Matthew 25:1-13
“Sleepwalking”
November 8, 2020
They came prepared to wait. Some with lawn chairs, many with snacks and water to stay hydrated while others came equipped with books or playing cards or knitting. At Rising Sun High School in Cecil County, Maryland, there were 500 people waiting in line this past Tuesday to vote when the polls opened at 7:00 a.m.
One who was a bit more impatient than others was Madison Nordberg whose mom pushed her toward the front of the line, shouting “Pregnant lady coming in to vote.” Madison was quite obviously uncomfortable with her contractions coming 3 to 7 minutes apart, but she was absolutely determined to vote in person. After casting her ballot, she went straight to the local hospital where she met up with her husband and their new daughter Lydia Rose arrived shortly thereafter.
Some in the line didn’t receive their mail-in ballot, a few expressed distrust voting by mail while others said they valued the in-person voting experience over the convenience of sending it in. And so they waited. (cecildaily.com, 11/7/20)
The prepared waiting of this parable, found only in Matthew’s Gospel, is shared by Jesus as he is getting ever closer to his own death. The disciples wanted answers as to how long would it be before all the things he’d been talking about would happen. They wanted to know so they could be ready.
This parable is all about waiting and being prepared. The customs surrounding marriages back then were often long and drawn out events that happened in two parts. The first was the agreement made not by the groom and bride but between the two families. After that, the groom would go and get the bride for the wedding ceremony. Weddings were an opportune time for unmarried men and women to find each other and so maybe these young bridesmaids were also looking out for their own future in addition to keeping an eye out for the groom. And of the 10 bridesmaids, 5 of them were not just prepared for the groom’s arrival but for the groom to be delayed.
The groom in this story represents Jesus while the bridesmaids are a stand-in for the church. If that’s the case, how ready are we as his disciples for Jesus to return? What does having “enough oil” mean these 2 millennia later? Let’s remember that the folks there in Matthew’s community were living a generation after Jesus had risen to heaven. There already had been a lot longer wait than anyone had come to believe which must have left many scratching their heads and some just dropping out of the movement. After all this time what does “ready” look like now? How should we live as people of faith while waiting for Jesus’ return but also knowing there could be a long delay in his arrival? How are we to be in the meantime?
How can we be prepared for the long haul? Probably not by hording say, toilet paper, this past March and April out of fear that the pandemic would leave us unstocked, but rather the preparation or enough oil we are to have on hand may be answered by President Jimmy Carter. He offered that, “We should live our lives as though Christ was coming this afternoon.” If Jesus comes this afternoon or next week will we be found with the oil of love, or generosity or kindness or self-less giving?
This active waiting requires a certain amount of mindfulness. It’s impossible for us to stay alert 24/7 but remember in this story all of the bridesmaids fall asleep. The bridegroom locked out the 5 bridesmaids because they expected to be able to rely on the preparedness of others. We each have a light within us that we are to keep burning. It’s an active way of living where we trust that God has the future in God’s care. We must find a way to live not knowing the timing and that it may not come during our earthly days, in fact odds are pretty good that it won’t. And still we keep the faith and find a way to sleep at night.
Active waiting involves faithful action. Maybe the whole timing issue in this parable is a lesson for us not to put off learning a new skill, repairing a damaged relationship, supporting the cause that speaks to us with our time, talent and treasure, offering words of forgiveness or gratitude or hope. There are certainly people who are waiting for the light we have to offer. Maybe today or tomorrow is the day to do one kind act of faith in God and the future and then maybe another the next day. What are we waiting for?
Let us pray these words from a clergy colleague named Julie:
Light-bearer,
shine your healing light
into the darkness.
Be a beacon, we pray,
for those whose wicks
have burned dry.
Ignite new passion
in those who have grown weary
waiting
and awaken in them bright hope
for the future.
Under the cover of night,
when threats hang over your people
like a cloak
and celebrations are lowered to a whisper,
and the shuffle of feet,
encircle your people with
protection.
Go before them to lead them
and behind them to urge them onward,
and beside them to guard them,
and within them
to uplift them,
that those who would dare to come against them
will brush up against the power
of love
and be moved to join the procession.
God of Grace,
open the door to new possibilities,
to fresh starts,
to relationship forged in the struggle of commitment
and the power of covenant.
Open the door, God of Grace,
and welcome in all who seek your kin-dom —
wise and foolish,
anxious and elated,
eager and reluctant.
Open the door, God of Grace,
and restore us to wholeness in you. Amen. (https://revgalblogpals.org/2020/11/08/sunday-prayer-open-the-door/)