Bread or stone?
Children's sermon
Object:
a loaf of uncut bread or roll shaped like a round stone
Have you ever heard of "fasting"? What is it? (Let them
answer.) Fasting is when a person gives up eating. Sometimes we
read in the Bible about people who stop eating so that they can
devote their attention to God. Do you know of someone in the
Bible who gave up eating? (Let them answer.) Jesus did when he
began his ministry.
What do you suppose happens to a person who gives up eating? What happens to you when you don't eat for a long time? You get hungry, don't you? What do you think happened to Jesus when he didn't eat for many days? He got very hungry. That's right!
In the place where Jesus spent time in prayer to God, there are many stones in the land. Some look just like this. What is this? Is this a stone or is it something else? Sometimes bread can look like a rounded stone, can't it?
When Jesus saw rounded stones, he surely became tempted to eat bread. The devil tried tempting Jesus: "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread," he said. He tried to tempt Jesus to do something other than please God.
There is nothing wrong with eating bread, but Jesus wanted to do without bread -- or any food -- so that he could focus on God.
Sometimes there are good things that tempt us away from God. Jesus was God's son and yet even he was tempted. You and I also have good things happen to us that make us think we can do without God. But we always need God. If you can remember that today, that is an important lesson. It is a lesson Jesus learned when he saw a stone that looked like bread.
Would any of you like a piece of this bread to munch on? (Give out bite-size morsels to each child wishing for one.)
What do you suppose happens to a person who gives up eating? What happens to you when you don't eat for a long time? You get hungry, don't you? What do you think happened to Jesus when he didn't eat for many days? He got very hungry. That's right!
In the place where Jesus spent time in prayer to God, there are many stones in the land. Some look just like this. What is this? Is this a stone or is it something else? Sometimes bread can look like a rounded stone, can't it?
When Jesus saw rounded stones, he surely became tempted to eat bread. The devil tried tempting Jesus: "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread," he said. He tried to tempt Jesus to do something other than please God.
There is nothing wrong with eating bread, but Jesus wanted to do without bread -- or any food -- so that he could focus on God.
Sometimes there are good things that tempt us away from God. Jesus was God's son and yet even he was tempted. You and I also have good things happen to us that make us think we can do without God. But we always need God. If you can remember that today, that is an important lesson. It is a lesson Jesus learned when he saw a stone that looked like bread.
Would any of you like a piece of this bread to munch on? (Give out bite-size morsels to each child wishing for one.)
