Confident Faith – Image Bearer

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful; I know that full well.”

Activity – Thrift Shopping and Fashion Show

• Take the women shopping at the local thrift store for an outfit to wear for a winter fashion show.
• Ask each woman to write a story of where she found the outfit, what she likes about it and why she chose to wear it.
• If there is not a thrift store in town, or if finances are concerning, have women bring a themed outfit from their closet to wear for the fashion show.
• Invite the women to bring clothes and accessories that are in good condition, but no longer fit them, for a clothing exchange. Include these items in the fashion show.
• Door prizes could include coupons to go back to the thrift store.

Activity – Food, Fashion Sense and the Favor of God

• Serve flower cupcakes, or Barbie doll with cake skirt. Check Pinterest for ideas.
• Use small mirrors, as table favors.
• Have someone lead in a short presentation on the following subjects:
  • How to match colors
    • https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/how-to-match-the-colors-of-your-clothes/
  • How to dress for your body type
    • https://thewelldressedlife.com/how-to-dress-your-body-type/
  • How to dress for your personality type
    • https://thegreenhubonline.com/whats-your-style-personality-take-the-quiz-to-find-out/
• Label one sheet of paper for each woman’s name, and tape to the walls around the room. Have women go paper to paper, writing down one way they see the image of God in each person.
• Put Scripture verses at each place on how we are made in the image of God. Have women read their verse for the group: Ephesians 2:10, Genesis 1:27, Colossians 3:10, Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 4:24, 1 Corinthians 15:49, 1 John 3:2.

Fashion Show Decor

Use the chapel platform for your fashion show or create a runway space with cloth or even a roll of paper for a “red carpet.”  Use a microphone and fun background music to set a fun, upbeat tone. Some spot lighting or white lights on the floor would add to the atmosphere.

Transformation

Many people think of The Salvation Army as a thrift store for finding treasures, the ringing of the bells at Christmas, or asking for money to help others in need. They are surprised when we say that’s where we attend church and worship God. For many of us it is where we grew up and first met the Lord. Even though part of The Salvation Army’s mission is to help meet the needs of others through our thrift stores or ringing bells, our main aim is to share the love of Christ and introduce others to Him. Sometimes for others, and us, it is hard to move past the lie that God’s love is only for other people; that we are just not good enough. We find ourselves focusing on the importance of doing the good deeds. Of trying to earn God’s love and forget that what He wants is to have a personal relationship with us.

While attending a summer camp as a young girl, an officer talked about the scripture verse from Psalm 103:12, which says, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (NLT).  She explained that “as far as the east is from the west” meant that the distance went on and on and on, and that by Christ dying on the cross for our sins and rising again from the dead, the price had been paid for my sins and I could now be reconciled with God.

I remember going forward to pray with a group of girls from my cabin; snot-crying as we realized how much God loved us. Although that was the moment that I decided to follow Jesus’ teaching in my life, there have been several times since where I have struggled to remember God’s love for me. We somehow get it twisted, and begin the chase for God’s love, believing that the only way we can reach it is by climbing a ladder of good deeds to get closer and closer to God.

I can sometimes still fall into this trap. I think that if I just work hard enough. If I just help enough people, then God will be super proud of me and will love me. It is then that God reminds me, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). It wasn’t after God saw all of the nice things we were doing, or the amount of hours of service we had given, but it was while I/we were still sinners, doing the wrong thing and separated from Him, that He sent his one and only Son—to not only die on the cross for our sins, but to rise again so we can be reconciled with Him.

It is like the clothes that we picked up at the thrift store. These clothes were discarded—not needed by the person who previously owned them. They did not look like much just sitting on the rack, but when we were shopping with a purpose of putting together just the right combination, we were able to create masterpieces. Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  Do you know that you are an image-bearer of God? The price of sin has already been paid by the blood of Jesus. We have been created by God and we have been saved by Jesus. Not by our own doings but because of God’s deep love for us. I will never fully understand the depth of God’s love for me, but I believe and have faith that God loves me for me, and that He wants to have a relationship with me. Are you interested in asking God to fill you with His love and presence. to change you and give you the desire to follow and love Him?

Song: “All That I Am” or “Reckless Love of God.”

Benediction