“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Prop: a white linen cloth… or apron

For centuries, pastors have been called a “man” or “woman” of the cloth. I always wondered about that phrase.

When I looked it up, I saw that in fact, many people used to be called people of the cloth –bakers, kitchen workers, tradesmen, all who worked primarily in service or handworking positions to others. Later, the term remained only for the clergy, who also wore white, although whether linen varied. But like their hard-working predecessors, they too were servants of others, devoted to wearing that symbol that signified their role in lives and culture.

When you think today of a chef, you imagine the crisp white outfit, along with the linen clot…