A Precious Treasure, A Vast Story

Last week, the youngest students continued the Lenten theme of “making space” for God by listening closely to one of Jesus’ parables. The class heard The Merchant and the Pearl of Great Price and watched the story unfold with small figures as the merchant searched, discovered a beautiful pearl, and chose it with great joy. They talked about what the merchant was looking for, how he felt when he found the pearl, why it mattered so much, and what Jesus might be showing us about the Kingdom of God. To deepen the experience, the children examined pearl-like beads up close and talked about what makes a treasure truly special. We ended with hands-on work: each child made a “pearl in a shell” keepsake to take home as a reminder that God’s Kingdom is a precious treasure, and many also created beaded bracelets to represent the pearls in the story. 

Students in Level II began exploring the History of the Kingdom of God using a material that helps them see and feel the vastness of God’s story. They were introduced to the Fettuccia—a 150-yard grosgrain ribbon that represents the long unfolding of time, with each rib symbolizing 1,000 years. To experience it fully, the class carried the ribbon into the church and slowly unrolled it from the Narthex all the way to the High Altar. As it stretched through the Nave, the children could grasp in a new way how immense the history of creation is—from the beginning, through today, and into the unknown future. Standing together before the fully unrolled ribbon, the students reflected on the vastness of time . This work invited them to wonder about their place in God’s plan, recognizing that each of us is an important part of a story still unfolding, moving toward the day when Christ comes again and God’s love fills all creation.