Children’s Sermon

Mark 1:9-15

Temptation

By Dr. Dan Wuori

Can you think of a time that you had to share – or maybe take turns – at something that you really didn’t want to?

It’s hard, isn’t it? Especially when you’re right in the middle of something special – it’s tempting to be selfish and keep those things for ourselves.

Or did you ever see something you wanted so bad that you thought about taking it – even though it didn’t belong to you? That can be tempting too.

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus is tempted.

A temptation is something that we want – but that we know isn’t right or good for us.

It might be tempting to eat only ice cream and candy – but we know it wouldn’t be good for our bodies, right? It might be tempting to take something that isn’t ours – or to be selfish in the way we act toward others – but we know those things are wrong.

Being a Christian isn’t always easy, is it?

Sometimes it means making the choice to do what is right instead of giving in to our temptations. It can be hard to avoid temptation – but Jesus did it. And you can too.

So watch out this week and remember that what we want to do and what we ought to do are sometimes two different things. Avoiding temptation means making good choices. But you can do it!

Can we pray?

Dear God,
The world is full of temptations.
Give us the strength to make good choices during the week ahead.
Amen
Copyright 2009, Dr. Dan Wuori. Used by permission.