Preparing while waiting

 

Matthew 25:1–13 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them; ⁴but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps. ⁵While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But the wise answered, ‘No, there may not be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰But while they were away buying oil, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹Later, the other virgins also came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, let us in.’ ¹²But he answered, ‘Amen I tell you: I do not know you.’ ¹³Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory, because the wedding of the Lamb has come. His bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7) Amen.

He was pretty excited. What young man wouldn’t be? It was the first time he would be taking the car out on the open road by himself. Sure, he had been out on the highway plenty of times before, but on those trips dad had always been with him. This time, things would be different. He was tired of waiting. That’s why he didn’t tell dad or ask for permission.

Although he thought he was ready and prepared for such an excursion, he wasn’t.

It didn’t take long before 911 calls were being made to the police. Squad cars were dispatched and they soon found the boy. He was very quickly surrounded by caring and compassionate onlookers … people who were shocked at what they were seeing.

What were these folks seeing that shocked them? Well … they were seeing a three-year-old boy who had, while his father was in the bathroom, managed to climb o a chair, undo the door locks, get behind the wheel of his electric truck and make a break for freedom.

They were looking at a three-year-old who, clothed in a diaper and a T-shirt, had braved the 52-degree temperature and gone for a drive.

They were looking at a three-year-old who had managed to escape his father’s detection and driven 500 yards to the highway, where he managed to get to the median before someone stopped him.

They were looking at a three-year-old boy who had been saved by God’s grace and some overworked guardian angels.

They were looking at a three-year-old boy who was tired of waiting. He had watched dad drive plenty of times. He felt he was prepared for the open road.

They were looking at a three-year-old who is a fine example of us Christians who are tired of waiting and preparing.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins is a story of preparing and waiting. In Jesus’ story, ten young bridesmaids are waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. They wait a very long time. They wait until midnight. (Who starts a wedding reception at midnight!)

They have fallen asleep in the late evening hours. Suddenly, they awaken to hear that the bridegroom is finally coming. All ten ladies have brought their oil lamps along. Only five were prepared for a long wait. They must have looked foolish in their beautiful wedding dresses, carrying a Mason jar of extra oil in their purses. They must have looked as silly as Linus from the old Peanuts’ cartoon, sitting in the pumpkin patch, waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive.

The other young ladies looked downright sophisticated with their cute little wedding lamps nestled in their perfectly manicured fingers. They were confident and carefree. Going to the wedding was just another item on their busy social calendar.

But in Jesus’ parables, things are not always as they seem. The five ladies who looked sophisticated for not bringing any oil – because it would have clashed with their dresses – ended up being foolish because they weren’t ready when the bridegroom came. They never expected him to be so late in coming. They had run out of oil.

In the parable, Jesus is the bridegroom; the Kingdom of heaven is the wedding feast; we Christians are the ten ladies; and the oil for the lamps is the Christian faith.

To us, it seems like Jesus is a long time in coming. It has already been 2000 years. Who knows how much longer humanity will be waiting for the Bridegroom to come and the wedding feast of heaven to begin?

We Christians may think we’re ready. We may feel like we’ve waited long enough. The wedding feast is no longer the most important thing in our lives. It has become another item on our calendar. We are busy with other activities. We don’t take the time to prepare for the long wait of the Bridegroom’s entrance. We neglect to fill up the oil of our faith.

We may not be doing anything sinful. We are going through our normal daily activities. Basketball practices. Deer hunting. Amazon shopping. Scrolling through Facebook and Twitter if you’re older and scrolling through Snapchat and Tik Tok, if you’re younger. Binge-watching Netflix. Playing video games. Reading novels. Getting the house ready for the holidays.

Nothing bad. … But also nothing involving God’s Word.

Without God’s Word, without God’s Sacraments, without the faith these Means of Grace bring, we are not prepared for the wedding feast. Without the constant and continuous filling up of our faith - without worship, Bible study, daily Bible reading, devotions, sermons and the Sacrament – we could very well be locked out of the marriage feast of heaven. Then we would hear those dreadful words from the Bridegroom, “I don’t know you.”

These five young ladies look so cool, but they turn out to be foolish.

The five young ladies who bring the extra jar of oil with them may have looked foolish, but they turn out to be wise.

You look foolish to your neighbors when you get up early on a Sunday morning to go to church, while everyone else is sleeping.

You look foolish when you are sharing Bible verses, devotions and sermons on social media, while everyone else is still sniping at each other about politics.

You look foolish giving your hard-earned money to support God’s Kingdom work at Epiphany. You look foolish collecting food and gift cards for the needy in our community. All while everyone else is only looking out for themselves.

You look foolish when you tell your coach your daughter is going to miss basketball practices on Wednesday nights because of midweek Advent services. All the other girls will be there.

You look foolish with the confident smile on your face at Grandma’s funeral because you know she had prepared her faith for the marriage feast of heaven. The rest of your family who aren’t Christians are bawling their eyes out.

You look foolish listening to sermons about Christ crucified while everyone else is being filled with the theology of glory.

You look foolish desiring the body and blood of Christ for the comfort of your heart while other people find their comfort in booze or chocolate.

Get used to it. Christians are the village idiots of religion. You’re like the young ladies dressed in their finest with a jar of oil stuffed in their purse. The world simply shakes its head as it looks at us, sitting in our pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear.

Delay can only bring a false sense of security. Jesus didn’t come yesterday. He didn’t appear today. And he likely won’t appear tomorrow. So, there’s always time, right? God’s way of time is not the same as ours. We deal in days, months and years. God deals in millennia. “With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” God isn’t slow in coming. He is patient and merciful. He doesn’t want anyone to perish. He wants all to come to repentance. But let no one say, “There’s always more time.” You do not know that day or hour.” That is Jesus’ last word on the timing of the Last Day.

If you have ever walked into a room to greet someone, only to find they have died moments earlier, you know the end can come at any time. I don’t mean to scare you, but I do want to wake you up. Jesus wants his Church on high alert, wide awake, watchful, ready for the cry at any hour, day or night. “You do not know the day or the hour.”

God is rich in his mercy. Jesus won forgiveness and life on the cross and out of the grave. He gives out that forgiveness and life in not just one way, but many ways – in the waters of Baptism splashed on your head at the font, and also remembered daily in the confession of sins; in the spoken words of Absolution; in the Sacrament of the Supper every Sunday; in the Word that is preached and read. There is more forgiveness and life and salvation than you and I could ever imagine. More Jesus in Word and Sacrament than we think that we need. Enough forgiveness and life to keep our lamps burning until the Last Day. Only an unbelieving fool would say, “That’s enough forgiveness and life for me. I don’t need any more, thank you.” Refusal of the gifts is damnably foolish.

Fill up the oil jar of your faith in so many ways. Read the Bible on your own. Read or listen to daily devotions. Attend a Bible study. Watch our worship services, sermons and video devotions. Listen to our podcasts. Listen to Luther when he instructs you to begin and end each day with his Morning and Evening Prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostles’ Creed.

The wise bridesmaids knew in whom they hoped and for whom they waited. They lived and slept in the confidence of their bridegroom’s coming. They knew he was coming; they just didn’t know when. You know who you are waiting for; and he knows you. He is the One who died on the cross for you; who rose from the grave for you; who sits enthroned in majesty for you. He is the One who baptized you; who forgives you; who feeds you his body and blood; who anoints you with his Holy Spirit. This is more oil than you can possibly burn. It will see you to heaven.

To be one of these five wise young ladies, you need to live preparing and waiting every day. Jesus can return any day. Then is Judgment Day. You can die any day. There is your Judgment Day. Whether that Day is today, tomorrow or a million tomorrows from today. You can live and sleep and die in the confidence of him who once came for you by crib and cross, who comes to you now by Word and Sacrament, who will come in glory on the Last Day to raise you from the dead to eternal life with the rest of his saints triumphant.

Don’t be like the three-year-old who was tired of waiting for his turn to drive. Keep waiting. Keep watching. Keep preparing. Prepare and wait by filling up your oil jar with Word and Sacraments, sermons and songs. Amen.

Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:9) Amen.