Plastic Around the Neck

What's up with some pastors wearing a clerical shirt?

First, this is what it's not: The clerical shirt is not a symbol of power or a demand for respect or a mark of "one who is holier than you." It is a symbol of a servant - the same idea why other public servants such as police officers, military personnel, and the like wear a uniform. The pastor is a servant of Christ and of His Word - ordained to call and serve "in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ" for the Church and for a specific congregation.

There are practical functions as well. The wearer is quickly identified in public as one who is a servant of the Church. However, in recent years the shirt has had negative images associated with it. Scandals in the Church, such as the many abuse cases in the Roman Catholic Church, have given the clerical shirt a bad public image. For some, when they see it, they think "child molester" instead of pastor.

But why black? Black is color symbolic of sin. The servant of Christ is also as sinner just like everyone else. The white of the collar itself is a reminder of what Christ has done for us. Through faith in Him, we are washed clean of sin the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7). He declares us sinners his holy ones - white as snow because Jesus graciously took our sin upon himself in his life, death, and resurrection.

The pastor is a sinner called and ordained to speak God's Word to God's people and to the world. The shirt is a symbol of that public office.