The church’s liturgical year, its annual cycle of celebration, is coming to a close.  It will begin again in just a few weeks with the commencement of Advent.  A common thread runs through the final Scriptures for ending the old year and the Scriptures that we will be using for Advent, the beginning of the new church year.  Both include dual themes of waiting — awaiting the end of the story with Jesus’ second coming in glory and waiting for the joyous celebration of the beginning of the story, Jesus’ first coming to fulfill ancient prophecy and make our salvation possible.

    Toward the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus spent time teaching about the future.  In today’s gospel reading, he tells an allegorical story about his future return.  One of the many pictures of his return is as a bridegroom.  While not referenced here, in the New Testament the bride is often a symbol of the church — the body of Christ, the gathered community of believers.  This story only hints at the joyous celebration at the reunion of the bride and bridegroom, Jesus and his church, at the end of time.  The issue this story raises is how Christians should live their lives while awaiting Jesus’ return.

    Of course we do not know how long the “bridegroom” will be delayed.  It is easy to lose our sense of expectation about Jesus’ return as the years go by and we become wrapped up in our day-to-day concerns.  Jesus challenges us to keep an edge on our lives — to live each moment as though he will return during the next.  How different most of our lives would be if we really took that advice (and warning) seriously!

    We are human beings, and thus imperfect, but Jesus does not ask perfection.  He does ask that we be vigilant and try to be our imperfect best!  We keep the lamps lit, showing the light of Christ, by going about God’s work as we wait.  We prepare for the joyous banquet in our future not by being piously “good” and folding our hands in a corner, but by attending to God’s work while we wait.  As one commentator writes:  “If we consistently serve and consistently love, we should be ready when the time comes.  The plants may not be watered and the dish drain may not be empty, but we’ll have passport in hand.  Instead of being paralyzed by the uncertainty of when the bridegroom will appear, we need to be in a celebration mode.  … we need to be fruitfully preparing … and gladly anticipating.”

    It is so easy for routine things to swallow our entire lifetime, with one day leading into the next until life is gone without every getting to the things that are really crucial.  If you knew for certain that Jesus would be arriving tomorrow to ask how you have been working to prepare things for his arrival, how would your life be different?  How might you move closer to really living day by day in a way that consistently puts first things first?

revclay

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“[Jesus said] then the kingdom of heaven will be like this.  Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 

“But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him.’  Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 

“And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.  Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’  But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’  Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

  [NRSV]