentecost, you released your wild and transforming spirit to flow through church and world. But we want to tame that wildness, channeling your spirit through banks of ordered safety. Transform us, we pray. Soften the unyielding edges of our hearts. Loosen our grip on “the way it’s always been” and prepare us for the joy of “the way it still can be!” We ask all these things, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

God Love You +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA.

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