2
A House for God
Aim
To familiarize children with the story of the building of the first
Temple by Solomon
To introduce the concept of the Temple as 'a house for
God'.
Lesson
Talk about your own house. Location? How many rooms? Does it have a garden? Show pictures, if possible. Invite children to talk about their houses. (They may have drawn pictures already which they could show.)
You could play a version of 'Through the Key Hole'. Show different houses (Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, a house in a shanty town) and ask, 'Who lives in a house like this?' If you don't have images of different houses, maybe just give the address or type of dwelling.
What about a house for God? What would that be like? Discuss.
About three thousand years ago, a Jewish king called Solomon built a house for God in the city of Jerusalem. Show a map of the world. Travel from the location of your school to Jerusalem.
Share with children the story of Solomon and the Temple.
Note: The Temple didn't confine God. It was the place where the Jewish High priest met with Him.
Activity
Following discussion, children could:
- write about the importance to them of their own houses
- look at an image of Solomon's Temple
- find out what type of services took place in the Temple
- explain why the concept of a house for God might be considered absurd by many religious believers
- write about their own experiences of visiting holy places
- begin a Temple timeline.
