When I was a wee bit lad and daft on motorcars, like thousands of others I followed the events of the World Rally.  It was at the time when Ford Escorts were winning every event and it was good to dream that one day I too might own a Ford Escort and drive with the same with the same flair and passion.  Of course by the time I was old enough to drive, Ford Escorts were old hat and my limited finances allowed my to buy a Renault 12 which was almost as old as I was!

Nowadays the cars used in Rally events, hurtling down forest tracks at 120mph bear no resemblance to anything we might own or drive.  But in theory at least, the gruelling tests those performance cars are put through filters down to us so that we get better engineering, better safety and better performance from the cars we drive.

I’ve got a feeling it might be something the same in the Fashion World.  When we look in the fashion magazines or watch highlights of the fashion shown on television we see a very different end of the market.  Supermodels dressed in the most outlandish designs grace the catwalk.  Of course we never see anyone walking through the Centre dressed like those Supermodels.  Maybe just as well!  But the ideas and imagination and themes so flamboyantly displayed by top designers filters down through the fashion trade and influences what is available to us in our High street shops.

Fashion is big business and to some extent we are all subject to it.  Young people are especially subject to fashion trends and can be quite miserable if they're unable to wear fashionable clothes. 

But within the constraints of fashion we're all different.  We feel more comfortable in different styles and we prefer different colours.  Some of us prefer to always look smart while others prefer to always look more relaxed.  Some of us are unable to throw clothes away no matter how old they are, (I’ve still got my old jumper with the sheep dog on it) while others are always buying new clothes or new shoes.  Although most of us take some notice of fashion, we are not controlled by it, we still tend exercise our own choices and declare our character by the clothes we wear.  We tend to have a functional approach to clothes, some we wear for protection and warmth so our winter wardrobe is very different from our summer wardrobe. 

Some clothes are worn to designate a particular profession.  The Minister in his Clerical Shirt or Robes.  Police and Fire fighters wearing uniform.  Doctors wear white coats.  It's often easy therefore to tell at a glance what somebody does for a living.

It's often possible to tell what group someone relates to by the clothes that they wear.  School children wear school uniform, but teenagers out of school wear a uniform of choice indicating whether they are Skaters or Goth’s or part of some other group. In fact even the drab and mundane school uniform quickly gets adapted to indicate belonging to a particular group. 

What sort of clothes do Christians wear? According to the perceptions of the outside world, probably twin set and pearls and sensible shoes.  Or for men, corduroys and cardigans with leather patches on the elbows, because we are seen not as individuals but as something stale and stuffy and formal - boring do-gooders. 

Paul thought of Christian clothing very differently.  The whole of the letter to the Ephesians is concerned with Christian conduct, and in those verses which were read to us today from the final chapter, he spells out how we can achieve the high ideals of Christian conduct which he has set before us.

He refers to us as soldiers needing God's armour to protect us from the difficulties and temptations of life.  He talks about spiritual forces of evil, which may be difficult to spot or identify, but which work against us, often in hidden ways.  And so Paul tells us to protect ourselves with the breastplate of righteousness and the belt of truth.  As shoes for our feet we're told to put on whatever will make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.  And we must take with us the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

What exactly are all these things? Paul tells us that the sword of the spirit is the word of God, but he doesn't spell out just what these other clothes are, although he does give us some hints. 

In years past, everybody knew something about the word of God because as children in school they learned passages of scripture, or the Lord’s Prayer.  They had scripture embedded in their minds and were able to draw on it in times of need.  This no longer happens, so it's important for us to read the Bible, to know what God is saying to us.  Then it becomes a resource for us when we really need it.  It's amazing how often a verse of the Bible will spring to mind just when we need it.  But that can only happen if we’ve taken the time to read what is there!

It's no accident that Paul has linked the breastplate of righteousness with the belt of truth, for righteousness and truth go together.  If we aren't truthful we will never be right with God.  Truthfulness is not simply avoiding telling lies, but requires a deep integrity of character, the sort of integrity, which Jesus showed when he accepted crucifixion, rather than denying God.  It's an integrity, which must be present in every area of life.

Faith is the deep conviction that God exists, that God cares about human beings and that God was clearly seen in the person of Jesus Christ.  Faith is the trust and belief that whatever happens in life, God is there and God is on our side.  That sort of faith doesn't prevent bad things happening to us, but it does enable us to get through them because we know that God will never let us go. 

The helmet of salvation is the realisation and acceptance that Jesus Christ is the way to health and happiness.  By following the path of love, courage and integrity that Jesus showed us, we too will find long lasting happiness and the eternal life which God has waiting for all of us.  The word "salvation" implies both protection and health.  Jesus protects us from the assaults of evil whatever form they may take, and brings us a real, shining health of soul which often becomes a shining health of body and mind too.

People who have lives full of integrity and faith and love and who are steeped in the word of God, can't help but bring peace wherever they go.  They wear the shoes that make them ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.  Just to be in their presence brings a feeling of deep peace and deep healing.  Jesus was that sort of person.

And when all this is right - the integrity and courage and love and faith and knowledge of God's word - then we will live as Christians in the ways in which Paul instructed us through this letter to the Ephesians.  We may not be fashionable, but we will be wearing very powerful clothes indeed.  It will be Christian Power Dressing.