Rescued!
Grace to you and peace from God our Creator, from our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and from our Sustainer, the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. Oh boy! In my preparations this week, I came across a sermon by a Lutheran colleague by the name of Reverend Nadia Bolz Weber. She likened today’s parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids to an anxiety dream from which she awakens in a panic, and then in turn her anxiety dream triggered a recurring dream of my own!
My dream is one from which I also awake in a complete panic and it is one that I have been dreaming in different forms for many, many years. It is a recurring dream. With different variations, it happens repeatedly, and it has something to do with all of you. In fact, it is one I have dreamed at some point during the time I have served each of the five churches of which I’ve been a pastor. No matter where I go, the dream follows me. So whether you like it or not this morning you are going to get a glimpse at my dream life – and perhaps, therefore of how my mind works. You up for that? Well, here goes.
Today’s parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids is a bit like waking up from a bad dream in which I am too late and I am not prepared. Here is the dream (or better yet – the nightmare). It starts with a sudden awareness that it is almost 9:45 am Sunday morning and I’m nowhere close to being at the church in time to begin worship. In fact I can see the church building at 143 Lincoln Street but it’s miles away, and in-between me and the church is a rushing river into which I dive in and start swimming, but as soon as I start swimming, the river suddenly climbs uphill, and soon enough I’m climbing on wet rocks, the river is drying up, but now instead of a river there is a steep cliff that I fall over (remember the wet rocks). I’m falling and falling and falling until I’m not and then I’m standing in that closet area outside of my office where my robes are hanging, but I’m all wet and have to put my robes on for worship, but then I can’t find my robes. I search and search, and by the time I find them and put them on, I’m still soaking wet. I’m ready to begin worship and I make my way to the entrance doors when all of the sudden I realized I don’t have my sermon. I turned back to my office. When I get to my office, it becomes a deep pool of water into which I begin to fall. As I fall, I look back and see that all of you are leaving. I’m late to the party. Worship is over, and I didn’t get me to the church on time! (Well, that’s the recurring dream and now you know why I tend to arrive at church around 7am on Sunday mornings!)
So don’t be late! Or be prepared! That’s how you’ll get into the kingdom of God or always be smart. Plan ahead. Be prepared. That’s how you’ll get into the kingdom of God.
Is that what this parable boils down to? After all, the parable clearly states that there is a wise way to be and a foolish way to be. A good way to be and a bad way to be. The wise ones were smart enough to bring oil with them. They planned ahead. They prepared. They got in. The foolish ones had to back track to get oil and by the time they returned, the doors were closed. They were too late. They didn’t get in.
Now you would think there is an obvious message to this parable. It’s staring us right in the face – right? There are two camps of people. In one camp, there are those who have the oil, and in the other camp, there are those who do not have the oil. There are those who have and there are those who have not. Why don’t they just share? There are the rich and then there are the poor. What’s the obvious message? That basic Sunday School lesson? Share!
Jesus demonstrates such a lesson time and time again. Remember the feeding of the 5000 where Jesus finds a little boy who holds a couple of fish and five loaves of bread? Jesus blesses such a gift and the little boy shares the meager gift with the crowd and everyone, EVERYONE, is fed, and there are leftovers! Remember the story of the poor widow in the 12th chapter of Mark where the rich were throwing in large amounts into the collection plates but Jesus observed a poor widow offering two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents? Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.”
Why couldn’t the bridesmaids share their oil? Is that the point of the parable? Why couldn’t they be like the little boy with the two fish and five loaves who gave all he had or the poor widow who gave so little but all of what she had? Remember to share and you will get into the kingdom of God! Well, that is just not going to cut it this morning.
A long time ago, I was taught something about parables I will never forget, and it is this. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. In other words, parables are about things that can really happen but they point to a truth that Jesus is teaching us about himself – not us. With regard to today’s parable, at first glance it seems the lesson is simple – be prepared, be ready, do your home-work, share your resources – but a parable always invites us to dig deeper by getting the focus off of ourselves.A parable always invites us to wrestle with the story until a simple truth is revealed – a simple truth about God – not about us and our shortcomings.
So let’s dig a bit deeper into the story. I invite you to notice three things in this story. #1. All ten bridesmaids were in the kingdom of heaven together already – whether they were labeled wise or foolish – they were in the kingdom of heaven together. (The kingdom of heaven is like…) #2. The five so-called foolish bridesmaids left the scene only because they were told by the so-called wise bridesmaids that what they had was not enough. #3. Somehow, the bridegroom found the bridesmaids without the need of their lamps being lit.
So let me expand on those three points. #1. All ten bridesmaids were in the kingdom of heaven together. They were already there. Moreover, they were already there whether they had no oil or a lamp full of oil! They were there just the way they were – and it was OK. Even if they were lacking something – like oil – they were there! Even if they were not ready, they were there. Even if they felt inadequate, they were there. Even if they had doubt, they were there. They did not need to run around or turn back to try to get something they did not have, because who they were was enough.
#2 The only thing foolish going on was that some of the bridesmaids listened to other bridesmaids telling them they did not have what it takes! (“You don’t have enough oil in your lamps. Turn around and go back until you find some.”) Have you ever been told that you do not have what it takes? You do not have enough education. You do not have enough money. You do not have the right look. You do not have the right kind of body or gender. You do not have the right kind of faith or skin color and ethnic background. Have other voices shamed you into believing you do not have what it takes?
Finally #3. Somehow, in the middle of the night – in complete darkness – the guy on watch woke everyone up because somehow he saw the bridegroom approaching – even before any of the lamps were lit! There was a light about the bridegroom all on its own. If there was any foolishness going on it was that they forgot that the light of Christ – the light of Christ, Jesus himself – would find his way to them even in their complete darkness.
We do not need to hold a light out for Jesus to find us. We do not need to be a certain way for Jesus to find us. Rather we need the light of Jesus to brilliantly reveal our inherent goodness. No matter how dark it is, no matter how difficult it is, we do not have to light our own light, prepare our own supplies, to find our way to God. God knows us not by our independence from God. God knows us by our need for God. God is not impressed by our goodness. God is not impressed by our benevolence. God is not impressed by our faithfulness. Rather what God really asks of us to know, to really know is our need for God.
So, next time some bridesmaid or someone else (or even your own voice) whispers in your ear something about you not having what it takes, remember this. Jesus is not interested in you being a certain way or being good enough. Jesus is interested –no Jesus is passionate about finding you just the way you are. God is passionate about loving you just that way. Amen.
Gospel
Jesus tells a parable about his own second coming, emphasizing the need for readiness at all times.
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 25th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
[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.”
The Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.