Children’s Sermon

John 2:13-22

Respecting the Temple

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John 2:13-22

Respecting the Temple

By Lois Parker Edstrom

Let’s start with a story from the Bible. Jesus went to the temple, a holy place where many people came to give gifts to God. When he arrived at the temple he found that people were not respecting this holy place. They were selling cattle, sheep, and doves and exchanging money. The temple had become like a huge marketplace.

Jesus drove the cattle and sheep out of the temple and stopped the people from exchanging money. He said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!” (2:16).

Did you know that you are like a holy temple? A holy place is anyplace where God is. When you accept God’s love His Spirit becomes a part of who you are. God’s Spirit lives in you and your body is a holy place––a holy temple.

One of the things we can learn from this Bible story is that we must respect our bodies because they are holy. We respect our bodies by doing things to keep ourselves healthy and safe.

Let’s think about some of the ways we can respect our bodies. Yes, we eat healthy foods. We keep our bodies clean. We get lots of good exercise. We choose activities that are safe and will not harm us. We thank God and congratulate ourselves when we do something well.

These are a few of the ways we show respect for our bodies. When we respect our beautiful bodies––these holy temples, we are also showing respect for God.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2009, Richard Niell Donovan