Treasure Champs. 27: Thankfulness - 'The Missing Coin'

In short...

Themes: Christianity; lost things; thankfulness; joy.

Summary: This assembly, which is suitable for an act of collective worship, focuses on a parable told by Jesus, which is found in the New Testament of the Bible - the parable of The Lost Coin.

Resources: The framework to download / print (pdf) and an image to display of the word 'Thankfulness'. You will also need an item that has been lost or that is very precious to you. Alternatively you could also use a photograph of the painting of the Mona Lisa.

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The video

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The Parable of The Lost Coin is found in the New Testament of the Bible. A parable is a special story using situations that are familiar to listeners to communicate a meaning or a message. This story helps us to reflect on the importance of thankfulness.

In the story a woman has ten precious coins in a headdress which is a special gift from her husband. The woman loses one coin and searches for it everywhere - it says in the Bible that she lights a lamp and sweeps the house. When she finds the coin she tells her friends and neighbours and is thankful and joyful. The story, which has parallels with The Lost Sheep, shows that God looks for each person and each individual is precious.

Duration: 3' 41".

Final words: 'We’ll see you again soon. Bye!'

Video questions

  1. What does the husband give his wife at the beginning of the story? (A headdress)
  2. What is special about the headdress? (It has ten silver coins on it)
  3. How often does the wife wear the headdress? (All the time!)
  4. What happens to the headdress? (One of the coins becomes lost)
  5. What does the woman do when she realises the coin is lost? (She searches for it everywhere)
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Key links

Download / print the assembly framework ready for use

Assembly framework (pdf)
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1. Entry
Play your chosen music. Display an item that has been lost and found or that is very precious to you, or a photograph of the Mona Lisa painting.

2. Introduction
Show the children the item that you once lost or that is precious to you. Explain how you felt / would feel if you lost the item. Ask the children whether they have ever lost something very important and how they felt when they lost it.

You could show an image of the Mona Lisa. Explain that it is a very famous painting that is on display in the Louvre museum in Paris. Tell the children that the painting was lost 1911 (it was actually stolen) and that the painting was not found again until two years later (when the thief tried to get a reward for returning it). We can imagine how everyone must have felt after such a special painting had been lost for such a long time and was finally found again.

Explain that in the story everyone is about to watch there is another precious item that is lost. It's based on an old story from the Bible…

3. Play the video
Duration: 3' 41". Final words: 'We’ll see you again soon. Bye!'

4. Time to talk
You could begin by asking the Video questions above to aid children's recall of the story and their understanding of it. Continue with:

  • 'Thankfulness' means being full of thanks - we are extremely grateful about something. Have you ever felt very thankful when you found something that had been lost? (The children might give an example of an object that they found or perhaps being lost on a journey and being very grateful when they found out where they were or found their way back to the right path)
  • What would you do if you were extremely thankful about something? (You could compare the children’s ideas with the woman’s reaction of telling all her friends and family and rejoicing)
  • The story of The Lost Coin is a parable that Jesus told. A parable is a special kind of story, with a 'message' or something that we can all learn from it. So what do you think we can learn from this story?

Opportunity to sing:
Suggestions from BBC collections below.

6. Opportunity for reflection:
Let's spend a few moments thinking about being thankful…
There are times when each of us finds something that we have lost…
How does it feel to find something precious that has been missing…?
How should we show our thankfulness - do we feel a lot of joy or tell other people when we are thankful…?
For a moment, think about one thing that you are thankful about…
(You could collect these ideas in classrooms or create a thankfulness display.)

7. Opportunity for prayer:
Begin with your usual form of address (‘Dear God’, ‘Let us pray’, etc) and:
Thank you for stories that help us to think about thankfulness.
Jesus’ story shows us that there is great joy when something precious is found.
Help us to think about what is special and valuable in our lives.
Help us to find the ways to be thankful about these things and to share our thankfulness.
Amen.

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Suggested songs

'For the beauty of the earth' (Come and Praise, no 11)

Song: 'Praise Him' (Come and Praise, no 40. Vocal version)

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