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Buried treasure

To look at Jesus’ parable of the treasure found in a field, and ask what or who in our lives is more important than anything or anyone else and is worth working hard for.

by Christopher Ruddle

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To look at Jesus’ parable of the treasure found in a field, and ask what or who in our lives is more important than anything or anyone else and is worth working hard for.

Preparation and materials

  • Prepare a short mime. You will need eight characters to mime the actions as the narrator tells the story. They are:
    Fred – a waistcoat or a hat; Xbox games console (optional)
    Farmer – wellies
    Kid who buys Xbox
    Second-hand car dealer
    Woman who buys car – driving gloves, 1960s headscarf (optional)
    Estate agent – clipboard and/or tie
    Young couple – baby doll.
    You will also need paper money (Monopoly £10 notes, for example), and a cheque book.

  • Flip-chart or PowerPoint (for section 2).
  • The Bible text is Matthew 13.44.

Assembly

  1. Buried treasure

    The hero of our story is a man – we’ll call him Fred. Fred was an ordinary sort of guy. He had his Xbox. (Fred mimes playing with a games console). He had a nice car (mimes driving his car) and he had a nice house.

    One day Fred went walking in the countryside not far from where he lived. He was walking along the edge of a field when he tripped over something. He went back and cleared away the mud.

    It was a box of some kind. It was a big chest.

    He rushed home and got his spade and he dug all around the chest. He dug until he could pull it out.

    It was a really big chest. He opened the lid and found that the box was full of treasure. Gold coins. Silver coins. Diamonds and rubies. Beautiful pearls. He was so excited.

    But Fred considered himself to be an honest man. He thought he couldn’t just steal all this treasure. So he buried it, back in the field by the hedge, using his spade. Then he went to see the farmer.

    (Enter farmer, arms folded, scowling)

    Fred asked the farmer, who was rather a greedy person, ‘How much do you want for your field?’

    ‘£100,000,’ said the farmer.

    ‘What!’ said Fred. ‘I haven’t got that much!’

    ‘Tough!’ said the farmer.

    So Fred went away and sold his Xbox to a kid down the street. He got £100 for it.

    (Enter child and gives him some paper money)

    Was that enough? (Ask the assembly) No!

    So Fred went and sold his car, too!

    (Enter car dealer) The car dealer would only give him £900 for his car. He wrote out a cheque and handed it over.

    That dealer made a good profit! He made a cash sale. (Enter woman who hands over a lot of money to the dealer. Mimes driving action as she departs)

    Did Fred have enough? (Ask assembly) No!

    So – Fred went and sold his house. An estate agent came around with his clipboard.

    (Enter estate agent)

    He looked into every corner of the house. Even the dusty old cupboard under the stairs. He showed a lovely young couple round the house

    (Enter young couple. They look all over the house, beaming)

    who liked the house very much and bought it. Fred got a cheque for £99,000 for his house. (Mime Fred waving cheque)

    With all the other money, do you think that was enough to buy the field? (Ask assembly) Yes, it was. Fred had sold everything he could to buy that field.

    Fred went back to the grumpy old farmer.

    (Enter farmer)

    ‘Here’s your money,’ he said, giving him a cheque. And they shook hands on it to seal the deal.

    Fred was really excited now. He rushed back to the field. He dug up the treasure. He opened the treasure chest. And he jumped for joy.

    Although it had cost him everything he had, Fred was now a millionaire. It had all been worth it.
  2. Ask: What is worth a lot to you? (Family, friends, learning, football, netball, an ambition.) (Write up responses on flip-chart or PowerPoint.)

    Discuss the merits of each of these and how someone might give up everything for a friend or family member, to learn (in order to get a good job) or to live out a dream.
  3. Jesus once said, ‘The kingdom of heaven [the kingdom of God] is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field’ (Matthew 13.44).

    Jesus was saying that to know the love of God in your heart is the most important thing, even more important than other really good things.

Time for reflection

What is really important to you?

(Pause)

Is there anyone or anything that you would give up everything else for?

(Pause)

Do you feel that knowing God’s love in your heart is important for you?

 

(Pause)

Prayer
Dear God, thank you that you gave us this story of treasure in a field.
Help us to try really hard at the things that are important to us.
Thank you that you want us to know your love in our hearts today.
Amen.

Song/music

‘Give me oil in my lamp’ (Come and Praise, 43)

Publication date: November 2011   (Vol.13 No.11)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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