The Significance Of Liturgical Vestments

This article discusses both theological and historical perspectives on the use of vestments in worship, referring both to vestments for worship leaders and for important objects used in worship. In the movie Back to the Future, a young man is transported in a time machine back to the teenage years of his parents (the 1950s). When he is first discovered, his parents' peers call him Calvin because so much of his clothing bears Calvin Klein labels. Sporting the names of famous designers on seat pockets, sleeves, and shirt pockets is a mark of status in our time. This has rarely, if ever, been so before. Within recorded history, however, clothing has always been more than a mere extension of the skin for purposes of warmth and protection. Clothing communicated relationships and meanings within a community. Although all the Maori of New Zealand may wear cloaks made of bird feathers, the pattern of the feathers distinguishes one group from another. The contrasting patterns of Chinese and…