Hidden Treasures
What do we treasure in life?
by Claire Law
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider the biblical teaching on treasure, and how this is used as a metaphor for God’s love.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Hidden Treasures) and the means to display them.
- You will also need to prearrange for one or two students to read the Bible passages in the ‘Time for reflection’ part of the assembly.
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Welcome the students to the assembly. - Show Slide 2.
Here, we see someone using a metal detector in the hope of discovering jewellery, precious metals and coins, and historic items.
I wonder how many of us have seen someone doing this. Perhaps you’ve seen the BBC comedy Detectorists, or even had a try yourself.
The art of metal-detecting can take some patience and skill, but it’s also a great way to stay active. You might even find some hidden treasure! - Show Slide 3.
This is a 1,700-year-old Roman gold coin that was found by a detectorist in Somerset. However, most detectorists aren’t so lucky, and their finds are more likely to look like this. - Show Slide 4.
Detectorists often unearth scrap metal such as discarded drinks cans and worthless nails and screws. - Nearly 100 years ago, some particularly valuable hidden treasure was discovered in another part of the world.
Can anyone here tell me the name of this piece of treasure, which was excavated in 1925?
Show Slide 5 and then listen to a range of responses. - This is the mask of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, who died over 3,000 years ago. It remained buried alongside other treasure in Tutankhamun’s tomb until 1925, when it was excavated by a British archaeologist, Howard Carter. Nowadays, you can see the mask in the Egypt Museum in Cairo.
- Show Slide 6.
Here, we see Howard Carter, the man who found this hidden treasure. The photograph on the right shows Carter and others at the entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb, where the treasures were discovered. The work involved a great deal of excavating, which eventually revealed a steep, sunken staircase and part of a door. - Show Slide 7.
After Carter had broken through the door to Tutankhamun’s tomb, he began to explore the burial rooms within. At the beginning, he found many rooms that contained artefacts such as the wheels from an ancient chariot that we see here.
It took Carter ten years to complete his exploration of the tomb and catalogue the thousands of objects that he found. - Three years into his excavation, Carter discovered the pharaoh’s burial chamber. As he raised the stone lid of the sarcophagus, he found the first of three nesting coffins, each elaborately decorated. The inner coffin was made of solid gold and inside it, the mummified remains of Tutankhamun and the golden mask were found.
Show Slide 8.
Time for reflection
I wonder how we would feel if we were in Carter’s shoes, discovering priceless, ancient, hidden treasures. Finding treasure is something many people dream of!
Yet for Christians, treasure is something that is within our grasp. The Bible uses the image of treasure to express how precious God’s love for us is and show that it is worth seeking out.
Let’s hear a passage about treasure from Matthew’s Gospel.
Show Slide 9.
Ask the prearranged student to read the following Bible passage.
‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’
This passage reminds us that choosing to trust in God is a way to find treasure, but a different type of treasure from the kind that Carter discovered. After all, even though Tutankhamun’s mask has survived for over 3,000 years, it is fragile, and needs careful conservation to prevent decay. Christians believe that God’s love for us is eternal: something that can never rust, break or decay.
Matthew’s Gospel includes another passage that uses the image of treasure as a way to explain God’s love for us.
Show Slide 10.
Ask the prearranged student to read the following Bible passage.
‘The kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field.’
In this passage, we hear that seeking out treasure is a worthwhile thing to do. Christians believe that seeking out God in our lives is worthwhile, and results in the treasure of having a relationship with a God who loves us.
So, let’s pause for a moment to consider what is precious to us in our own lives.
Pause to allow time for thought.
What is it that you treasure in life?
Pause to allow time for thought.
What are you searching for in your own life?
Pause to allow time for thought.
Is it important for you to store up for yourself treasures in heaven?
Pause to allow time for thought.
What does seeking out God in your own life look like?
Pause to allow time for thought.
Prayer
Dear God,
Let us reflect on the hidden treasures in our own lives.
We pray for inspiration to consider what’s precious and worth seeking out in our own life.
Give us the courage to seek these things out, and to place our trust in your love.
Amen.
