What a temptation!
Children's sermon
Object:
a candy bar
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a candy bar with me.
If I dropped it on the way back to my pew and you picked it up,
would you give it to me or would you keep it? (Let them answer.)
If you found something like this it would be tempting to keep it,
wouldn't it? A temptation is when you see something you would
like to have, but you know that it doesn't belong to you.
This makes me think of a story about a little girl. The little girl went to the mall with her mother. The girl's mother had to go into a store near a fountain. The girl wanted to sit near the fountain while her mother went into the store. The store was next to the fountain, so the girl's mother could watch her while she was in the store. As the girl sat near the fountain a boy walked by her. The boy had a candy bar like this one in his pocket. It accidentally dropped from his pocket and he didn't know it. It dropped right in front of the girl. What a temptation! Should she keep it or give it to the boy? She thought for a minute and gave it to the boy. Then an old woman walked by and accidentally dropped a $5 bill near the girl. The old woman didn't see that she dropped her money. Another temptation for the girl! Should she keep it or give it to the old woman. Another girl and her friend sat down near the fountain. They were playing with some small toys. Soon they moved on, but they left one of their toys. Another temptation! This time the girl got up and ran over to the other girl and said, "You forgot your toy."
The little girl had three very tempting things happen to her. But, she resisted keeping the candy bar, the money and toy. She didn't know it, but her mother was watching all this. When her mother returned, she told the girl how proud she was that the girl returned all those things. "You resisted three temptations," said her mother. "You did what was right." Jesus was once tempted like this, too. Like the girl, he resisted temptation. When Jesus' temptations were over, the angels helped him.
This is the first Sunday of the season we call Lent. During Lent I want you to think about things that tempt you. During Lent try to be like Jesus. See if you can resist temptations. When you are tempted, remember the little girl and Jesus.
This makes me think of a story about a little girl. The little girl went to the mall with her mother. The girl's mother had to go into a store near a fountain. The girl wanted to sit near the fountain while her mother went into the store. The store was next to the fountain, so the girl's mother could watch her while she was in the store. As the girl sat near the fountain a boy walked by her. The boy had a candy bar like this one in his pocket. It accidentally dropped from his pocket and he didn't know it. It dropped right in front of the girl. What a temptation! Should she keep it or give it to the boy? She thought for a minute and gave it to the boy. Then an old woman walked by and accidentally dropped a $5 bill near the girl. The old woman didn't see that she dropped her money. Another temptation for the girl! Should she keep it or give it to the old woman. Another girl and her friend sat down near the fountain. They were playing with some small toys. Soon they moved on, but they left one of their toys. Another temptation! This time the girl got up and ran over to the other girl and said, "You forgot your toy."
The little girl had three very tempting things happen to her. But, she resisted keeping the candy bar, the money and toy. She didn't know it, but her mother was watching all this. When her mother returned, she told the girl how proud she was that the girl returned all those things. "You resisted three temptations," said her mother. "You did what was right." Jesus was once tempted like this, too. Like the girl, he resisted temptation. When Jesus' temptations were over, the angels helped him.
This is the first Sunday of the season we call Lent. During Lent I want you to think about things that tempt you. During Lent try to be like Jesus. See if you can resist temptations. When you are tempted, remember the little girl and Jesus.
