I’ll be quite honest with you, I wrestled with what I was going to preach on today. I’ve had a lot on my mind: end of tax season (will it ever end?), catching up on returning after 2 months away, keeping my clients happy at the beginning of the month, turning out reports and going to meetings. So I’ve procrastinated all week (well, really for several weeks) and haven’t been able to connect with the readings for today. And I’ll also confess, I have trouble with Matthew’s gospel, since he often refers to hellfire, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” when people don’t act as God would hope they would.
Today’s parable is one of three in Chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew, referring to the coming of the end-times and the return of Christ: the unfaithful Slave, the parable of the talents and today’s parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. To provide a little historical perspective, the gospel of Matthew was probably written about 90 CE…the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 by the Roman army, and Paul had died in Rome about 65 CE. The early Christian church was starting to develop apart from Judaism with the inclusion of Gentiles as members who hadn’t had a Jewish upbringing. Persecution of the “new sect” of Christ followers was increasing under the Roman government. So the hope of the imminent return of Christ was of great importance to believers. Paul promised this second coming in this morning’s reading from First Thesslonians: “then we who are alive…will be caught up in the clouds…to meet the Lord in the air; so we will be with the Lord forever”.
But when is this second coming going to happen? Today’s parable reminds us that we need to be ready for the arrival of Jesus – the Bridegroom in the parable – have our lamps filled with oil and be awake for the unknown hour to join the bridal procession. But like five of the bridesmaids, who didn’t have enough oil for their lamps to join in the delayed procession, many of us haven’t made the spiritual preparation for this second coming.
But luckily for us the end time hasn’t come yet. We’re still waiting; but we need the time. What this parable is really telling us is that we must live the way God wants us to live all the time, not just when we think the Second Coming may happen.
Remember that I said I often had trouble with Matthew’s gospel? And I do with the end of the parable. Let me read it to you again…”the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the other young women came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us’. But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’” And the women were turned away. I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that God would turn anyone away from the heavenly banquet! God’s grace has been given freely so that all are welcome at the table. Do you welcome all to your table?
So how are you preparing for the end times, even though you don’t know when they might arrive. Are you keeping up with prayers and spiritual practices that enrich your life and the lives of others? Do you honor the dignity of every human being, as you promised last week in the Baptismal Covenant? Do you pray for St. Benedict’s and its work in our community? Do you live humbly in and on the earth? Do you pray for the Reign of Christ, which we will celebrate in two weeks.
Are you ready for the new beginnings, both the end times and the coming of the new church year with Advent in three weeks? Are you awake, alert and spiritually prepared for the incarnation of Jesus as God and Man, living among us? Matthew is reminding us that we don’t know the hour of the coming of Christ, but we do know that how we live our lives in this world now, can give us a preview of the End Times promised by the prophets, apostles and Christ himself. Live as Christ taught us – by loving God and your neighbor as God has loved you.