| Linda Carroll |
| February 2007 - Children's Sermon |
| Luke 4 |
Preparation: Photos from Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii; Pictures of a school, house, basketball, instrument, $ with line through, unhappy face
Have you ever been in the desert or the wilderness? In Children’s Chapel, when we use the desert box, the leader will say, “the desert is a strange and wild place….” That’s a wilderness. Last fall, I was in Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii. [Show pictures; place on display board] Some areas looked liked the surface of the moon; some were like a war zone. Driving just a bit farther down the road, we found ourselves in a tropical rain forest. It was a very strange and wild place.
But sometimes the place we are in isn’t strange and wild, but it just feels different to us. Going to a new school is a big change for a person. [Place picture in display] You may feel the school is your wilderness until you make friends and get used to it. Moving to a new town or into a new house is another big change. [Place picture in display] That town can feel like the wilderness. Even something fun like trying a new sport or musical instrument can seem strange. [Place pictures in display] But some changes are not happy. When a parent loses a job, it affects the whole family. [Place picture in display] The death of a loved one leaves you feeling very strange and confused inside. [Place picture in display] Those, too, are types of wildernesses.
So what do you do when you find yourself in a wilderness place? What did Jesus do? He prayed and fasted. He focused on God. But when he was at his weakest (he was tired and hungry), the devil came to convince Jesus to do bad things.
When we’re in our wilderness places, we can feel overwhelmed and “stressed out”. We can be tempted to act badly. Sometimes it’s the new kids in school who misbehave because they are not sure how to fit in. Sometimes a child can get frustrated and act badly because the coach made the team do another set of passing and dribbling drills when all you want is to play basketball! The same is true for music—no more scales, just let me play a song! The fear for the future after a job loss or the horrible sorrow of the death of a loved one can cause people to do and say things that they know are wrong.
So what did Jesus do when he was tempted by the Devil? He quoted the bible. I know I would have trouble quoting the bible. Would you? Knowing the scriptures helped Jesus not give in to temptation. Do you think we should read and study the bible, too?
We also need to remember that good things can come from a trip in the wilderness. The wilderness prepared Jesus to do God’s work. A new school, house, or town can give us new friends and new experiences. Learning a new sport or instrument teaches coordination, sportsmanship, and shows us the rewards of hard work. Dealing with a job loss teaches a person to handle money carefully.
When my family was going through a job loss, I marveled at how opportunities to earn money came just when I thought we wouldn’t be able to pay our bills. I knew it had to be God right beside us helping us through this difficult time. And I knew he’d be with us in other difficult times. The death of a loved one can be so heartbreaking. But, for me, it reminds me that life on earth is just a short time. Life in heaven with God and my loved ones will be forever. So everyday my focus should be on what God says is important.
In the wilderness, Jesus prayed and quoted the bible. When I’m going through a tough time, I turn to God. I pray and I look for guidance and comfort in the bible. For each of you, I have a bag of pretzels. Attached to the bag is a book of bible verses. I’d love for you to read a verse each day during Lent. You’ll repeat them so maybe by Easter you’ll have them memorized. I know there are some people in church who are saying, “I understand the reason for the book, but what about the pretzels?”
One day during Lent, a monk was baking bread. As he kneaded the dough, he looked out the window at the children playing. He shook his head as he said with disappointment, “If only the children loved to learn prayers and bible verses as much as they loved playing.” He looked down at his dough and had an idea. He rolled the dough into a rope and shaped the rope to look like arms folded in prayer. After baking, he called to the children, “Come and get your little reward, little ones!” The children excitedly came to the monastery. But before they could get their little reward, they had to learn a prayer or bible verse. In the language of the monk, the little reward was called “pretiola”. Later the pretiola became known as “pretzel”.
So when you eat your pretzels, remember to pray and read a bible verse.