Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God, we hope you and your children are able to join us this Sunday. Church service is downstairs at 10AM and you can drop your children off upstairs at 9:45.

Have you ever watched shows about restoring homes? Home restoration shows such as Restoration Road, Home Town, Property Brothers, or the classic This Old House highlight the effort, planning, and craftsmanship required to bring an old or run-down home back to life. Restoration often begins inside the home, though exterior work may happen at the same time. The goal is to preserve original features whenever possible, repair what can be saved, and remove damaged or broken materials that cannot be restored.

In the Book of Exodus, God revealed to Moses the instructions for building the Tabernacle. This portable place of worship served as the center of Israel’s worship before a permanent temple was built. Later, in 1 Chronicles 28, David received instructions for constructing the first Temple, which became Israel’s central place of worship. In both the Tabernacle and the Temple, the Ark of the Covenant was the place where God dwelt and lived among His people. It was the heart of the Temple.

Because of Israel’s continued disobedience, the Lord allowed the Babylonians to destroy the Temple in 586 BC. After the destruction of the Temple, the Israelites were taken into exile. Seventy years later, they were allowed to return and begin rebuilding the Temple, as described in the Books of Haggai and Ezra. However,  the Ark of the Covenant was not present in the second Temple; without the Ark, the visible symbol of God’s presence was missing. 

Jesus later stood before the religious leaders and said that if they tore down the temple, it would be raised in three days (John 2:19). They did not understand His meaning at the time, but the disciples later realized that Jesus was referring to his body as the temple. He would lie dead for three days and then be restored to life.

God is about restoration and restoring what is broken. The relationship between His creation and Him was broken by the first sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden, but God desires a relationship with humanity. With that being said, have you experienced a broken relationship with others? If so, know this: that same work of restoration by God applies to our relationship with others. When a relationship is broken, seek God first in all that you do (Matthew 6:33) and trust Him to guide the process of restoring what has been damaged.

Last week, the little lambs reviewed the Ten Commandments and touched on the story of Jericho falling. This week, the lambs will explore more of the story of Jericho and study the archaeological evidence, the destruction, and Rahab’s house that prove the story is real.

I look forward to worshiping the Lord with you, with songs of praise and dancing before Him who has blessed us despite our shortcomings. If for some reason I do not see you, may you be blessed with joy and peace, and may He bless you with guidance, comfort, and healing when you are in need. 

God bless you,

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)