Today's passage is Matthew 25: 1-14.
Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the ten virgins. Another terrible about what the kingdom of heaven is like. 10 virgins are going to meet the bridegroom. 5 do not bring oil for the lamps, five did. They all fell asleep waiting.
The five foolish ones asked for some of the wise ones' oil. They said no and told them to go get their own. The bridegroom came and the five who were ready went in to the banquet with him. When the other five returned the bridegroom wouldn't open the door to them because he said he didn't know them.
My humanistic viewpoint at first dominated my reading of this passage.
I have been trained to share. My students are trained to share.
So the virgins without oil should share I thought. But they don't.
When I interpret this through redemption history, however, it changes to something different, something a little scary.
All the virgins bring lamps to light the bridegroom's face.
But five bring no oil. Their lamps had no oil. 5 bring oil.
Oil is my faith, God's grace and the Holy Spirit.
Only with these can I help give light to my world.
Why would five virgins bring no oil?
Because they have no faith, grace or Holy Spirit.
They come to church and follow the rules and keep themselves chaste, and maybe have some small belief in God.
That's why they can trim their lamps when the bridegroom comes but they haven't met Jesus before and their light goes out quickly.
They have no faith to keep their lamps burning.
The virgins with faith can't give their faith to those with none.
That's why they tell him to go find their own oil.
I met Jesus twice, both in times of hardship and suffering.
The first time after I was married and struggled with grad school, small children and deepening poverty.
Jesus called me to obedient faith and I accepted him as my Lord.
It was a hard call to resist but I tried to resist it, gave up and entered the kingdom of heaven.
The second time I met Jesus was much less clear. There was no call.
Instead there was five years of enduring the loss of everything in my life - wife, children, job, hope. My dimming faith barely survived.
Any longer and I might very well have lost my faith.
Coming to Worridle showed me that God was with me the whole time in that desert, that long night of the soul.
I'm a sinner still, I fall asleep, but when the announcement comes I'll be ready
because I have oil for my lamp.
What scares me about today's passage is that only one of my children has oil in her lamp. She's recovering her worship. She's met Jesus.
My son has no oil. After 18 years of going to church he threw away his lamp.
My step daughter has a lamp but I don't know about her oil because she hasn't gone to worship in over 20 years.
My youngest daughter hasn't met Jesus yet and doesn't go to worship.
I worry about my mother. She hasn't gone to church for 50 years.
I don't know if she ever met Jesus. She has been ill for over a year.
I want her to reconcile with God. I want her to go to the wedding feast.
My wife and I are going to Canada after Christmas to see her.
It may be the last time I see her alive.
It may be the last chance for her to buy oil. I have so much repenting to do!
Lord, give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning till you come again. Rescue my family from darkness. Give me the patience and perseverance to sincerely repent.
