The Best Ash Wednesday Children's Sermon and Lent Children's Sermon Collection

Ash Wednesday Children's Sermon and Lent Children's Sermon Collection

The Meaning of Ash Wednesday

Use this Ash Wednesday children’s sermon to teach kids about the hope we have in the resurrection.

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Needed: nothing

Children’s Sermon: Read or summarize Matthew 4:1-11.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

“Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike Your foot against a stone.”

“Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’

“Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give You,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’

“Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’

“Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.”

Tell students, In a few moments, the pastor is going put ashes on our head in the shape of a cross. Does anyone know why he's going to put ashes on our head? What do the ashes mean?

The ashes remind us that we are all going to die someday. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He never sinned. Jesus never did anything wrong in His whole life. But we do sin, and we do things that are wrong. The Bible tells us that God's punishment for the wrong things we do is for us to die someday. So, we put ashes on our head to remind us that death is the punishment for our sin.

The reason that we put the ashes on our head in the shape of a cross, though, is to remind us that even though we're all going to die someday, Jesus has saved us. We're still going to die as a punishment for our sin, but because Jesus died on the cross to forgive us for all of our sins, we won't stay dead. We'll live forever with God and Jesus in Heaven, and when Jesus comes back to Earth at the end of the world, He will bring our bodies back to life, and we will live forever with Him.

So, the ashes remind us that death is our punishment, but the cross reminds us that death isn't the end because of what Jesus did for us.

Closing Prayer: Father God, You are right to punish us for the things that we do wrong. We are sorry for our sins. And we thank You for sending Jesus to forgive us for our sins and give us a chance to live with You forever in Heaven. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

What is Lent? And Why do We Celebrate It?

Use this children’s sermon on Lent to encourage kids to obey Christ more fully during this season.

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Needed: nothing

Children’s Sermon: Read or summarize Matthew 4:1-11.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

“Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike Your foot against a stone.”

“Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’

“Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give You,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’

“Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’

“Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.”

Ask students, How many of you have heard of Lent?

What is Lent?

Lent is the 40 days before Easter, and it starts with Ash Wednesday.

Have any of you heard of someone giving something up for Lent? What kinds of things have you heard of?

Other times, instead of giving something up for Lent, people will try to do something good every day for Lent.

They either give something up for the 40 days of Lent, or they try to add something that they're doing for the 40 days of Lent.

Why do you think people do that?

When people give something up or add something, it reminds them of the 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert. Jesus fasted - He didn't eat - for 40 days. So, people give something up or add something for 40 days to be like Jesus.

And do you know why Jesus fasted for 40 days?

Jesus was using that time to get ready to start teaching people. He was focusing on God so that when those 40 days were over, He would be ready to start doing what God wanted Him to do.

And that's why we celebrate Lent too. We do something special during Lent, like giving something up or adding something good to our day to show that we're getting ready to be used more fully by God. We're focusing on God for those 40 days so that we can better learn to do what He wants us to do.

Maybe you can think about something God wants you to do or not do this Lent.

Closing Prayer: Father God, we thank You for Jesus' example of how He spent 40 days focusing on You and getting ready to do the mission You gave Him. We pray that You will help us to especially focus on You during these 40 days of Lent so that we'll be ready to serve You better and do whatever work You have for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Ash Wednesday and Lent Recommended Extras

MakeRoom: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter – an illustrated storybook that tells the story of Jesus’ time in the wilderness and asks questions to get kids thinking about the application

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Both of these children's sermons are included in my book, Holy Days: Children's Sermons for the Holidays.

Kindle $4.99, Print $7.99

Find more short devotionals on my Free Children's Sermons page!