Devotion for the Saturday of the First Week in Advent

THEME FOR THE WEEK: HOPE

DEVOTION FOR THE SATURDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT (DAY 7)

READING: John 12:12–15 (NRSV)

¹² The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³ So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!” ¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: ¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

REFLECTION:

Yes, this is an Advent devotion, not a Lenten one despite the journey being to Jerusalem, rather than to Bethlehem. Why in this Advent season, did the authors of “I Wonder as I Wander” select a passage usually used during Holy Week as the day’s devotion? And why, other than the fact that I said I would write devotions based on the passages in this book, am I going along with a “Palm Sunday” text, rather than a more typical Advent passage?

The reflection topic for this week is Hope, and certainly Advent is a time of hope, when we look forward to the birth of our Savior and his second coming. Our usage, in Advent of a number of Old Testament passages that predict the arrival of a Messiah are reflective of our hope for Jesus’ coming. However, when we speak of Christian hope, this hope in grounded not only in Jesus’ birth, but also his death and resurrection. Because we have witnesses that Jesus died and was raised again, there is real meat in his promises that we will share in his resurrection.

Yes, Jesus’ mother arrived in Bethlehem on donkey, just prior to his birth. But Jesus, our King and Messiah also arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey in the days leading up to his crucifixion. Do not be afraid daughters and sons, because your King is coming. The final result of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem comes on a Sunday morning with his resurrection and resultant triumph over sin, death and the grave. This journey to Jerusalem and the empty grave mean HOPE for you. Amen, Amen, Amen.

PRAYER: In this Advent season may the HOPE that arises from Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection permeate your life. Amen