Read Time: 5 min 44 sec | Reading Level: 6th Grade

WORLD NEWS

Midmorning Heist

Four thieves stole priceless crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in broad daylight on Sunday. It’s one of the most brazen art thefts in recent history.

How’d it happen? 
The heist started at 9:30 a.m. in Paris outside the world’s most-visited museum. Four masked thieves parked a truck-mounted ladder outside the Apollo Gallery, climbed up, and cut through the window with a power tool. An alarm was triggered, and the gang threatened security guards, who backed off. 

The robbers “calmly” smashed display cases and started grabbing.

What did they take?
They nabbed eight crown jewels of “incalculable” worth. A Paris lawyer said the hardware is worth about $102M... but that doesn’t include the historical value of the items for the country of France.

The treasures originally belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, his wife, and his successors (see photos). They tried to take a gold crown with eight gold eagles and thousands of diamonds, but they dropped it during their escape. 

How did they get away? 
The heisters went back out the window and sped away on two scooters (think zippy, high-powered motorcycles, not Razors). They were in and out in less than eight minutes.

Was anyone hurt?
There were no injuries in the heist. Louvre staff followed their emergency plan, evacuating visitors and alerting the authorities. The museum remained closed until yesterday.

How’s the investigation going?
No stone unturned… or recovered. Officials haven’t found the “experienced” thieves or their haul. They think the gang was hired by a criminal organization. Now, investigators will race against the clock to find the pieces before the thieves can melt down the metal, recast the stones, and sell them for a pretty penny without the jewels being recognized.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
The story of this brazen heist sounds like a screenplay straight out of Hollywood. But before you’re caught up in the entertainment value, remember: real people were terrified while perusing art, criminals’ lives will be permanently marred, and France has suffered a great loss.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14 (CSB) (read full passage)

What gospel lesson can be taught through this story?
Greed takes us to ugly places.

The Bible warns over and over about the danger of feeding an insatiable desire for wealth. Here’s just one caution from the apostle John: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16, CSB). 

Images of beautiful things and “the good life” are constantly in front of us. But craving and lusting after and taking pride in possessions is not from God. Shut out the tempting images ruthlessly and exercise your generosity muscles to fight greed and move toward contentment with God’s gifts.

What do I want to make sure my kids know in light of this story?
What’s most valuable. 

We are captivated by jaw-droppingly beautiful works of art like this crown. But even our most impressive creations are just temporary. In the end, it’s all just stuff. 

France’s crown jewels and the Mona Lisa were not the most valuable creations in the Louvre on Sunday. The guests milling about the museum are the priceless creations God treasures above all, especially those who are made new by “the immeasurable riches of his grace… We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do” (Ephesians 2:7, 10, CSB).

• Discuss: What steps can you take to turn off the barrage of images tempting you to crave what you don’t have? (Some ideas: fasting from social media, muting commercials, deleting shopping apps, etc.) When you find yourself coveting others’ things, what truth can you call to mind?  
   

• Memorize Ephesians 2:10, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do” (CSB). 
   

• Pray that the Father would free your heart from the grip of worldly things, teach you contentment, and train you to love what He loves—His Son and your neighbors—by the power of His Spirit: “For the sake of knowing you, Lord, and for the sake of living in union with you, help me be free of wanting what I should not have. The economy of your creation is good, and all things are given as they should be given… Help me to be satisfied with less. And help me to choose as you would choose between what I want, and what I really need. Amen.” - Clement of Alexandria, Fount of Heaven, page 213

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