The Second Coming of Christ. A promise of God and the hope of our faith, yet we do not spend much time pondering this. Thessalonians speaks of dying and rising with Christ so that we will be with God when Jesus returns. This eschatological promise is made to those who believe, and extends to those who are asleep, or in other words those who have already died. Find comfort here.
Our Gospel lesson is also about Christ’s return and the kingdom of heaven. To be perfectly honest I have not really understood this passage. What do bridesmaids have to do with Christ coming and how does the light figure into the parable? I should note Matthew is speaking to the church as they “have already entered the dark days after the crucifixion and resurrection and have begun waiting for Christ’s return. This parable challenges them (and us) to be vigilant and live in anticipation of the Lord’s coming” (Working Preacher, Carla Works). READ Matthew 25:1-13.
I have been a bridesmaid many times. Once at a destination wedding in Hawaii. Once I was friends with the groom and still got to be a bridesmaid. I was a Maid of Honor at my best friend’s wedding. You heard about Karen last week. But in all my times as a bridesmaid, I never brought a lamp or purchased oil, but I did purchase several dresses I would never wear again.
So maybe we need some background on a first-century wedding for this to make sense. “Wedding festivities typically lasted seven days, and the processions of the bride and groom marked the beginning of the joyous event. The bridesmaids are waiting either at the brides’ home for the groom to come and fetch her or at the home of the groom’s family where the wedding would take place” (Working Preacher, Carla Works).
The banquet in the parable is symbolic imagery of the eschatological messianic banquet, or the second coming of Christ. The groom is delayed to the banquet, representing Jesus’ delay in returning. Everyone was waiting for Jesus to return and finish what he started and save everyone from their current situation. In the previous passage Jesus declares, “Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (24:44). Yet the church has been waiting in darkness for Jesus to return and were getting impatient, this parable is to help them see that delays happen, but don’t lose faith, be prepared and keep awake. The imperative to “keep awake” might be better rendered “be vigilant.” Today we might say, “Put your head on a swivel,” or “watch your six.” Move through this life with the expectation that Jesus will return, be watchful, be vigilant.
Imagine how hard it would have been to be Christians, after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus, the one you believed would save you was murdered and was nowhere to be found. You were promised Christ would return, but decades were passing and still no Jesus. Both Matthew and Mark quote Jesus saying, “some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Mt 16:28, Mk 9:1). They were promised Christ would return, but delays keep happening. The world felt dark, hope was flickering and Matthew is telling this parable from Jesus to encourage people to be ready and watchful even with delays. Even in darkness.
In 2017 right after the first Trump inauguration, the Washington Post took on a new slogan, motto, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” The words “Democracy Dies in Darkness” are printed on the front page below the Washington Post banner. New York Times columnist Maureen O’Dowd referred to this slogan as “a dramatic “Batman”-style motto” speaking to the darkness of our times.
Have you felt like we have been living in darkness? The last two years, and even before that, we have been swimming, no drowning in darkness. We have been like the ten bridesmaids who have their individual lamps trying to find light in a very dark and corrupt world. Some of us fell asleep, just checked out, put our heads down because we did not know what to do, we simply wanted the darkness to go away. We did not recognize our nation. We could not believe the actions of elected officials and the rubber stamps from our Congress who turned a blind eye to the destruction of norms, the sale of our democracy, and the vanity projects of our president. Not to mention the utter darkness of a war of choice, and inflation creating tariffs. Yet thank God people were vigilant through our dark years, like the bridesmaids who thought to bring more oil. People who fought in court, found good candidates, knocked on doors, attended No Kings Rallies, provided funding, stood on overpasses, and ultimately voted! They were like the bridesmaids who awaited the arrival of the bridegroom to greet him with a procession of light in the darkness.
Watching the election returns on Tuesday night I cheered and smiled and was shocked and proud of our nation. But what surprised me was that I felt like I could breathe. I had a sense that I had been holding my breath for two years, hoping and praying that this darkness would end. I felt a lightness return to my body, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Light in the darkness.
Did you wake up on Wednesday feeling a bit lighter? Could you breathe more deeply. Did you realize you had been holding your breath for two years only to exhale when the checks and balances of our government will now function again. Light in the darkness.
Maybe that is why an image of a flashlight in the darkness has become helpful for me. When I did not know what was going to happen on the national level or in my own life, I imagined a beam of light from a flashlight, while walking on a path on a very dark night. We all know that that beam of light can only reach so far. If I want to see more, I need to walk farther down the path, and the light will illuminate more surroundings. I need to act, trust, not just sit in the darkness waiting for something to change. As I did the next right thing, moved forward on the path with my flashlight in hand, light spread out farther and showed me more information and choices. I think that is like the bridesmaids with their lamps. The wise ones were vigilant, prepared and then ready to lead the groom to the wedding banquet. Ready to shine the light so that the darkness did not over come it.
Yet what about the foolish bridesmaids? They failed to bring additional oil; they did not expect a delay. So, when they return with oil ready to join the party, the bridegroom said, “I do not know you.” I think the elections were a wakeup call. The American people saying, we do not recognize the nation as it was. Saying “I do not know you” to our nation. In the darkness we became unrecognizable. We are not a nation that snatches hard working people off the streets and deports them to some foreign country, often not even their own. We are not a country of oligarchs or widespread government corruption. We are not a nation that rigs elections and turns our backs on our allies. We are not a nation tone deaf to the real struggles of its people, unwilling to give aid. The people of our nation woke up and said no to a nation and its leaders we did not recognize. America found its voice, its courage, its values and said enough.
Let’s be clear, Jesus was talking about the second coming of Christ, the salvation we are promised through our faith and God’s indwelling love. Our election is nothing like the promise Jesus is making to us about the kingdom of heaven. But it is a reminder that redemption is possible that our nation can come back from the dark place we have been living in. This is not about red or blue, but about right and wrong, who America is and who we are not. It’s about holding up the lamp of democracy, shining light in the dark places and routing out the darkness that has been corroding our nation.
America woke up, was vigilant and said “I do not know you” to those who were leading us down the wrong path. Now it is up to our newly elected leaders, and us, to build a more perfect union out of the darkness and corruption. And shine the light and love of Christ for all the world to see. Amen.
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