Camo is in vogue again this year.

In fact, it’s popular in the Anchorage area every year, and not just because our Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military facility accounts for a whopping 10 percent of the city’s population. Camouflage is natural plumage and furry attire for other Alaskans, too.

In September the Arctic fox sheds its red-brown coat. By November he dresses in a white camo suit to help him hunt incognito against a backdrop of snow. He often preys upon the Arctic hare, if he can find one. In winter the Arctic hare also changes into alabaster clothes.

In winter, the collared lemming wears a tunic of pure white while he forages beneath crusty snow. And the ermine (short-tailed weasel) turns white, except for the tip of his tail—which remains coal black. A predator chases the pesky black tail-tip and overlooks the ermine’s camouflaged white body altogether!

An Alaska caribou alternates between brown and white according to the seasons; brown in summer, with just her neck a dingy gray. Then after the first snows, most of the animal is cloaked in white, with tinges of brown on her legs, face, and haunches.

But unlike Alaskan wildlife whose survival depends upon camouflage, Christians are encouraged NOT to hide from the world. Our “robe of righteousness” should be easily distinguishable. Our eternal well-being depends upon a faith that stands out against a landscape of immorality, greed and selfishness.

Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, m y soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness; as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Mark 8:38

For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.