Dress in the right clothes

To think about the clothes we wear and the attitudes we ‘put on’.

by The Revd Guy Donegan-Cross

Suitable for Key Stage 2

Aims

To think about the clothes we wear and the attitudes we 'put on'.

Preparation and materials

• You will need a CD of lively fun music.
• A bag with eight interesting pieces of clothing.
• Prepare eight pieces of card with writing on both sides as follows:
  
  1  Front: Dress                                Back: Love
  2  Front: in                                      Back: Joy
  3  Front: the                                    Back: Peace
  4  Front: wardrobe (or clothes)          Back: Patience
  5  Front: God                                  Back: Kindness
  6  Front: picked                               Back: Goodness
  7  Front: for                                     Back: Faithfulness
  8  Front: you                                   Back: Self-control

Assembly

1. Ask the children to name the person they would most like to be like. Elicit some answers and discuss briefly; ask why the children chose who they did. What do they admire about that particular person?
2. Say that Christians believe that God wants us to be ourselves; but also to be like someone else. Say that you are going to play around with that idea by getting some people to change their appearance this morning.
3. Put the CD on. Ask the children to pass the bag of clothes from one person to the next as long as the music plays. When the music stops the child who is holding the bag takes out an article of clothing, without looking. They then go outside the room to get changed, while the process continues until the bag is empty.
4. When all the children are changed and ready ask them to enter the assembly room in a 'fashion parade'. Give each child one of the cards (in the right order) and ask them to hold them up with the front showing.
5. Say that God has a set of clothes for us all; they will not make anyone look silly and they will fit everyone. Read out the cards, which are a paraphrase of Colossians 3.12 based on The Message translation. Ask all the children to read out the verse: Dress in the wardrobe (clothes) God picked for you.
6. Ask the volunteers to turn over their cards. Read out the new 'clothes': love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. Explain that the Bible is using a metaphor here, saying that living a good life is like putting on the right clothes each day. Say that anybody can look good in these clothes and that they don't cost you any money. These are the clothes which Christians believe God wants us to wear and wants to give to each of us. Imagine a world – or a school – where everyone wore these clothes.
   
   Give the volunteers at round of applause.

Time for reflection

Reflection

What are you wearing today?

Will you clothe yourself in friendliness, patience, kindness…?

What are you wearing today?

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Dress us in love.

Dress us in joy.

Dress us in peace.

Dress us in patience.

Dress us in kindness.

Dress us in goodness.

Dress us in faithfulness.

Dress us in self-control.

Amen.

Song/music

'You shall go out with joy' (Come and Praise, 98)