Garment Watchers

Some people go to church to observe other people's clothes.

Sister G was an elderly Christian woman. She invited a man named Malcolm to a church in Old Harbour. Malcolm was not a churchgoer, but he decided to pay a visit to the church. On the second Sunday in February, he went to the church, and he wore the only suit and the only necktie that he had. Nobody said anything to him about his outfit on the first day.

 

      The following Sunday, Malcolm wore the same suit and the same necktie to church, and nobody said anything to him about his clothes on that day either. He started to get a good feeling about the members of the congregation. He wanted to find a good denomination, and he was thinking of becoming a member of the church in the near future.

 

      Malcolm thought everything was Ok, so on the third Sunday, he went back to the church in the same suit and the same necktie. When the woman who had invited him to the church saw him coming in, she called him aside and asked him, “Brother Malcolm, is this jacket suit the only one you have?” Malcolm was surprised when he heard what she said. He did not answer the question, for he could not think of anything to say that would not hurt her feelings.

 

      Sister G was not satisfied with not getting a reply from Malcolm, so she said, “I’ve been noticing you since you’ve been coming here. You wore the same jacket suit to church three Sundays in a row, so I’m wondering if you don’t have another one to wear.” This time Malcolm could not remain silent. “Sister G, I came to church to worship God, not to watch people’s clothes,” he responded. Sister G’s face fell when she heard Malcolm’s expression.

 

      At that moment, Malcolm’s desire to become a member of the church went out the window. “Sister G, you’re not a true Christian, you’re a garment watcher,” he said. “I thought better of you, ma’am. I will not come back to this church as long as I live,” he added. The woman felt ashamed of her behaviour. Furthermore, she did not expect him to speak to her so harshly. With that, Malcolm began to walk towards the church gate.

 

      An usher who was standing by the gateway saw him leaving and said, “Brother Malcolm, are you leaving before the meeting ends?” He replied, “Yes, sir. I’m leaving now because I don’t like garment watchers.” The usher asked, “What are you talking about?” He said, “I didn’t know that my suit was a problem to anyone. You people are not true Christians; all of you are garment watchers!” The usher was puzzled, but he did not say anything more. Malcolm left the church, and just as he told Sister G, he never went back there.

 

The End

Author's Note

Enjoy the reading.