Who doesn’t like a treasure hunt? A cryptic map with clues to follow, a chest of mysterious treasure…. it grabs our imagination.
Scripture:
Matthew 13:
44″The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
Thoughts:
Some things are not planted for the sake of growing them, but for preserving them. There are treasures hidden in many places, not all them are treasures of gold. A treasure is something we value, it is something that keeps or gains in value over time, something durable and lasting. Jesus taught several parables about the Kingdom of God and this one has to do with finding what is hidden and understanding the value of it. So much is it valued that all one has is given in exchange for it.
Are we ready to exchange everything else we value if we find the hidden treasure of God? Have we learned what to value, and what has enduring and lasting worth? What do we exchange our lives for in terms of time and belongings? Do we get joy from what we have?
Jesus says this man who found his treasure had joy in his discovery- he expected it to be what he had always wanted, and worth more than anything else he had accumulated in his lifetime to that point. What about us? What are our expectations when we search for God, or for the meaning of life, or from a life of service to Christ? Is it a joyful exchange that we make, one full of expectation? Or have we stopped looking before we have found what it is we were looking for?
Think of the wise men, who traveled so far with so little information. They came prepared to give worship and gifts of great worth. Not giving up, following through to the journey’s end, I’m sure it wasn’t quite what they expected, but it gave them great joy to have seen this prophesied King.
Activity:
Many Christmas and New Year traditions centering around a symbolic “looking for treasure” motif. In England they once hid a sixpence coin in the Christmas pudding. In Scandinavian countries the more palatable almond is hidden inside a rice pudding.
Finnish Christmas
Finnish Rice Pudding Recipe
Finnish Advent Calender- fun!
Find out about berries- all sorts of berries ( some traditionally top rice pudding)
Here is one to try:
Rice Pudding 6 servings
2 quarts whole milk
1 cup long-grain white rice (do not rinse)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 whole almond
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup toasted chopped almonds
Bring milk, rice, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt to a boil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until rice is very tender, about 1 hour.
Just before rice mixture finishes cooking, whisk eggs lightly in a bowl. Remove pan from heat and slowly add 1 cup of rice mixture to eggs, whisking constantly. Stir egg mixture into remaining rice mixture in pan, then stir in cream.
Pour pudding into a 13-by-9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish (3-quart capacity), insert the almond into pudding and sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped almonds. Chill pudding, covered, at least 3 hours. Pudding can be chilled, covered, up to three days.
Per serving: 478 calories (45 percent from fat), 24 g fat (14 g saturated), 55 g carbohydrates, 136 mg cholesterol, 221 mg sodium, 12 g protein, 0.4 g fiber. (Adapted from Gourmet magazine)
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Wouldn’t a treasure hunt for a prize of golden foiled chocolate coins be fun? Think of the possibilities!
