I read an interesting article the other day that was posted on the Fiji Times Online.  Evidently, there is a strict observance of Sunday worship on one of the islands that has resulted in men not being allowed to wear pants on Sunday.  The Sunday ban also forbids travel and the hanging of clothes on lines.

The head of the village said the ban was enforced so that the islanders could learn to respect the significance of Sunday as a holy day.  Not a bad idea, but prohibiting pants seems like kind of an odd way to set Sunday apart.

The man went on to say that the ban is meant “to bring good luck to the island as we respect the day of the Lord.  You can see that often misfortune befalls us because we don’t respect His commandments.  It used to be difficult to separate the days, but not anymore.”

Now on Saturdays, the clothes lines in the villages are full as the villagers know they can’t hang anything out on Sundays, and as a mark of respect, men can only wear a sulu (a skirt-like garment).

But, like with any rule or prohibition, there are always dissenters.  A villager – who requested anonymity – said this, “We can’t understand how wearing a sulu on Sunday will help us forge closer relations with the divine.”

The Lord has made it clear that He made the Sabbath for us as a time of rest and spiritual refreshment, and like on this island, it seems as though all of our days are the same as well.  So, I’m thinking that banning men from wearing pants at my church would really set Sunday apart for us.  I can see the sign now: Foothills Fellowship: The Home of No-Pants Worship.

We’ve been looking for an innovative and creative way for our neighbors to get to know us, and I think I may have just found the answer.  I’m considering not wearing pants to church this Sunday.  Anyone else with me?