tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post5022479474313438054..comments2020-07-02T07:30:54.168+01:00Comments on Wonderful in an Easter kind of way: the parable of the Great PearlStorytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06689874815365770762noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-59871592396986511842013-10-19T21:04:06.652+01:002013-10-19T21:04:06.652+01:00Yesterday I got a nice comment from Nicky at http:...Yesterday I got a nice comment from Nicky at http://www.blogger.com/profile/06743038987580745482. Today I pressed the wrong button and, to my horror, deleted it. Her comment was this, "It's interesting that when you talk about this parable you make it sound like the merchant set the price on the pearl and the buyer went to find the amount, but it seems to me that the buyer sold all his stuff so willingly that he almost sets the price as his everything. I wonder if the seller could have stopped the sale, oh the layers of this little story and how wondering unravels them."<br /><br />My reply to her was this, "Thank you for that perspective. Yes, I can see that maybe the merchant sees the pearl and just knows right away that it is worth even more than everything he already has. Wonderful."Storytellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06689874815365770762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-80212747820998789342013-06-11T23:27:58.481+01:002013-06-11T23:27:58.481+01:00That sure is a different slant! And a good example...That sure is a different slant! And a good example of a time when it might be tempting to stamp out "incorrect" or "inappropriate" responses, despite our training to do otherwise! Thanks for sharing, Jessie. Storytellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06689874815365770762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-26219594934339243492013-06-11T23:24:16.415+01:002013-06-11T23:24:16.415+01:00I have seen that woman since, and she said she rea...I have seen that woman since, and she said she really enjoyed the Godly Play evening. That was a great relief to me!Storytellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06689874815365770762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-85501396709196341872013-06-08T20:38:57.101+01:002013-06-08T20:38:57.101+01:00Once when I told this parable and in the wondering...Once when I told this parable and in the wondering time asked if the merchant had a name, an eight year old girl piped up immediately "Yes, Gollum!" (From Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings). That set off a chorus of "My preciousssssss" from those who had seen the movie or read the books. It put quite a different slant on the parable!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-57425001767393995602013-06-06T20:54:04.187+01:002013-06-06T20:54:04.187+01:00I am always amazed at the range of emotions this s...I am always amazed at the range of emotions this story provokes, even in young children. From pure joy to outrage and everything in between. No wonder the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus after he told it.: ) I hope you'll get to talk to that lady again sometime.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05625950990926813867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-53805195658754232792013-06-06T15:01:43.076+01:002013-06-06T15:01:43.076+01:00To both Sarah and Browniesmoke, another reader ema...To both Sarah and Browniesmoke, another reader emailed me in response to your comments, "I'm so often stunned by the depth of the children's comments to these stories. It challenges me!"<br /><br />Thank you both!Storytellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06689874815365770762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-62123761913017846442013-06-06T14:38:00.333+01:002013-06-06T14:38:00.333+01:00I told this story to a group of 9 year olds in a s...I told this story to a group of 9 year olds in a school setting. When I asked, "I wonder how the merchant feels now he has given up everything for the pearl?" one child replied, "Guilty." When I asked why, she said he felt guilty because even though he had given up everything he had it still wasn't enough. Instantly one of the boys replied that in that case he had to give himself. So the merchant became the servant (not the slave) of the seller. "What about the pearl?" I asked. After discussion the group decided that if the seller was kind he would give the merchant time off to "explore" the pearl... Like Browniesmoke this was one of the most profound moments I've had in a Godly Play session.<br />Sarah (Spiritual Child) <br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-5402836323191621962013-06-06T08:15:57.813+01:002013-06-06T08:15:57.813+01:00Thanks for sharing that anecdote, Browniesmoke. It...Thanks for sharing that anecdote, Browniesmoke. It really is a gift when we find ourselves in a circle of people who allow and help us to explore honestly our changing responses to a lesson.Storytellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06689874815365770762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574635912288752343.post-40670916735105645402013-06-06T01:37:55.988+01:002013-06-06T01:37:55.988+01:00I once told this story to a group of fourth and fi...I once told this story to a group of fourth and fifth graders, all girls that day by chance, all seasoned Godly Players who knew these stories better than I did. I told it because I was terribly sick - I shouldn't have come to church at all, but finding a substitute seemed harder than just showing up. When we wondered, the girls said (knowing the "right" answers), "Yes, I could give up everything I had for the kingdom of heaven...." Right around the circle they all answered the same. However, it was right after Christmas, and one child finally said, "I could give it all up...except for my new iPod...." and slowly each girl added in one more thing she would keep instead of giving it all up. Finally, the last girl, who attended rarely and really didn't seem to "get it" at all stood up and shouted, "Oh, my God! You just don't get it! This is not about choosing from a list! This is Deal or No Deal (a game show on TV)! You either choose The Kingdom of Heaven, or you choose these cool things you got for Christmas!"<br /><br />It was the most profound moment I've had to date in a Godly Play session!Browniesmokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13099179119848661845noreply@blogger.com