The double dare
Children's sermon
Object:
a crutch, a sling, and an ice pack
Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever heard the words, "I double dare you!" (let them answer) Every once in a while I hear a boy or girl say to another boy or girl, "I double dare you!" It is usually a challenge, a bad challenge.
I remember when I was a boy how one friend dared another friend to ride his sled down a steep hill towards a bunch of trees. At first my friend with the sled said no, he wasn't going to do it. But my other friend told my friend with the sled that he was afraid. My friend with the sled said he wasn't afraid, it was just a dumb thing to do. Finally the one friend said, "I double dare you to ride your sled down the hill between the trees. I double dare you, and if you don't do it, all of your friends will know that you are scared."
Guess what happened? My friend with the sled did not want other people to think he was afraid so he jumped on his sled and flew down the hill and rammed right into a tree. My friend with the sled was really hurt. The friend who double dared him felt awful. He never thought he would really race his sled down the hill and hurt himself.
The Bible tells a story about a king who made a promise to his stepdaughter that he would give her anything in the world because she danced so well. He forgot that he was making wild promises in front of friends. When the stepdaughter told the king that she wanted him to have John the Baptist killed, the king was surprised. He tried to talk her out of it, but she would not listen. The people with whom he ate would also have none of it. They reminded him that he had promised his stepdaughter anything she wanted. The king was worried about what people would think of him. Even though he knew it was wrong, he had John the Baptist killed.
That was a terrible ending to a party, just like my friend's accident was a poor ending to a sledding party.
This is what happens when promises become dares. As Christians we are to help other people, make them feel good about themselves, and surround them with love -- not dares. The next time you want to dare someone, think about my friend on his sled or the king who went too far and caused great harm to John the Baptist.
I remember when I was a boy how one friend dared another friend to ride his sled down a steep hill towards a bunch of trees. At first my friend with the sled said no, he wasn't going to do it. But my other friend told my friend with the sled that he was afraid. My friend with the sled said he wasn't afraid, it was just a dumb thing to do. Finally the one friend said, "I double dare you to ride your sled down the hill between the trees. I double dare you, and if you don't do it, all of your friends will know that you are scared."
Guess what happened? My friend with the sled did not want other people to think he was afraid so he jumped on his sled and flew down the hill and rammed right into a tree. My friend with the sled was really hurt. The friend who double dared him felt awful. He never thought he would really race his sled down the hill and hurt himself.
The Bible tells a story about a king who made a promise to his stepdaughter that he would give her anything in the world because she danced so well. He forgot that he was making wild promises in front of friends. When the stepdaughter told the king that she wanted him to have John the Baptist killed, the king was surprised. He tried to talk her out of it, but she would not listen. The people with whom he ate would also have none of it. They reminded him that he had promised his stepdaughter anything she wanted. The king was worried about what people would think of him. Even though he knew it was wrong, he had John the Baptist killed.
That was a terrible ending to a party, just like my friend's accident was a poor ending to a sledding party.
This is what happens when promises become dares. As Christians we are to help other people, make them feel good about themselves, and surround them with love -- not dares. The next time you want to dare someone, think about my friend on his sled or the king who went too far and caused great harm to John the Baptist.
