I read this morning’s scripture
reading to Lucia the other day. She was very confused about what it could
possibly mean. When I read it in a few
moments, you will understand why this morning’s parable sounded like gibberish
to an 11-year-old.
In the parable we read this morning,
Jesus described the kingdom of heaven as being like a scenario when 10 Virgins
took their lamps out to meet a bridegroom to show him the way. Some of the virgins were unprepared and did
not have enough oil to keep their lamps burning. The young ladies had old fashioned oil lamps
--- imagine them looking more like Aladdin’s lamp than a bedside table
lamp. They were shaped like a pitcher a
handle at one end, the chamber to pour the oil into in the middle, and the wick
and flame at the spout part of the pitcher.
There is a Johnny Cash song in which
he sings about the Virgins Trimming their Wicks. If you don’t know about their parable, the
song sounds very strange indeed. But, in
order for the lamps to remain lit, the wicks had to be trimmed by hand and the
oil had to remain plentiful. The wick
would have been made of linen or papyrus, woven tightly into a thick thread.
Listen to Jesus’ parable about the
young women whose lamps lit the course for the bridegroom as we read from the
Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25, verses one through thirteen:
Scripture Reading Matthew 25:1-13
25 “At that time the kingdom
of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out
to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish
and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones took
their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
4 The wise ones, however,
took oil in jars along with their lamps.
5 The bridegroom was a long
time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang
out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke
up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to
the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied,
‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil
and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on
their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready
went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also
came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I
tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch,
because you do not know the day or the hour.
Here ends this reading of the Word of God
for the people of God: Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer for Understanding
Let us pray: Almighty, eternal, and merciful God, whose Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, open and illuminate our minds, that we may truly understand your Word and that our lives may be conformed to what we have rightly understood, that in all our ways we may be pleasing to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
When I was a kid, my grandmother’s
purse was a fascinating object. It
seemed like no matter what happened, Grandma had a solution in her bag. If you fell and skinned your knees, she had
Band-Aids. If you had dirty hands, she
had wet-wipes. If you were hungry, she
had cookies. If the grown-ups parked at
a parking meter, she had tons of change.
If it started to rain, she had an umbrella and one of those plastic rain
bonnets. If you needed to write a note,
she had pens and pencils and pads of paper.
If your hair was tangled, she had a comb. My grandmother was prepared….her bag was
almost like a Mary Poppin’s bag – everything you needed was in there.
This morning, we focus on one of
Jesus’ parables – although the illustration is dated, Jesus was using the story
to remind us to be prepared to welcome Jesus and God.
In the first century, instead of
accompanying a Bride to meet her groom, bridesmaids brought the groom to the
bride’s home. They didn’t walk with
bouquets of flowers, they walked with lamps in their hands. They used their lamps to shine light on the
groom to show off what great catch he was – the light showed he was handsome,
and strong, and a good provider. So, the
bridesmaids waited outside of the wedding venue or courtyard or wherever the wedding
would take place – they waited for the groom to arrive.
The bridesmaids in the parable had to
wait a long time…the groom was delayed and everyone fell asleep. And, when the groom was visibly approaching,
5 of the bridesmaids did not have enough oil to keep their lamps burning the
length of time they needed. They asked
the prepared bridesmaids to share their oil, but they declined – perhaps the
prepared bridesmaids were not so prepared they could comfortably give away
oil. The unprepared bridesmaids went to
buy more oil, and while they were gone, the groom arrived. The prepared bridesmaids accompanied the
groom to the wedding banquet, and the unprepared bridesmaids were locked out of
the party.
Again, this story is antiquated, but
the people in Jesus’ original audience would have understood the dilemma. The bridesmaids who ran out of oil were
unprepared for their job. They missed
out on the opportunity to accompany the groom to the wedding banquet. They missed out on the fun of being at the party
and having part of the wedding limelight.
Jesus reminded us that it is our job
to be prepared to welcome him. It is our
calling as Christians to welcome God into our hearts and into our lives. When we are convinced of the truth of
Christianity, we are called to embrace our faith whole-heartedly. God wants us to make a full commitment to God
– we are called to love God with all of our heart and soul and mind. And, we are to love our neighbors as much as
we love ourselves.
In this very weird time in our
Nation’s history, with a contentious election, Covid-19, anxiety about jobs and
housing security, and insecurity all around, it is important for Christians to
be prepared to share our hearts and love with others. We are to treat other people with kindness
and friendliness no matter how we differ in our political views. We are to work to trust others and have
tolerance of people who are different than we are. We are to work to be generous and compassionate
to all people. We are called to share
our resources, to be hospitable, and to treat others fairly.
Our hearts have to be open to help
others and to be prepared for whatever comes our way. Like my grandmother’s purse, we need to work
to develop the gifts in our own heart that can make other people’s lives
easier.
When we tell people we are Christians,
and when they know we are churchgoers, they are watching us closely. People want to make sure we practice what we
preach. They are watching us when they come to our church to vote during the
election. They are watching us when they
pull up at our doors to pick up their Turkey dinners. They will be watching us
this afternoon when we gather in our cemetery to honor and remember veterans. They want to make sure we really put into
practice what we claim: that we love God and that we love other people as much
as we love ourselves.
So, friends, let us work to live like
we believe in the faith we proclaim. We
want to be prepared to be generous, loving and helpful. We want to show that we practice what we
preach. And, despite the fear and
tensions that are gripping our world, let us work to spread the love of Christ
and the gifts of the Holy Spirit with everyone we meet.
May we do so in Love. Amen.
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