Matthew 25:1-13; St. Mark’s Pennsburg, 11/12/2023
It was the night of the Halloween Parade, and it was cold and rainy.
I had just gotten home from a trip to New England, and as I was catching up on the local events, I saw that St. Mark’s was holding a bake sale as a fundraiser for a family in need…
And as I like to support a good cause, and I love cookies and cakes, and all that, I decided to walk over and check out the parade.
When I got here, I found everyone busy with the sale and getting ready for the parade!
There was a big awning set up on the front lawn, with a popcorn machine and tables filled with cookies, cakes, and brownies, and I got there just before the hot chocolate was brought up from the kitchen!
There’s nothing like a good cup of hot chocolate on a cold and damp night!
The people waiting for the parade must have felt the same way, because they were lined up for the hot drinks as soon as the jugs were brought out!
While my plan was to say “hi” and make my purchases, and then wander down along the parade route, I decided to stay…because, well, it was St. Mark’s and I felt at home…and it was a lot of fun, even standing in the rain, waiting for the parade!
And we waited…and then waited some more, just like every other year.
Because the parade starts in Red Hill, a big part of going to the Halloween parade is waiting for the parade!
But we didn’t just wait, we talked and laughed, As the popcorn was being popped, the hot chocolate poured, the baked goods sold and funds were raised!
Finally, after all that waiting and talking and fund-raising, we could hear music and sound of revving engines and sirens getting closer…and when we looked down Main Street, we could see the lights coming towards us and we knew that the parade was approaching, and would soon be upon us!
The excitement mounted and we all gathered on the curb to watch as the floats and marchers went by in the drizzle…fortunately, there were some umbrellas that had been left behind after various church services, and these were handed out to help us stay dry!
And it was about this time, as we huddled underneath the borrowed umbrellas, watching the people in the parade get soaked, that the kids with us had an idea: to offer popcorn to the people in the parade!
There was plenty of it to go around!
One of them grabbed a tray of popcorn bags and then the kids all worked together to hand out the bags of warm popcorn to the people marching in the rain!
Along with the popcorn, more than a few cups of hot chocolate went out to the parade as well, and the rest of the event was spent popping popcorn, filling bags, and running them and the hot drinks out into the street!
From the reaction of the people in the parade, these gifts were well appreciated…and it was a great opportunity for St. Mark’s to serve our community, and care for our neighbors.
Which is what we are called to do, as followers of Christ!
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of the bridesmaids who were also waiting, and waiting…for the bridegroom to come.
The bridesmaids were supposed meet the bridegroom in the street, the night before the wedding, and then light their lamps and lead him to the house where the bride was getting ready for the ceremony…
When the bridegroom arrived the celebration would begin, and would often last several days!
The bridesmaids had an important role in the wedding, and waiting was part of their task, but they also had to be ready to act at a moment’s notice!
And so, the bridesmaids in the parable waited, and waited and then they waited some more for the bridegroom to come…but he was delayed, and the night grew long, and the oil for the lamps began to run out…after all, they could not be waiting all night in the dark and had to use some of that oil to keep the lights on.
Jesus tells us that in time, the bridesmaids fell asleep and when they woke to the news that the bridegroom was coming, five of the bridesmaids found their oil almost gone!
They were caught unprepared and had to go out into the night to buy more oil and that’s why they failed to join the other five when they met the bridegroom in the street and led him to the wedding celebration, instead they found themselves locked out and left alone in the darkness!
This is why they are referred to as “foolish” and deserving of scorn.
However, as I read this parable I found myself feeling bad for those bridesmaids, like they didn’t get and fair deal….and this has me wondering why they were caught so unprepared?
I mean, they knew the bridegroom was going to come eventually!
If we look at the parable a little differently, maybe we can find some compassion for the “foolish” bridesmaids.
Perhaps, when the night began, they were ready, or at least thought they were, but because the bridegroom was late all their plans and preparations failed.
Maybe, while they were all waiting, the “foolish” bridesmaids burned their lamps so that they others did not have to, which is why the five other bridesmaids had had plenty of oil left when the bridegroom finally showed up.
There are many ways to look at this parable:
It could even be argued that the bridesmaids who still had oil were the “foolish” ones because, they did not help the other bridesmaids when they needed it, but instead told them ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’
It can be fun to exegete the Gospels to look at things in a different way and try to figure out what Jesus was teaching us…but then this is what Jesus wants us to do: to really think about what these parables mean.
If we look at the parable in this new way, as a call to work together, we can also see how St. Mark’s was able to succeed where the bridesmaids fell short!
On the night of the parade, we offered care and support to each other and to our neighbors, and by doing so we were living up to the calling of Christ to treat our neighbors as ourselves, and in doing so we shared the good news that God loves us all!
And on the night of the parade, we were not only ready and able to act, but we did what the bridesmaids did not do: work together to light the way on a dark and gloomy night!
Just think of the difference it would have made for those bridesmaids, the bridegroom and for the wedding party!
If they had only worked together and shared what they had, then no one would have missed the party and been left out in the darkness!
As Lutherans, we do not look for the Kingdom of God be off in the heavens, but right here, where we are, and that is why we look to the imminent and real presence of Christ in the world!
And therefore, we are called to make Christ known by sharing the healing and unifying message of the Gospel in this broken world of ours…
The message that God loves us, just as we are!
This is the good news that offers us hope and healing, and our world is desperately in need of hope and healing today…
And right here, at St. Mark’s, we are doing just that: making Christ known in our community.
Sharing God’s love does not have to be a grand gesture, it can be just a simple act of kindness in the form of popcorn and hot chocolate, offered on a cold and rainy night!
We also share the Gospel at St. Mark’s by holding fundraisers like we did on Halloween night…
And by supporting groups like Lenny’s Light, the Open Link, Project Live, and so many others that make a real difference in our neighbor’s lives.
We make Christ known by honoring and caring for to our veterans, who our nation is celebrating this weekend!
When we reach out to help the sick, and those who love them…
When we offer friendship, food, shelter and warming to those who are facing a cold and hungry season…people who may feel like those bridesmaids: locked out of all hope and help…
When we break the stigma of Mental Illness and Drug Addiction by embracing all who struggle.
When we let all those who feel undeserved shame, know that we offer only love and care…
And even simply by being here, as St. Mark’s, offering a place of worship and education…
We are making Christ known, and bringing the Kingdom of God closer to a reality in our world!
We can to this in our own lives, by simply treating each other with respect and care, remembering that we are all well-loved children of God…and therefore all connected, even if we don’t always agree with each other.
Remember, no one has all the answers, and we can learn from those we disagree agree with…learn and then find new ways to work together to make our world a better place…to change the culture of our world from one of contention and turmoil, to one of unity and compassion.
With that Grace, we can pause, even during today’s troubles, if we really listen together, we can hear The Day of the Lord as it approaches, and this is nothing to be feared but to be celebrated, for on that Day, the Kingdom of God will be truly in our midst!
Think about it.
Amen
Ordinary Adventures 