Letters of Advice
In the days after Jesus, a church leader named Paul wrote letters to the new churches. In one of his letters, he gave this advice to the church.
You are the people of God. God loved you and chose you for his own.
So then, you must clothe yourselves with:
Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity.
Let the peace that Christ gives you guide you in the decisions you make.
Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.
AND be thankful.
Discussion: Jesus always taught that the best things in life were more than food and water and clothes. Now notice how Paul is talking about clothing. "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. This is called a "metaphor." It doesn't literally mean to wear certain clothing. but it's just a poetic, descriptive way of saying what he wanted to say. Why do you think he didn't just say 'Be compassionate. Be kind. Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient.'"
Craft: Paper cut-outs of t-shirts inspired by Paul's advice.