1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Matthew 25:1-13
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| William Blake, Wise and Foolish Virgins 1826 (PD) |
I recall the first experience following my basic training that led me to the realization that the Marine Corps was not just an odd culture, but a confusing one.
To this day, there are riddles pertaining to the Marine Corps that are nearly as deep and foreboding as any other riddle in life.
For example,
Why do they call the carrying handle of a rifle a carrying handle, if you aren’t allowed to carry the rifle by that handle!?
Why do they put pockets in the camouflage utility pants, if you aren’t allowed to put your hands in them?
For that matter,
Why do they put cargo pockets in the same pants if your are not allowed to put any kind of “cargo” in them!?
The list of inconsistencies is far too long for us to consider today, but the best example of the irrationality of the Marine Corps and the Navy too, is the rules pertaining to punctuality.
When I first reported in to my unit, I recall being told by our Company First Sergeant in formation that the formation the following morning would be held at 0700 and we should therefore be in formation at 0645.
Following First Sergeant’s dismissal, our Platoon Sergeant then explained that since our formation time would begin at 0645, we needed to be ready for formation at 0630.
Following our Platoon Sergeant’s dismissal, our Squad leader advised that since our Platoon Sergeant wanted us ready for formation at 0630, our squad would need to be there at 0615.
Following our Squad Leader’s dismissal, my Fire Team Leader informed our Fire Team that since our Squad leader wanted us there at 0615 we would need to be there at 0600.
And as if we had all had our perception of time permanently distorted, following my Fire Team Leader’s dismissal, we all swore to ourselves we would be there at 0545,
because after all, 0600 actually meant 0545 in our own irrational Marine Corps minds!
So there we were, sitting idly by for an hour and fifteen minutes the next morning.
And when you have bored Marines sitting around for more than five minutes, something or someone is going to be broken.
And this is why at six o’clock in the morning, when the company commander arrived in his PJ’s with a cup of coffee, he demanded to know why 130 Marines were wreaking havoc around the Company office,
Because every Marine Infantry Officer knows, the most destructive force on the planet is a large group of bored Marines.
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| My Company of Marines in formation a few years ago. |
It seems like an irrational and stupid waste of time.
A method of encouraging punctuality, without engaging any sense of rational thought.
All because we don’t trust one another to show up… on time.
The first century Christian church was very much the same.
Paul’s theology changed over time because of his own interpretation of time and punctuality.
In our second lesson today, Paul is assuring the Thessalonians that Jesus’ return is right around the corner.
Encouraging them to be prepared and meet the Lord on that day.
A common practice in those days whenever a guest was visiting a host, to meet them on the way as they were entering into your village and escort them into your home.
Rather than some mystical swooping up of bodies we seem to have accepted in the heretical rapture understanding of this passage.
This is more of a vision of Christ’s Church serving as good hosts to our returning Lord, ushering in the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of man, reunited through Christ,
A Church that includes us all, the adopted people of God, as the Bride of Christ.
So, Paul’s community and Paul, are anxiously awaiting to host the returning Lord.
Sort of like my kids this past week as they ran around the house, excited to host our visiting professor,
With their faces pressed against the window questioning “Is he here yet? Is he here yet?”
Yet, hours seemed like days to my kids, and days seemed like weeks.
Until they gave up on the visit altogether and finally fell asleep the night I went to pick him up from the train station in Richmond.
Much like my kids, Paul and his community have their faces pressed up against the front window, anticipating Jesus’ arrival,
Confident that Jesus is right around the corner.
And so they wait and wait
And we too, wait and wait
Until we begin to lose our patience with our waiting.
Anticipating that He should have been here 15 minutes ahead of 15 minutes ahead of 15 minutes ahead of time.
And people begin to resign themselves to the thought that he really will never come.
Because if He doesn’t come now, in our times of need and worry, then when will He come?
And in all our waiting around, much like the Marines waiting for formation, we begin to break things.
Adopting our own ideas about the Church, ideas like the rapture, or “God wont give you more than you can handle", or “I guess God needed one more angel”,
Or even the temptation to assume that we are the wise bridesmaids whose lamps have all the oil they need.
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| Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash |
Of course we believe we are ready, who in their right mind would claim the identity of one of these foolish bridesmaids?!
I do.
I have to be honest, I didn’t necessarily go to Seminary to become a Pastor.
It was part of the reason I followed the path I did, because I wanted to know.
I wanted to know where God was in the midst of so much suffering
I wanted to know why I had spent so many days calling out to God, awaiting Christ to swoop down into my world and heal so much pain and suffering.
I was tired of sitting around with my face pressed up against the window, calling out and waiting.
So, in the meantime, I decided to start filling my own lamp.
Demanding to know the answers to questions that no one was all that willing to ask or answer.
And I honestly cannot claim that my lamp has yet been filled, much less a flask to hold all the answers to my questions.
I don’t even believe that I have even gone beyond the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the questions that I should be asking.
Because no matter how many lamps or flasks are available, we can never be completely filled with the fuel that keeps our lamps lit.
Faith is the flame that provides the light for ourselves and others along the way.
And faith is the flame that is fueled by our questions, our doubts, our frustration in our waiting and waiting and waiting.
Faith is also being honest with ourselves that in Christ, there is an unlimited amount of fuel to light our way, but we are called to be honest with ourselves, that we can only ever hope to be half full at best.
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Today’s Gospel is read by a community that has become discouraged in their waiting.
The way has grown dark.
The Romans had destroyed the Temple and crushed all the people who had looked to the Temple for hope.
They longed for the promised return of Jesus Christ, but by the time Mathew’s Gospel was written,
The way had grown so dark, that many members of that early church began to seek out their own way.
Matthew’s portrayal of five wise bridesmaids and five foolish bridesmaids is more than a story about a wedding,
But a church that is splitting into factions, a church meant to be united and called together as one Body of Christ in Paul’s letter today.
So for Matthew’s audience, it seems apparent that some have lost hope of that return.
And when we lose hope we lose our stamina, our determination, even our confidence.
We give up our drive to be filled by the questions, the conversations, our study of the doctrines and the scripture of the Church.
But the most tragic part of this parable for me is not the lack of preparation, it is the resignation of the foolish bridesmaids.
They are described as foolish, dull, absurd, even downright stupid.
But I don’t think it is because they failed to stock up on oil for their lamps.
The foolishness in their action is not in their failure to stock up on oil, it is in their failure to take what they had on hand, whether they thought it was enough or not, and just go!
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| Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash |
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A man I knew went to his father one day as he was considering his own call to ministry.
He went to his father and said, “I think God has called me to serve as a pastor”
His father looked him square in the eye and said “Well son, if God could find a purpose for Balaam’s ass, I’m sure God can find a purpose for you”
It isn’t about how full our lamp is,
How well we know scripture
How well we understand the doctrines, confessions, and theology of the church
or even how righteous, worthy, or “good” we are
It doesn’t mean we don’t seek out every drop of oil we can find for the journey ahead.
But when Christ comes to meet us along the way, we are called to go to him.
Regardless of how much oil we have to light our way.
What made these bridesmaids foolish is that they didn’t go while the gettin’ was good.
When Christ calls out to us in our lives to light the way for others, are we supposed to ask for just a few more minutes to get all the necessary supplies or are we called to GO!?
We are called and sent to be the people of God, going out into the dark places to light a dark world.
Because light will never shine brightest in a bright place, usually that light cannot even be recognized
But a light in a dark place will always shine brightest of all, especially when we have the courage to seek out those in the darkest of all places.
Amen.
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| Photo by Rohan Makhecha on Unsplash |
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