Why It Makes Sense to Wear White on Easter
Saturday as I was working outside on a glorious spring day out of nowhere came the words to an old Easter song by Irving Berlin that I remember from my childhood:
“In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade.”
And then I thought how typical of us, especially as women, and particularly me, to make Easter about fashion and how we look. I loved making or buying adorable new dresses or little suits for my children for Easter Sunday. New clothes help us set apart a special occasion. Nothing wrong with that.
But I realized Saturday in hindsight that my motive was also so my children would be noticed for how cute and adorable they were. Not exactly the devotion to Christ that Resurrection Day deserves. Happily there is grace for my shortcomings and mixed motives.
And then there are those old-fashioned rules, like declaring that wearing white or linen before Easter is an embarrassing faux pas. As I pondered this rule, I realized that somewhere, someone understood that believers in Christ will one day wear white linen in heaven. Wearing white for the first time on Easter Sunday symbolized not only our future, but also the dramatic change from the dark drab of winter to the clean newness waiting for us because of the Resurrection. By sporting some white, we declare our identification with Christ, our hope for the future, our joy in this greatest victory of all history. So as you prepare for Resurrection Sunday, go ahead and plan something new to remind you of your new life in Christ, and something white, to remember that though your sins were as scarlet they shall be white as snow. But make sure your heart is focused on celebrating the Savior, not on being the grandest lady with perfectly adorned children in church on Easter Sunday. Christ is risen!