The 3 TreesA Collaborative Project

between St Mary’s

And Heacham Junior

School

Once upon a time 3 trees were growing together in a forest.

Each had a dream – something they desperately wanted to come true............

The 1st dreamed he would be fashioned into a cradle, with beautiful carvings and covered with soft, silk bedding.......

The 2nd dreamed he would be fashioned into a royal yacht! With beautiful carvings, carrying a magnificent king across the seas.......

And the 3rd dreamed he would be fashioned into a magnificent throne fit for the greatest king who has ever lived.......

The day came when the woodcutter arrived to fashion each of the trees into their final shape and form..........The 1st tree was so disappointed when, instead of the beautiful cradle he had hoped for, he was cut into rough planks held together with nails and made into an animals’ feeding trough – a common manger – and he was dumped in a stable.........but the animals appreciated him, even though he found them rather smelly and very noisy.........

The 2nd tree was also disappointed – instead of a royal yacht, he was cut and sawn and pushed and pulled into a fishing boat; he spent his days on the lake in all weathers, being bumped and bruised and being filled with cold, writhing, smelly fish!

But the 3rd tree came off worst of all! Instead of the royal throne he dreamed of, he was sawn into thick posts and roughly nailed together to make a cross on which common criminals and murderers were hung as a punishment...........and he felt very sad.

But although each tree was so disappointed, thinking their dreams had been lost, something very strange happened..............because the manger, that common feeding trough became the cradle for a very special baby, a baby king who became the greatest of kings.........on the 1st Christmas, and he became the most famous cradle ever made!

And the fishing boat, battered and bruised and fish-stained though he was, carried the most famous king who ever lived.........across lake Galilee and he witnessed the most incredible miracles – of mountains of fishes where before there had been none, of a storm being calmed at the waving of a hand, and of walking on water!

But the greatest wonder of all was left to the cross, because one fateful day a poor king was brought and punished on his broad arms - though he had done nothing wrong. And although all seemed lost on the blackest of days and through the blackest of nights..............

Within 3 days the cross was transformed! Fresh foliage covered his beams, and the most beautiful flowers covered his arms, hiding the scars, until he was gradually covered with soft, delicate shades of pastel colours.And a soft white dove landed on his arm and cooed gently.And he understood........that he would be remembered for all time – not for the terrible suffering he had seen, but for the peace and joy that he had brought.........and would still bring to those who would hear and believe..............