Inner Wardrobes

Teenagers spend a lot of time choosing their outer wardrobes, but not as much time choosing their “inner wardrobes”. Some of the best-dressed people have ugly souls, and vice-versa. Use this meeting to get kids thinking and talking about their “soul clothing”.

Materials Needed:

• Bibles (always!)
• Newsprint
• Marker
• Small pieces of paper
• Pencils
• Wooden clothespins
• Markers

Activity:

1. Have kids form pairs and discuss these questions:
   1. How did you decide what to war today? (based on weather, an occasion, it’s clean, etc.?)
   2. What does your clothing say about you?
   3. If you were to put on your partner’s outfit, would that change how you feel about yourself? Why or why not?
2. Have the kids remove their shoes and pile them up in front.
3. Say: “Let’s play an old game with a new twist. The object is for you to find your partner’s shoes, return to your partner, then put on the shoes (their shoes onto your feet). Once you’ve got them on, your partner can then find your shoes, return, and put them on his or her feet. The first pair to wear their partner’s shoes, wins..”
4. Play the game. When everyone has their partner’s shoes on, ask:
   1. How comfortable are your partner’s shoes? Why?
   2. What does wearing your partner’s shoes tell you about him/her?
5. Ask pairs to form groups of 4 (keeping their partner’s shoes on).
   1. Assign an equal number of groups to read either Colossians 1:13-20, or 3:12-17.
   2. Discuss the appropriate questions listed below. (tape a newsprint list of the questions near each group).
   3. Pass out small pieces of paper and pencils so kids can take notes – they’ll need to share what they learn.

Questions:

Questions for Colossians 1:13-20

1. List words or phrases that describe Jesus.
2. Discuss words or phrases about Jesus that you don’t understand.
3. What does this passage tell you about Jesus?

Questions for Colossians 3:12-17

1. List the “clothes” this passage tells us to wear.
2. How would putting on these clothes change how you feel about yourself?
3. What does this passage tell you about yourself?

Share:

Have each group come up and share with the rest:

• The answers to their questions and what they learned from the passages.
• What similarities or differences they noticed between who Jesus is and how we should live.

Say: Just as your partner’s shoes probably didn’t fit well, once your life is hidden with Jesus Christ, your old nature also won’t fit well. If we’re to live like Jesus, we’ll have to first take off our “old shoes”, and put on Christ-like qualities.

Next Activity:

1. Give each student a wooden clothespin and a marker.
2. Say: You chose to wear certain clothes today, and you can choose to “put on” qualities that will make you more like Jesus. Use your marker to write on the clothespin at least one article of Jesus’ clothing that you need to wear this week. It might help to think about these questions:
   1. Are there some “old clothes” you need to take off?
   2. What “new clothes” could replace what you take off?
3. Say: When you’re done, share with your other group members on way that you’ll try to wear your “new clothing”

Close:

Pray for one another in your group in response to their answer to the last question.