7 August 2022

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Bible readings for today

• Isaiah 1:1,10-20 
• Psalm 50:1-8,22-23
• Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16
• Luke 12:32-40

Collect

God our treasure, 
the reign of your love and justice is your gift; 
light our lamps against the darkness, 
and equip us for your action, 
so we are ready 
and do not miss your coming; 
through Jesus Christ our Liberator,
who is alive and reigns with you, 
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Treasure in Heaven (Luke 12:32-40)

Gospel Conversation

Thanks to Dunedin Diocese for another Gospel Conversations. We live in anxious times, so what does it mean for Jesus to tell us not to fear? We are aware especially of the anxiety levels in our young people, so it is fortunate that in today's conversation Archdeacon Michael and Bishop Kelvin are joined by two school chaplains: Rev. Mannie Marara joining us for the first time from Hadlow School in Masterton, and Rev. Lucy Flatt returning to our conversations from Craighead School in Timaru.

Luke 12:32-40 Adapted

Once again, Jesus was talking to his disciples to encourage them.

He said: "Don’t be afraid! God wants to give you the Kingdom! Sell everything you have and give the money to people who need it more than you. Make yourselves moneybags that will never wear out. You need to make sure that your treasure is safe in heaven, where thieves cannot steal it and moths cannot destroy it, because your heart will always be where your treasure is.
Be ready like children who wait for their friends to come over for a visit. As soon as they arrive, the children open the door and let their friends in and make their friend feel really welcome.
Be ready always, because you never know when the Son of God will come to visit."

Quick Questions

• What is important to you, what do you treasure?
• How do you look after what you treasure?
• What does Jesus want us to treasure?

Treasure Bag

Preparation
Get a pillowcase and fill it full of ‘treasure’ (paper clips, cellotape, string, etc) You also need a list (that only you can see) of all the things. 
What to do
​Get each child to put their hands in the pillowcase and without taking anything out, get them to guess what one of the items in the bag is. If they guess right, tick the item off the list.  Either see how long it takes them to guess everything. Or let everyone have one turn, and then tip out the contents to find out what they missed out.

Treasure Tray

Preparation
On a tray, put lots of different things. Eg pencil, scissors, envelope, feathers, string, paper, etc. Also a piece of paper with ‘Your heart will always be where your treasure is”  Cover it with a cloth. 

​What to Do

• Give every child a piece of paper and a pen. Tell them that you are going to show them a tray of treasures, and that their job is to try and remember as many things that are on the tray as possible. 
• Show them the tray for two minutes, and then cover it up again. 
• Now give them another two minutes to write down as many things as they can. 
• When they have finished, find out who remembered the most, who found it hard, what items were hard to remember. See how many of them remembered the words on the card.

Visio Lectio

Thanks to Rev. Sarah West for this week's gospel illustration, shared with permission.
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Moth Confession

The most common species of clothes moths in Australia and New Zealand are webbing clothes moths (Tineola bisselliella) and casemaking clothes moths (Tinea pellionella). Adults of both species have golden-coloured wings and are just over half a centimetre long. Clothes moths eat a wide range of animal fabrics, but primarily fabrics containing wool. They will also damage fur, silk, feather and leather.

In this gospel reading, we are reminded to store up our treasures where moths cannot eat them. As a confession, hang up an old woolen coat or jumper and print off some of the moth prints above. Take some time to think through the things that we have accidentally or intentionally stored up that can get in the way of us following Jesus. Perhaps they are items, activities, emotions, stories or relationships. Pin the moth onto the coat/top as a way of asking for forgiveness and receiving God's grace anew. 

Treasure bag

What you need: Fabric, double sided tape, ribbon or string, treasure bag template, treasure coins template, things to decorate with.

To make the bag:

• ​Using the treasure bag template, trace around the template onto a piece of material.
• Cut out the material.
• Stick a piece of double sided tape down the two long sides of the material and peel off the backing from the tape.
• Fold the material in half.

To make the coins:

• Give each child a lot of treasure coin templates. Get them to write or draw on the back of each coin, what the treasure. E.g. friends, family, things about themselves that they like. Try to encourage them not to write down things.
• How to use: Get the children to gather after the activity and to sit in a circle. Get them to one at a time place their treasure in the centre. When they all have, say a prayer offering all these good treasures up to God.
• When the children take them home, encourage them to pray for or add to their treasures

Activity ideas

• Science activity (Ikidmin)
• Treasure box craft (Emma Tovey)
• Bible verse craft (Mom for all seasons)
• DIY Treasure maps and hunts
• Dig for treasure in sand
• DIY treasure stones (Oh Amanda)
• I spy treasure bottle (Life with God's grace)