What do you need?

What do you need?

Today’s gospel lesson might seem a little on the odd side to be reading during Advent.  It is the gospel lesson most of us associate with Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter – the beginning of Holy week.

I however find this to be a most appropriate lesson for us to ponder during the season of Hope and Light as we await on the long expectant Messiah to come to us.

You see our society is so caught up in the have to have and keepin up with the Jones… We are so focused on what we want, we lose sight of what we need. How many of you have already been shopping for Christmas?  How many of you braved the sales on Black Friday?  Most years I would have been right there with you, but this year, I did not go out shopping at 4:00 or 5:00 am. I did go to the mall as my little girl wanted her ears pierced and so we went… But it was not to be a part of the madness… We consume and consume until we can not possibly get anything else and then consume some more, I wonder sometimes when is enough enough. And I say that to myself, to curb that want inside of me as well…

We see in our gospel lesson the only thing in all of the Bible that Jesus, the savior of the world ever needs… “When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.””

The only thing Jesus needs is a donkey and her colt! So what is it that we need?

Gracious God help us to focus on the coming Messiah this advent and not on our own wants and desires. Help us to be filled with expectant hope in the baby coming to us, and to make him all we need. Amen.