"Jesus the Prince of Peace"
Sadako's 1000 Peace Cranes

The symbol of the dove of peace is known worldwide. It is first recorded in the Genesis story of Noah who sends out of a dove hoping to find safety for his family, and the dove brings back an olive branch in its beak.

Kirk of Kildaire's Sunday School Advent lesson plan for their Creation Station Art Workshop references the "Story of Sadako's 1000 Cranes." Below is a presentation of her story found on YouTube; there are others (not as good but still interesting).

Three things make Sadako's story of peace extremely poignant. First, she is a child like our students. Second, she is terminally ill when she makes the cranes. Third, she makes them after experiencing the devastation of one of the nuclear blasts that ended WW II.

There are many other "peace crane" tutorials on the web. One of the outcomes of folding peace cranes is how something that seems difficult becomes second-nature with practice, even almost meditative -- as people who have committed to folding 1000 cranes have reported.  In fact, committing to fold 1000 cranes is a "thing" -- a sign of a heart that seeks to be peaceful and become a peacemaker.

How is the birth of the baby Jesus a sign of God's peace and good will towards us? (Luke 2)

What signs can you make/share to encourage and project God's peace in your family? among friends?

Class project?   Church decoration?  Home ornaments?

(Note that while folding 1,000 cranes is traditional with the Sadako story, folding peace doves may be easier for younger students. There are many videos and instructions online teaching that fold, here is one.)