Raising the Temple
Children's sermon
Object:
newspaper (optional)
First Thoughts: In order to teach this passage to our children, we need to discern the difference between physical truth and spiritual truth. It is easy for children (and for us) to confuse the two, because so often we use particular physical structures to support a spiritual practice. That is, we go to a physical location we refer to as "church" to worship God, even though the spiritual reality of church is a gathering of people who have come together to praise God and seek out a path of faith. If we can't distinguish between a physical and spiritual truth, we run the danger of confusing the two and idolizing the physical. (For example, the church building becomes more important than how the believers really live out the gospel.) Recall a time in your life when you were reminded of the difference between a physical and spiritual truth -- maybe because the physical structure you were accustomed to was removed. How did it feel to become lost from a familiar structure? How did God reestablish a relationship with you and lead you back to your spiritual roots? Spend some time in prayer and reflection on your own experiences as you prepare for your time with the children.
Props You Will Need: newspaper (optional)
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has a newspaper, looking sad)
Leader 1: Hey (name), you look a little sad this morning. Is anything wrong?
Leader 2: I was just reading the paper, and I saw a news article about a family whose house burned down last week.
Leader 1: Oh, that is sad.
Leader 2: Yeah. Can you imagine -- losing your toys, your clothes, your books? I mean, in a fire you lose EVERYTHING!
Leader 1: Well, not everything. Did the family get out okay?
Leader 2: Yes, the article says everyone got out of the house safely.
Leader 1: Well, then. The most important part of the home is still around.
Leader 2: What do you mean? The whole house is destroyed.
Leader 1: Yes, but a home isn't really made of the walls and a roof. A home is made up of people who love each other. As long as the people stick together and love each other, they're a home. They just need to find a different place to eat and sleep.
Leader 2: I didn't think of that. I guess we spend so much time in a house that we begin to think the house is a home.
Leader 1: The people in Jesus' day did the same thing with the temple. They thought because the temple was the place where they went to worship God that the temple was the most important thing in the world. But Jesus wanted to teach them something different. So he told them that God would destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days.
Leader 2: But it takes longer than three days to build almost anything.
Leader 1: Right, but Jesus wasn't talking about the temple building. He was talking about the spiritual temple. Just like a home is really made up of people who love each other, the temple or church is really made up of people who worship and follow God.
Leader 2: So when Jesus was talking about the temple being destroyed...
Leader 1: He was talking about his own death. That he would be killed in Jerusalem.
Leader 2: And when he told them the temple would be raised in three days...
Leader 1: He was telling them that God would bring Jesus back -- and that he and his friends would build a new temple, a new church. They didn't build a new building, but they shared the good news of God's love with everyone they met. As people began to give their lives to God, a new church was created -- made up of people.
Leader 2: I still think it's sad that these people lost their home.
Leader 1: It is sad but at least the family can be grateful that they still have each other. And as long as we have each other, God can always make new beginnings.
Teaching On Your Own: (holding up newspaper) I'm a little sad today. You know why? I read an article yesterday about a family whose home burned down in a fire. Isn't that a sad story? Just imagine -- losing your toys, your books, your clothes. It is hard to imagine, right? How would you feel if that happened to you? But, you know, I was reading this story to my mom, telling her this family had lost everything and she told me that they hadn't really lost EVERYTHING. I asked her what she meant. She said that everyone in the family had gotten out of the house safely, so really they still had their home. What do you think she was talking about? What's the difference between a house and a home? My mom said that a house is just a building where you eat and sleep, but a home is made up of people who love you. Sometimes it's easy to get confused between a house and a home, isn't it? In Jesus' day the people had the same problem with the temple. They thought that because the temple was the place where they went to worship God that the temple building was the most important thing in the world. But Jesus wanted to teach them something different. So he told them that God would destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days. Do you believe that? Sounds impossible to build a building in three days, doesn't it? But Jesus wasn't talking about the temple building. He was talking about the spiritual temple. Just like a home is really made up of people who love each other, the temple or church is really made up of people who worship and follow God. So when Jesus was talking about the temple being destroyed, he was really talking about his own death -- that he would be killed in Jerusalem. When he told them the temple would be raised in three days he was telling them that God would bring Jesus back and that he and his friends together would build a new temple, a new church. They didn't build a new building, but they shared the good news of God's love with everyone they met. As people began to give their lives to God, a new church was created -- made up of people. I still think it's sad that these people lost their home but at least the family can be grateful that they still have each other. As long as we have each other, God can always make new beginnings.
Closing Prayer: God, thank you for giving us homes, for the people who love us and help us to grow up healthy and strong. And thank you for the church, this larger group of people who help us pray and grow in our understanding of your love. Help us always to value your people over any building and to seek your love in all we do. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson in a home or classroom environment, you will need to provide each child with six craft sticks and some heavy cardstock paper. First, encourage the children to think of what REALLY makes up a church. Give them a chance to reflect on it themselves but help steer them away from the qualities of the building. Some ideas: prayer, love, serving God, caring for others, following Christ, and so on. Then encourage the children to write six of their descriptions on the six craft sticks. Help the children glue their craft sticks on the cardstock in the form of a church and steeple (four craft sticks form a square, with two more making the triangle on top), so you can see the words they've written. In the square part of the church, right the scripture, "In three days I will raise the church up." Let the children decorate the church steeple. When the glue is dry, use a hole punch to make a hole in the top of the steeple. Put a piece of yarn through the hole, so it can be hung as an ornament. If you've decided to have a Lent tree in your classroom, you can hang the ornaments on the tree. (Be sure and put names on them!) Or you can send them home.
Props You Will Need: newspaper (optional)
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has a newspaper, looking sad)
Leader 1: Hey (name), you look a little sad this morning. Is anything wrong?
Leader 2: I was just reading the paper, and I saw a news article about a family whose house burned down last week.
Leader 1: Oh, that is sad.
Leader 2: Yeah. Can you imagine -- losing your toys, your clothes, your books? I mean, in a fire you lose EVERYTHING!
Leader 1: Well, not everything. Did the family get out okay?
Leader 2: Yes, the article says everyone got out of the house safely.
Leader 1: Well, then. The most important part of the home is still around.
Leader 2: What do you mean? The whole house is destroyed.
Leader 1: Yes, but a home isn't really made of the walls and a roof. A home is made up of people who love each other. As long as the people stick together and love each other, they're a home. They just need to find a different place to eat and sleep.
Leader 2: I didn't think of that. I guess we spend so much time in a house that we begin to think the house is a home.
Leader 1: The people in Jesus' day did the same thing with the temple. They thought because the temple was the place where they went to worship God that the temple was the most important thing in the world. But Jesus wanted to teach them something different. So he told them that God would destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days.
Leader 2: But it takes longer than three days to build almost anything.
Leader 1: Right, but Jesus wasn't talking about the temple building. He was talking about the spiritual temple. Just like a home is really made up of people who love each other, the temple or church is really made up of people who worship and follow God.
Leader 2: So when Jesus was talking about the temple being destroyed...
Leader 1: He was talking about his own death. That he would be killed in Jerusalem.
Leader 2: And when he told them the temple would be raised in three days...
Leader 1: He was telling them that God would bring Jesus back -- and that he and his friends would build a new temple, a new church. They didn't build a new building, but they shared the good news of God's love with everyone they met. As people began to give their lives to God, a new church was created -- made up of people.
Leader 2: I still think it's sad that these people lost their home.
Leader 1: It is sad but at least the family can be grateful that they still have each other. And as long as we have each other, God can always make new beginnings.
Teaching On Your Own: (holding up newspaper) I'm a little sad today. You know why? I read an article yesterday about a family whose home burned down in a fire. Isn't that a sad story? Just imagine -- losing your toys, your books, your clothes. It is hard to imagine, right? How would you feel if that happened to you? But, you know, I was reading this story to my mom, telling her this family had lost everything and she told me that they hadn't really lost EVERYTHING. I asked her what she meant. She said that everyone in the family had gotten out of the house safely, so really they still had their home. What do you think she was talking about? What's the difference between a house and a home? My mom said that a house is just a building where you eat and sleep, but a home is made up of people who love you. Sometimes it's easy to get confused between a house and a home, isn't it? In Jesus' day the people had the same problem with the temple. They thought that because the temple was the place where they went to worship God that the temple building was the most important thing in the world. But Jesus wanted to teach them something different. So he told them that God would destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days. Do you believe that? Sounds impossible to build a building in three days, doesn't it? But Jesus wasn't talking about the temple building. He was talking about the spiritual temple. Just like a home is really made up of people who love each other, the temple or church is really made up of people who worship and follow God. So when Jesus was talking about the temple being destroyed, he was really talking about his own death -- that he would be killed in Jerusalem. When he told them the temple would be raised in three days he was telling them that God would bring Jesus back and that he and his friends together would build a new temple, a new church. They didn't build a new building, but they shared the good news of God's love with everyone they met. As people began to give their lives to God, a new church was created -- made up of people. I still think it's sad that these people lost their home but at least the family can be grateful that they still have each other. As long as we have each other, God can always make new beginnings.
Closing Prayer: God, thank you for giving us homes, for the people who love us and help us to grow up healthy and strong. And thank you for the church, this larger group of people who help us pray and grow in our understanding of your love. Help us always to value your people over any building and to seek your love in all we do. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson in a home or classroom environment, you will need to provide each child with six craft sticks and some heavy cardstock paper. First, encourage the children to think of what REALLY makes up a church. Give them a chance to reflect on it themselves but help steer them away from the qualities of the building. Some ideas: prayer, love, serving God, caring for others, following Christ, and so on. Then encourage the children to write six of their descriptions on the six craft sticks. Help the children glue their craft sticks on the cardstock in the form of a church and steeple (four craft sticks form a square, with two more making the triangle on top), so you can see the words they've written. In the square part of the church, right the scripture, "In three days I will raise the church up." Let the children decorate the church steeple. When the glue is dry, use a hole punch to make a hole in the top of the steeple. Put a piece of yarn through the hole, so it can be hung as an ornament. If you've decided to have a Lent tree in your classroom, you can hang the ornaments on the tree. (Be sure and put names on them!) Or you can send them home.
