Begin by telling the story of how Paul persecuted the Christians, and how wonderfully he was transformed into Paul the heroic missionary. Now this same Paul in later years, was writing to one of his churches, the church of the Colossians, and he said that the life of any one who knew nothing about Christ, or did not do what he knew Christ wanted him to do, is like an old coat.
Here call up one of the boys and put on him a tattered and dirty garment—the worst looking affair you can find. Paul named some of these rags and dirt spots. He called one of them “anger,” and we will pin this label on the coat over this great rent. Another he called “filthy communications,” thinking may be, about the foul talk that boys are likely to hear if they go with the wrong sort of companions. We will pin this label above this great grease spot. In this way go on with Paul’s list, as given in Colossians 3, adding any others you choose.
When the coat is pretty well covered, go on to say how Paul advised us to become Christians, and throw off this ragged and filthy coat, and Christ would give us a new, pure, and beautiful one. Here have the boy take off the dirty coat and fling it as far from him as he can, while you brig out a fine new garment and put it on him. Paul gave names to this new coat also. He said it was made up of all the things written upon the labels I am pinning on—made up of “kindness,” and “patience,” “meekness,” “forgiveness,” “humility,” “love,” “peace,” “thankfulness,” “the Word of God.”
The first set of labels should be as ugly as possible—printed on coarse brown paper, with ragged edges. The second set of labels should be as neat and handsome as you can make them.