Gospel: Matthew
10:40-42
1st
Reading: Jeremiah 28:5-9
2nd
Reading: Romans 6:12-23
Jesus tells us today that there
is something simple we can do to help each other, something anyone can do, no
matter how young or old they are, they can give a drink of water to
someone. Water is very important. We can’t live without it, and neither can our
pets or plants. Water is something that
we need.
I wanted to talk to you about
needs and wants, because sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between
something we really, really want, and something we need.
If I had a stick of celery and a
piece of candy, which of those would you want to have?
How about if I had a book or a
video game?
How about a glass of water or a
glass of juice?
How about if I had water in a
small, plain cup, would you want that or one in a fancy cup with superheroes or
sparkles on it?
But what do we really need?
Between the celery and the
candy, what do you need?
The book or video game?
How about the water or the juice?
And finally the water in the
plain cup or the water in the fancy cup?
Sometimes we want what isn’t
good for us and sometimes we need things we don’t want. How can we know the difference so we know
what we need to keep us healthy?
Sometimes we learn by
experience. Like my sister. One Easter morning she ate every bite of her
Easter candy out of her basket. What do
you think happened? Did she want that
candy? Did she need it? So the next year she learned not to do that
and the Easter bunny learned to bring some granola bars and applesauce along
with the candy.
How else do we know the
difference between wants and needs?
Sometimes people with more
experience than we have try to help us tell the difference. Did you ever hear your parents say, “You need
to brush your teeth?” They aren’t trying
to make your life miserable, they are trying to tell you something helpful, so
you don’t get cavities.
As you grow up, you’ll learn to
tell the difference. You’ll learn the
good that can come when you choose to meet your needs, so you’ll want to make
choices that are good for you. But no
one has this completely mastered.
Sometimes adults too need help
telling the difference. This hasn’t
happened in a while, but some adults might wear a little too much cologne or
perfume. They sometimes forget that what
they want might not be what they or others around them need.
And we’ve been talking about
this regarding coffee hour. People like
to have lots of snacks. But there are a
lot of hungrier people on this earth that could use that food so much more than
we do. We don’t really need all that
food. However, when we have snacks, we
tend to stay and visit longer which is a need!
God wants our needs to be met,
and for us to help each other to meet needs.
Needs are things like food, water, shelter, love.
God wants us to stay away from
the things that aren’t good for us or that we don’t need, so that we can be
healthy and happy people who use our brains and get along with others in our
community, and share with others in our community so they have enough. If we concentrate on the needs, there will be
enough for everyone.
One last question for all of
you. How about God’s love, is that a
want or a need? It is a need, and
thankfully we are all in God’s family.
God loves each of us, even when we take more than we need or make
choices, we always have another chance to try again. And when we share because we have more than
what we need, people in need find out they are also loved and we are all part
of God’s family.
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