First Reading: Amos 5:18-24
18Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why do you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, not light;
19as if someone fled from a lion,
and was met by a bear;
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a snake.
20Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?
21I hate, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Psalm: Psalm 70
You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry. (Ps. 70:5)
1Be pleased, O God, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.
2Let those who seek my life be put to shame and confounded;
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune draw back and be disgraced.
3Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me
turn back because of their shame.
4Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation say forever, “Great is the Lord!”
5But as for me, I am poor and needy; come to me quickly, O God.
You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry.
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
CHILDREN’S SERMON: We are about ready to turn the page on the church calendar as the Pentecost season ends in two weeks and the Advent season starts on December 3. Our world is jumping from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas. One of the Christmas toons that is going to fill the radio and be played in the videos is “Santa Claus is Coming to Town!” We all know Macy’s Parade. Let’s see how well we know this song that welcomes Santa. The song starts with a warning:
[Chorus]
You better … (fill in the blank – watch out)
You better not … (cry)
You better not … (pout)
I’m telling you why, (Santa Claus is coming to town.)
So what does Santa Claus do to prepare for his arrival?
He’s making a … (list)
And checking it … (twice)
He’s going to find out
Who’s naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming
Santa Claus is coming, Santa Claus is coming to town
Why are we warned?
He sees you when you’re … (sleeping)
He knows when … (you’re awake)
He knows when you’ve been … (bad or good)
So … (be good for goodness sake)
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Let’s pray. Lord may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.
SERMON
Today’s text responds to the question the disciples asked at the beginning of the previous chapter of Matthew, “When will this happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age.” They are asking if the Temple will truly be destroyed and what will be the signs? How do we know when Jesus is “coming to town” and do we need to “watch out”? Jesus answers by drawing a parallel between these final events and a bridegroom arriving for his wedding.
“Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.”
Most agree that the bridegroom is Jesus. Jesus will return to claim his bride, the Church, believers. Not just Lutherans. Not just USA but the universal church worldwide. The ten women represent those anticipating his arrival. Ten is not a random number and reminds us of the Ten Commandments, perhaps speaking to the many who are seeking to please an unseen god. At the beginning of the parable, there is no way to differentiate the women waiting except we have a clue that half were foolish and half were wise. All have lamps. The problem does not seem to be that they are women nor that they have various talents. They are not like the resistant tenants in the previous parables that resent the landowner and want to take over. These bridesmaids are waiting for the coming of the groom. The problem is that the bridegroom delays. “5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.” All the women are waiting and all became drowsy and slept. So far the women are alike.
We know Jesus is coming and like our Christmas song the day or the hour are not mentioned. When hospice declared my husband’s condition was “terminal” I knew I needed to prepare myself for his death but the “when” was not so defined. When the pregnancy was confirmed, a baby was expected in nine months, give or take a little and all things going well. We know the Super Bowl will most likely be played but just which team will be there is still being determined. We know Christmas is coming and there is an atmosphere of anticipation as well as the realization that we may not get everything on our wish list and not all of us will live to see that day. The song warns us to behave properly, no crying or pouting.
So the first thing I see is that we are all waiting. We do not know when Christ will return, the hour or the day, but we know he is coming. Persecution, hard times, problems often raise the question – will the end come now? I love the line near the end in Fiddler on the Roof when the Jewish community receives news that they must leave their village. A man asks, “Rabbi, would this not be a good time for the Messiah to come?” The Rabbi answers, “We will have to wait for him elsewhere.” The disciples and we wonder how will we know the end is coming when Jesus will return. Would this not be a good time for the Lord to return? Today we wait like those bridesmaids. The angels at the ascension told us Jesus will return, he is coming to town.
Waiting impacts our way of life and thinking. I remember waiting to turn 21 because then I could go out for a drink and I started surveying my friends for who would go with me. I remember waiting for Malcolm to propose because then I would belong. I spent hours at night debriefing with roommates after a date. I remember waiting for those babies to arrive. We debated names. We prepared furniture. Perhaps we identify with waiting for the paycheck to be deposited so we can pay our bills. Waiting is not easy. Waiting raises questions and doubts about our future. Some events we know to prepare for and others we just enjoy the thrill of anticipation.
The bridesmaids tire in waiting and become drowsy. Are we tired waiting for Jesus to return? Maybe we have pushed those thoughts to the back of our minds and heart. We might turn on the TV or call a friend or do whatever. ALL the bridesmaids became drowsy. This is not good-guys, bad-guys criteria. It is not that some are doing hard work preparing for the wedding while others lazy about. All the women became drowsy. We might identify this as crying and pouting. We want “now,” not some unidentified future. But waiting is the name of the game.
So how are we waiting? I would suppose the bridesmaids could have spent their time swapping stories (let’s not call it gossip), playing cell-phone games to entertain themselves, or dodging out to do a task while their friend holds a spot in line. In other words they focus on the more immediate issues of life. It is so easy to become sloppy in our spiritual disciplines and perhaps this parable confronts us to ask if we have become drowsy in waiting for Jesus to return. Is there a spiritual discipline we need to stir up today: prayer, journaling, praise, church going, tithing, or perhaps just calling a friend to encourage?
6But at midnight there was a shout,
‘Look! Here is the bridegroom!
Come out to meet him.”
Now the difference in the bridesmaids becomes apparent. We think of midnight as referring to the last minute, the end of time, as we know it. We now see that half the women have come prepared to trim their wicks and light their lamps and half are unprepared. Half have been wise and half have been foolish. All were invited to be bridesmaids. All of them are together. All have lamps. None wants to miss the party. But not all are prepared.
In Proverbs 1:20 we read that “wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square.” Wisdom calls to all, but not everyone listens. We are all called and salvation is offered to all but human choice is also acknowledged in this parable. The serious reality of life is that being in church does not save us, getting baptized does not save us, nor does going through confirmation save us. “By grace we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves.” Sitting and waiting for the bridegroom is only part of reality. We are people made in the image of God, made for relationship, invited to the banquet but we have a choice. And we can become drowsy.
Usually today we think of oil in the New Testament as referring to the Holy Spirit. If we make that connection, we have a problem. The Holy Spirit is not something we keep in a flask for special moments. The Holy Spirit’s presence is not something we can run out of nor something we can buy at the local market. The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead. Jesus is speaking into the world of the disciples, pre-crucifixion and pre-awareness of the ongoing presence of the Spirit of God within the believer. As I pondered this, two thoughts came to mind.
First I thought about the sower who throws his seeds on four types of soil: the hardened pathway, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. All four soils are part of the owner’s garden. All have the potential to be planted. When the owner comes to plant, he throws seed to all but the word does not even phase the hardened path. Seeds thrown on rocky and thorny ground sprout but are choked by the cares of life. Not all seed that is sown and that appears to sprout comes to fruition. This tells me that faith is a journey, not some magical moment when I am overwhelmed with the awareness that Jesus is the Christ, the living God. Our faith is something we must nurture and tend to and cherish, not a date of some experience acknowledging Jesus. Christ died for all, all are invited to the wedding feast but not all are prepared to follow through on the invitation.
Secondly I thought of the Luke parable about a man building a tower who first counts the cost before starting to build or the king who evaluates his enemy to decide if he can win before going into battle. Many evangelists sell Jesus as “Try it, you’ll like it.” Jesus is presented as the cure all for life’s problems. With enough faith, mountains can be moved and when they don’t, it is hinted that the problem is the person’s lack of faith. A possible explanation of the difference between the bridesmaids is that some are prepared with resources in reserve for rough times when God answers prayers with a “no” or “wait” while others come just to enjoy the party and can’t cope when it is not fun. Some have counted the cost and prepare. To apply it to our song, we might say the prepared bridesmaids are the ones who know God is watching when we sleep and when we are awake, waiting for the right time to return, and they live in that faith.
But let’s ask ourselves, what resources do we have in reserve? What oil feeds our lamps, our faith? Are we collapsible or can we persevere? Our internal resources are not something we can get from another, bottle up and give away to our children, husband or beloved friend. We can share about our experience but we cannot make someone believe or make their choices for them. We must read the word for ourselves and make choices that grow our faith. That sounds harsh but the wise dig deep and fill their lamps and the foolish run away from the groom, to town in the middle of the night when shops are closed.
If this text challenges about how we are waiting, it also challenges us about the depth of our spiritual life. When tough times come, do we collapse and fall to pieces or do we have a coping strategy and know verses, songs, friends we can turn to?? Do we have oil to draw from or are we just here for the party?
10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came,
and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet;
and the door was shut.
The bridegroom does arrive and welcomes the bridesmaids who have trimmed their lamps and stand ready. Then the door is closed. It reminds me of the story of Noah and the Ark. Noah is told the flood is coming. He prepares an ark. He warns and invites his neighbors. But the moment comes for the flood and the door is closed. I reflect on the story of Moses and Pharaoh. Moses tells Pharaoh he is not god and warns him. “Let my people go.” God sends ten plagues and still pharaoh does not prepare. His confidence remains in himself and not God. The Red Sea closes and the door is shut. Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus dies and goes to the bosom of Abraham while the rich man goes to the place of torment and asks for a fingertip of water. Lazarus, whom he did not recognize in life, cannot cross the chasm to comfort the rich man in death. I see no way to sugar coat the Biblical message. Some day Christ returns and the door will be closed.
I suppose for many, the return of Jesus is pictured like Santa Claus coming with his bag of goodies. Many think in terms of going to heaven. For the oppressed and abused, a final judgment offers comfort of a lump of coal to the unjust for the wrongs they have caused others to suffer in life. Like Santa Claus, Jesus sees when we are sleeping and when we are awake and he knows the truth about when we have had to persevere in the face of injustice and we know he promises to revenge. He says, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay.”
Jesus tells his disciples he will return. It will seem like he is delaying and we will look around at a world that seems out of God’s control. Our faith in Christ will be tried and stretched. We will need to be prepared for those times that drain our lamps. But Jesus will return.
13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
All the bridesmaids want to go to the wedding, to heaven. Christ died for all. Santa Claus loves all children and watches all. All the bridesmaids have lamps. All of the bridesmaids grew drowsy. Waiting is hard. The difference is that the wise are prepared for those days when faith is hard work and life is challenging. The foolish bridesmaids run away from the groom to town in the middle of the night when the crisis comes and shops are closed. The kingdom of heaven will be a place of welcome and rejoicing. We are warned to stay awake and be prepared for we do not know when Christ will return. But return he will. We can count on the outcome of that event. Lord, help us keep awake and alert.
Let the people of God say, “Amen!”
On the Way to Wonder 