We're
working through a series at St Luke's at the moment called Everyday
Spirituality. Here is a link to iTunes where you can subscribe to our Podcast and get a hold of the various messages. Sadly we're not going to have time to cover everyday
spirituality and the beard at one of our Sunday gatherings so I thought
I'd jot down a couple of thoughts here in an attempt to at least scratch the
surface of this vast and important topic.
In no area
of life is that perhaps more obvious than in regards to the Christian man's
beard.
In some
circles of Christendom great debates rage in regards to biblical manhood and
biblical womanhood. What does it mean to be a Christian man or a Christian
woman. All sorts of blog posts, books, sermons, conferences and seminars have attempted to address these issues. I won't even bother linking to them as a solid
hermeneutical praxis that is cool headed, objective, exegetically sound and discerning
will quickly conclude (at least in regards to biblical manhood) that the essence
of Christian manhood is the beard. Full stop.
Throughout
the biblical cannon - though of course we only need to consider two isolated verse
from Leviticus - we see that the honour of a man is his beard.
Leviticus
14:9
On the seventh day they must shave off all their hair; they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean.
On the seventh day they must shave off all their hair; they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean.
Leviticus
19:27
Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
In Leviticus
14 one is only to shave when unclean. One must spend some time isolated from
the community and shave everything; head, beard, eyebrows and the rest of their
hair... They will then be clean, everyone will know they had been unclean, but
at least now they can set about growing their bearded awesomeness back and, in time, will be totally reincorporated into the life of the community. The beard is not
something to be squandered, taken lightly or shaven. Only in times of reproach,
or rebuke, or dishonour would a man remain clean shaven.
In Leviticus
19 we have an extended version of the Ten Commandments - pretty obvious here -
don't shave. Honour the Lord your God, don't murder, and, don't shave! Grow and
awesome beard.
Men were
created in the image of God. Through puberty they gain the ability to be
fruitful and multiply and to grow facial hair. These things all go together -
for how is a man supposed to attract a wife without a beard!?!
Ultimately
the Christian man's beard is sacramental in that it is symbolic or a reminder
or indicative or iconic in the way it speaks to other facets of an honourable
life lived to the glory of God. Three particular features must be considered;
flavour & smell, shape, and also that the beard is intended to be iconic
not instrumental or an idol.
Flavour and
Smell:
As any Godly beard wearer knows, it is the nature of the beard to take on particular flavours and smells. At one point in my life I was poorly stewarding my beard. Everywhere I went there was a smell and I couldn't distinguish where it was coming from or what it was. Eventually I discovered it to be my poorly kept beard. Its odour was strong and offensive not subtle and inviting. It smelt like a week of meals and was musky and damp. Again, it was poor stewardship on my behalf which I quickly remedied.
A beard
should, like a good Australian Shiraz or a Scottish Single Malt, be layered
with subtlety and nuance. The first hints of flavour and smell will be feminine
in character; the delightful floral smells of your wife's perfume lingering
after a passionate kiss and also of her body wash, borrowed to give the beard
and occasional clean. No Christian man actually owns their own soap.
Following on
from these more feminine notes there will be more masculine notes. It will be
slightly smoky, left over reminders of an occasionally smoked pipe or perhaps
from the nightly lighting of the fire to warm the home in winter. It may even be
from a few drops of Lagavulin absorbed into the moustache after a fine single malt has been enjoyed with other wonderful beared men of God. At the same time the
beard will be salty. The sweat of a hard days labour or of physical exertion at
the gym, running or playing sport will leave a salty residue. As will the sea
spray of a wild ocean.
Finally the
flavour and smell of the beard will give way to more pleasant and sweet
reminders of daily life; bubble mixture from playing with the kids, coffee,
dessert, a ripe orange, the cinnamon of homemade scrolls, bbq sauce.
These
flavours and smells found in the Christian man's beard are iconic reminders of
one's life as a gift from God, of the down-to-earth joys of daily living, of
hard work, of simple pleasures, of hearth and health, of wife and children.
They compel one to give thanks and glory to God.
Shape:
The shape of the Christian man's beard is also an important part of the integration of faith into an everyday spirituality. The beard will not to too well crafted and yet it will not be wild and scraggy. It will not be wispy nor close cropped, nor so long as to seem ignored. It will be carefully maintained as to reflect good stewardship but lacking in prideful manicuring. Ultimately this care for the Christian man's beard is a reminder of the responsibility one has before God to steward the gift of life. To steward one's gifts talents, resources, abilities, friendships, possessions before God as Lord and Saviour of all.
The shape of the Christian man's beard is also an important part of the integration of faith into an everyday spirituality. The beard will not to too well crafted and yet it will not be wild and scraggy. It will not be wispy nor close cropped, nor so long as to seem ignored. It will be carefully maintained as to reflect good stewardship but lacking in prideful manicuring. Ultimately this care for the Christian man's beard is a reminder of the responsibility one has before God to steward the gift of life. To steward one's gifts talents, resources, abilities, friendships, possessions before God as Lord and Saviour of all.
Too well
manicured...
Too wild...
Just
right...
Iconic:
It is
essential to remember that the Christian man's beard is always intended to be iconic;
it speaks to, reminds of, and is indicative of one's attempt to live faithfully
as a Christ follower. It is not simply a means to an end; attract a wife, look
amazing, ooze manliness. Yes, these things will happen but they must be not
lead to pride. The beard is also not to become idolatrous. The beard itself is
not to be worshipped or followed. The beard too can be a white-washed tomb if
one does not live authentically, beneath the beard, the life Christ has called
us to live.
Finally, as
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, if a husband and wife want to mutually abstain
from sexual intimacy for a time of prayer, this is fine. Of course this would be
the time to go clean shaven. At the conclusion of this brief season one would
grow one's beard back and normally intimacy with one's spouse would resume.
That my
friends is everyday spirituality and the beard.
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