Children’s Sermon

Luke 4:1-13

Filled with God’s Spirit

By Lois Parker Edstrom

Object suggested: A cactus or picture of a cactus.
Picture of cactus

A cactus is one of the most interesting plants in our world. The first thing you probably notice about a cactus is its sharp spines. The spines protect the cactus from animals that might want to eat it, but the spines also serve another purpose. At night the spines collect dew and that dew helps supply water to the plant. The cactus also gets water from its roots.

Cacti grow in the desert where it is very dry. They are able to grow there because their stems store water. If you were to cut a cactus open you would find a thick slimy substance inside. (Demonstrate this if you have a suitable plant.) The stem of a cactus is mostly water and this allows it to survive through the dry desert seasons.

We can learn more about our Christian faith by comparing a cactus to something Jesus said. He had been in the wilderness for forty days and he ate nothing during that time. He was very hungry and the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (4:3).

Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God'” (4:4).

Jesus is teaching us that we must have more than food to live in this world. We also need to be filled with the Spirit of God. God’s Spirit sustains us and helps us grow. We need to store God’s love in our hearts like a cactus stores water. His love will help us through dry, difficult times. Be filled with God’s Spirit of Love.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2008, Richard Niell Donovan