Our lesson on Solomon building the temple and gathering God’s people together for worship reminds us that gathering together to praise and honor God through worship is an important aspect of living as Christians.
We teach our children that God is a personal God. We each can have a personal relationship with God. Each person can talk to God directly whenever and wherever he or she chooses. We also teach our children that God is everywhere. From a very young age, children are told that everywhere they go, God is there too. We believe all of these things to be true, and it is important to teach these lessons to our children. However, there is more to the story. Having a personal relationship with God is essential. It is equally important to experience God in the midst of a community. Worshiping God alongside other people is a necessary element of living as Christians. When we come together as God’s people, we feel God’s presence in a special way. We experience God’s love in and through other people and we allow them the opportunity to experience God through us. As we care for and love each other, and work together to care for and love others, we gain a glimpse of God’s kingdom.
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August 16th Lesson
King David’s son, Solomon, became king after King David died. One of the first actions King Solomon took was to build the temple that his father, King David, had always meant to build. The temple took seven years to build. The Bible gives a detailed description of the dimensions and layout of the temple, similar to the description given for the Tabernacle. The temple took a massive workforce and lots of money. King Solomon bartered with Hiram to obtain the items needed to complete the temple. The completion of the temple was marked by fourteen days of celebration.
God wants us to come into the church for worship and praise. God wants us to remember we are people of God, and gather together at the church to love God and each other. God also wants us to go into the world, outside of the church, and share God’s love with others. God wants us to live our lives in the world faithfully and fully for God.
How do you share God’s love with others in your everyday life?