In recent times there has been
much written or spoken about whether or not we are adequately
prepared for many things happening in life. We obviously were
not prepared for the events of 9/11, as if anyone could be. Years
earlier we had not been very well prepared for what took place
at Pearl Harbor.
More recently we have seen what can happen when we are not adequately
prepared to withstand the forces of nature. Much of our lives
we are being called to be prepared for one thing or another;
dating, marriage, having a family or getting ready for school
and employment. As we grow older we are advised to prepare for
retirement.
People prepare for sales presentations, athletic contests, musical
or dramatic performances and special events or work assignments.
The motto of the Boy Scouts is "Be Prepared." As
soon as farmers harvest one crop they begin preparing their field
for the next planting. Nearly everyone is involved in preparing
for something that will soon happen or could happen. We even
prepare for things we hope won't happen.
Our Scripture lessons for today talk about the importance of
being prepared. In the case of Psalm 78, parents are being instructed
to prepare their children with the knowledge and commandments
of God. Parents are being instructed to prepare their children
to know and serve God. It is sound advice that often goes unheeded.
In the Gospel lesson from Matthew, Jesus is in the midst of a
lengthy teaching discourse where He is attempting to prepare
His followers for the coming of God's Kingdom and what
has come to be known as the Final Judgment. But it is more than
that. It is intended to be instruction or preparation for how
one is to live his or her life now.
At the recent presbytery conference we were asked to share in
small groups whether or not we would like to know the date of
our death. What response would you give to that question? Most
people said "No!" I said "Yes!" with
the hope it was a long way off. The truth is very few of us will
ever know. If you knew the exact date of your death would you
prepare for it by living your life differently?
"A young student came to his rabbi and asked, "When
is the best time to repent?" The rabbi thought and said, "At
the very last moment possible!" The student replied, "But
we cannot know when that will be!" The rabbi responded, "Exactly!"
The parable says we have to be prepared at every moment for
whatever could happen. The situation that prompted this parable
was the fact that Jesus had not returned after several decades
when most felt He would be back in a very short while. The early
church to which Matthew wrote needed to be reminded they had
to be ready for the long haul as well as the unexpected moment.
Throughout the history of Christianity the followers of Jesus
have had to live in this tension. There have always been those
like the authors of the Left Behind series of books
that have interpreted current events as a sign that Christ will
return at any moment. Given the recent natural disasters there
are those making these predictions today. Jesus is certainly
not saying we have to live in fear; He is saying we always need
to live our lives according to His teachings because we are meant
to be Kingdom people now as well as in the future.
The Rev. David Austin served a Presbyterian Church in
Elizabethtown, N.J. After studying the Books of Daniel and Revelation
he became convinced that current events were pointing to the
imminent return of Christ. When Christ did not return in the
year Rev. Austin predicted his congregation asked the presbytery
to dissolve the pastoral relationship.
The year David Austin expected Christ to return was 1796 (A
Brief History of the Presbyterians, J. Smiley,Geneva Press,
1966, p.66, CSS Publishing
Company)
Every decade has had its own David Austin. One decade in the
future the person making the prediction will be right simply
by coincidence for no person, not even Jesus Himself, knows when
this will be.
The truth is we need to be ready to live our life as a Christian
in the world every single day. Opportunities will be present
to witness and to serve. Setbacks will present themselves. What
we believe will determine how we react. A woman by the name of
Alice Walker once said, "If you don't live now, treat
people now, act now as if the world you dream of were already
present, how will that world ever be birthed into existence?" (The
Immediate Word, November 10, 2002, CSS
Publishing Company)
The young women in our parable today had been selected for a
very special honor. They were to hold torches of light so the
bridegroom could come to the parent's home of his bride
to take her to their new home where they would spend life together
as husband and wife. The groom was delayed in coming, no doubt
due to pressing business responsibilities. When he finally arrived
hours later than expected half of the bridesmaids were out of
oil. The others could not spare any as they had only enough for
their own needs. While they escorted the groom to his bride the
other maidens were out searching for supplies and missed the
entire party.
God has given us what we need to live in God's Kingdom.
The question is whether or not we have received these gifts and
are presently making the best possible use of them. This story
illustrates what some people choose to do:
The late Jim Clelland, former dean of the Duke University
Chapel, used to preach at a boy's preparatory school in
the 1950's. Once he was preaching on the same parable we
have shared today. He ended his sermon with a rhetorical question. "Young
men, I ask you, where would you rather be? Here, in the light,
at the feast for the bridegroom ... or there, out in the dark
with a group of foolish young girls?
Someone in the congregation shouted, "Out in the dark
with the girls, sir!"
That ended the sermon. (November 10, 2002, CSS
Publishing Company)
That kind of choice can end many things. |
