May I Take Your Coat?

Occasionally, I have had the opportunity to attend an event at a hall where there is a coat check. (I know, fancy right?!) Sometimes gratis, sometimes for a small fee, a couple of young people gladly receive my bulky outerwear in exchange for a ticket to identify my belongings upon my departure. This leaves me disencumbered for the evening, not having to worry about my coat creating an unwelcome obstacle course for folks heading to the dance floor. It also provides some security over simply hanging my coat on an open rack (although any curious pick pocket would be dismayed to discover only crumpled tissues and an aging cough drop!).

Coat checks recently came to mind when I was listening to the song “The Father’s House”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHWRlRkkvV0 One line reads “Check your shame at the door, ‘cause it ain’t welcome anymore.” Shame...Ooooh - now that’s a heavy load. I heard it said once that guilt is feeling you have done something wrong whereas shame is feeling there is something wrong with you. There has been much research and many publications around shame recently. But no matter how you define it, I think it’s fair to say that shame is not something any of us wants to carry for long.

In an impactful dramatic presentation at our church one Good Friday, an actor wearing a dark cloak acted out a life of selfish and damaging pursuits. At the beginning, the cape didn’t hamper movement much, but it became increasingly heavy and difficult to bear. Finally, they could stand it no longer and sank to the floor. Enter ‘Jesus’, stage right. Dressed in white linen, He reached down and helped the weakened one stand and they started moving together around the stage. During their dance, Jesus gently removed the cloak and replaced it with His own airy robe. He then placed the burdensome mantle on His own back. At first, the redeemed one leapt for joy. Then, looking back, they spotted Jesus, bearing a load that wasn’t His own and the cost of the transformation sank in. There was still joy, to be sure, but now with a posture of deep and humble gratitude.

I imagine arriving at the Grand Banquet, weighed down by worry, regret, poor choices, sorrow… and shame. When I arrive at the coat check, I am stunned to see the Host Himself ready to take my coat - and to take it for good. It is not a question of being relieved for a few sweet hours. My burden is permanently exchanged for an ethereal cloak that makes my heart sing. No need for so much as a tip. It’s all looked after. May I never forget the cost of such grace.