Pentecost 26, Proper 27A RCL, November 9, 2008
St. James Zanesville
Kathryn P. Clausen

Joshua 24:l-3a, 14-25
Psalm 78:1-7
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-3

"Commitment"

Sometimes the parables in Matthew seem to send a mixed message. In previous stories we have heard that even the laborer who works only the last hour gets the same wage as the ones who worked the whole day. "The last shall be first..." and all that. And we speak of the doctrine of Grace, that all are saved, regardless of worthiness, because of God's love.

But this little parable of the wise and foolish virgins seems different. It makes a distinction between the wise virgins who had extra oil for their lamps, and the foolish ones who didn't bother and whose lamps ran dry. They ended up being excluded because they weren't prepared. The Bridegroom is Jesus, and the foolish virgins are we ourselves. And the wedding feast is the Kingdom of Heaven.

This story in the past has been used as sort of a prediction of the Millennium, the second coming of Christ when there will be a great selection and only the worthy will be able to enter. This would be a time of Tribulation, of reckoning, and you'd better watch out our you won't be allowed in. It has even been woven into the kind of goofy theology of the Rapture, the pre-millennial beaming up as a preview of the Tribulation. It requires a rather rich imagination and more than a dose of gullability to go this route, but some passionately believe it. I think it is over the top. But the point of this view is clear. There will be a terrifying reckoning down the line and if we don't prepare now, we will be condemned forever.

But I don't think we need to be drawn into these doomsday scenarios. I don't read the "left behind" books nor worry about the apocalypse or nuclear winter. They feed on paranoia and fear and cause people to try to position themselves to be among the elect few. The extreme examples are the survivalists hiding with their guns in shacks in the wilderness of Montana.

The prevailing Christian message is one of inclusion, not exclusion. It is one of reaching out to help those in need, not setting up barriers with tests and qualification. We are supposed to see Christ in all people. And he accepts us all, just as we are.

So then what about this story?

I'd like to look at it in a different way. I think it might be about faith and commitment. The foolish bridesmaids gave only half-hearted commitment to their responsibilities. Yes, they would come to the wedding and support the new couple. They would go through the motions of greeting the bridegroom and walking with him to the bride's house, as was the custom in those times. But they weren't going to go to any extra trouble. After all, a groom wouldn't normally be late to his own wedding, so they would have sufficient oil for most circumstances. They could get away with it. But they didn't, did they? And they foolishly relied on the others to cover for them, bail them out when their own preparations fell short, and ended up with too little, too late.

In our own lives, our faith will be tested sooner or later. We know God loves us and we firmly believe that we are saved by His Grace. But that alone is just the beginning of faith. It is kind of a "feel good" notion of Christianity that is only an inch deep. Come to church most Sundays, give your pledge, read the prayers from the prayerbook. Do this as long as you don't have anything better to do like play golf, or go to soccer practice. It is going through the motions. When the chips are down, this kind of faith goes right out the window. It won't sustain you.

The wise virgins had something in reserve. The wise Christians will also have something in reserve. Real faith is much more than going through the motions or a casual acknowledgement of Jesus. It is a deep and abiding love of God and Christ that is best started in childhood and nurtured through prayer, community, and Christian action. It doesn't often happen in a single flash of lightning. It starts small and grows slowly. It must be constantly reinforced by regular worship, prayer, study and even questioning. It may go by fits and starts. It may feel stronger in Holy Week than in Ordinary Time. It may go a little flat for a while, but, if well-tended it will always return, usually stronger than before. This is not the kind of faith that flourishes sentimentally at Christmas but disappears in the hospital room. This is the faith that has a lot in reserve for the hard times as well as the easy ones.

Our faith demands commitment, a real, passionate, unconditional commitment to Christ. God revealed his commitment to us when he sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for us. There is no greater demonstration of love than that. And this cries out for an equal commitment from us. We must understand the depth and breadth of God's love for us, even when things aren't perfect. We must not hold back in prayer and worship. We must call out to God from the depths of despair when those times are on us, without fear that we have been abandoned. We must trust God in all things.

Think about your own faith today. Have you committed yourself, body and soul, to Christ? Maybe it's time to start working on that. I am not worried about being excluded from the Kingdom at the end times. I have more faith in God's love than that. But I do not want my faith to leave me in this world at times when it would sustain me through the inevitable trials that life has in store.

I think these kinds of stories are really for our own good, to help us understand the wisdom of a faith that is as deep as it is broad. This is life-giving and life sustaining faith. The wise will understand and be ready. Amen.