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Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Before us today is a strange, late night parable about a 2,000 plus year old wedding ritual, sleepy bridesmaids, and some oil lamps. If it seems strange to you, then I want you to know that it was strange to those who heard it from Jesus himself. Bridegrooms and bridesmaids just don’t mix, especially on the night of the wedding, not even today, let alone in a traditional Jewish wedding. So, right away, we need to be on the alert in trying to figure out just what Jesus was talking about.

Then, to make matters even more challenging, the parable contradicts so many things that Jesus has already said and done. What is that about? The Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence writes, “What would happen if we place Matthew 25 next to other portions of Matthew, and read them together?” She didn’t get very far because, in her words, “the wise and foolish bridesmaids were making mincemeat out of the Beatitudes.” She re-wrote some of what Jesus said in Matthew 5 and 6 with what he seems to be saying in this parable. She wrote: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, although to get there, you will need large oil reserves, so forget the first part of what I said, store up for yourselves oil on earth, so that you will have treasure in heaven.” Here’s another one. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Worry about your oil; that’s the main thing. Worry about whether you have enough for you, and forget about everyone else; they are not your problem.” Or, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you, unless of course you’re late and the bridegroom answers, in which case, you might as well forget it.” Or, “In everything do unto others as you would have them do to you. In everything, that is, except oil, which changes all the rules.”

You see the problem? It is near the end of Jesus’ ministry, he is in Jerusalem, his life is in danger, and what in the world is Jesus talking about? Because it can’t be “go and buy.” It can’t be that Jesus is telling us that acquisition, hoarding, worry, and disregarding others is the way we enter the Kingdom of heaven, can it? Could it be that desparate times call for desparate measures?

Or, is this parable jarring us into looking at the world in a totally new way?

And then there is the issue of why am I even preaching on this parable during our Stewardship campaign. Or, we could be wondering what good is a stewardship campaign when we are in this current “economic sinkhole.” Is this being wise or foolish?

Jesus told this parable to explain something about the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of heaven is a place and time that God reigns. It’s good place. It’s where we would like to be, not only after we die, but now. When Jesus tells a parable about a wedding, it’s an obvious clue, he is talking about the marriage of heaven and earth. Heaven and earth are wedded into one, and God’s peace rules this oneness. It is when “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus said “The Kingdom of Heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom…” Now the Kingdom of heaven is a place and time; however, it is all about God’s action in that place and time. We could begin this Scripture passage by saying, “At that time, the action of God will be like ten maidens—five foolish ones and five wise ones.”

So, imagine that you are a Pharisee listening to the parable. You are a good, law-abiding, synagogue-going leader. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who does a good job at being a good person. And you also help others around you to be the best they can be. Imagine what you might feel as you hear Jesus’ story. You value your readiness. You are rest assured with it. You might even say to yourself, I am ready to die tomorrow. I don’t want to die tomorrow, but if I do, it would be okay. Jesus said there were five wisely prepared women. And you say to yourself, I am prepared to die, therefore I am one of the wise ones and those other five in the parable who are foolish, but that is not who I am.

Now, the parables Jesus told usually came with a twist. So, just as you were getting some assurance and comfort from this parable (in the shoes of a Pharisee), Jesus threw a curve ball.

But to see the twist, we need to look at the story from the shoes of those who were not the Pharisees, the ones who had a difficult time keeping the law. You see, most people listening to this story for the first time would identify with the ones who were not prepared. Like me, I’m not ready to die tomorrow. I have things left to do. I am definitely more like the foolish ones than the wise ones. So, the foolish ones ran out of oil and what did they do. What anyone would do, or I would anyway. They asked those with oil to share.

Last May, I ran out of gas on Highway 26 while I was taking Emma to one of her meetings. I felt REALLY foolish. And Emma cut me no slack either. The problem was not only was I out of gas, but she was not allowed into her meeting if she was late. So, I got out of my car and walked to what I thought was the nearest service station off the Cedar Hills exit. Turned out it wasn’t, I should have walked back to the Murphy Rd. exit. Anyway, it was a long walk. I got there with blisters on my feet, bought a gas can and headed to a gas pump. I must have looked like a woman on a mission because some guy let me to the gas pump before him and asked casually, “Gas for the lawn mower?” Well, I was NOT looking forward to walking all the way back to the car, especially since Emma had called and explained and her counselor gave her some time to get there, but not enough if I had to walk back. I replied, “Nope, I ran out of gas on the freeway.” I must have looked really frazzled, because that guy offered me a ride back to my car! I was frazzled, because I accepted, after telling him, you better be a safe guy, the ride. Now, I know I was foolish to risk trusting someone willing to help at a gas station. I know I was foolish to run out of gas and didn’t even deserve help. But I was the recipient of a random act of kindness. And he made Emma’s day too, because after the gas was in the car he walked up to her and said, “Your mom really knows how to hustle a man.” Then he drove off into the sunset. By the way, Emma made it to her meeting in the nick of time before they closed the door.

This didn’t happen in the parable, no random act of kindness. Not like that. The foolish, unprepared ones with no oil in their lamps received a huge surprise. No one was sharing. Not only that, they went back to get some more oil and when they returned, they were too late. They missed the boat. The door was shut, and the bridegroom said he did not even know who they were.

Now, I suspect that the original people who heard this parable went home a little bit disturbed. I suspect that we are not going to go home totally comforted by this parable, as well. The end of the story wasn’t what anyone expected. Those who were prepared and wise, did not share. And the bridegroom, whom we believe is loving God or compassionate Jesus did not know the foolish ones when they returned with their oil.

By now, we have got to know that this parable is not about oil in lamps. But let me try throwing a twist into the parable. What if it was about something that is happening today. Let’s see if I can re-tell it in our current economic times. The health of our economy is based, according to the wise ones, who know more than I do, anyway, on you and me making more and spending more each year. We are encouraged to spend our money and spend it now. And there is a lot out there that we think we need, can’t live without, or is the new, improved version of what we already have. Then along came credit. Now, buying something on credit has been with us for a long, long time. But never has it been more acceptable to use credit cards than the last several years. We get rewards for using credit cards. Credit card debt is out of this world. So, we have the wise ones, who were able to only spend what they have. And we have the foolish ones who have more debt than they can afford. Only, it became acceptable, even encouraged to be foolish. Well, the Kingdom of Heaven is like when the wise ones came to the wedding with just enough and the foolish ones came with nothing but debt. The wise ones are scrambling to figure out how to solve the problem. The foolish ones are looking at foreclosure and bankruptcy and are crying out for help. But there is no help because the whole system is broken. And even when the foolish ones go back to get more, still they can’t get out of their mess because the mess is deeper than fixing the system, it’s bigger than our own debt. It is about our values. It is about who we are. It is about discipline and self-control and delayed gratification. The demise of our economy is a giant wake-up call that the church can speak to because Jesus has taught us about stewardship and where our treasure is and how wealth or debt can really take over our lives. Jesus tells about living more with less. Even John Wesley, the founder of our denomination, said “Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” Did you notice what was missing in what he said. He didn’t say to spend all you can as well.

The work and righteousness of the wise will not cover all the bases of the foolish. The wise will not save our economy. It’s going to take all of us. We all have a part in this. It’s going to take self-control and discipline. This was shocking to the Pharisees because their role in Jewish life was to save all their people. They were set apart to do this. They were the catalysts for God’s love and salvation. However, the bridegroom did not wait for their work to be done. He arrived unexpectedly, whether the foolish were ready or not.

You see, God’s action in the world is not dependent upon our actions. The wake-up call can come anytime. Ready or not, the bridegroom arrived. Ready or not, the banquet began. Ready or not, God wants us to wake up!

When I was in my twentys and felt like I was going to live forever, I would tell my friends that there were already enough religious people in my family. I have my mother, who is a retired ordained United Methodist clergywoman as many of you know. I also have my younger brother who had a born-again experience in his early twenties and spent quite a few years trying to save the rest of us. I would joke with my friends telling them that my brother and mother would get me into heaven. Well, this parable tells us that it doesn’t work that way. We have to work on our own salvation, someone else can’t do it for us. In the end, it depends on whether Jesus knows us.

Maybe some of you believe you can make it by hanging onto the shirt tails of your relatives. Maybe you think can coast through life until you are forced to change, which is not today. Maybe, some of you are so entrenched in the way you do things that, well, you are slaves to your life style, your choices, your possessions, your desires for more, your envy of what your neighbor has. Let me tell you, that Jesus is telling you that your foolishness will catch up to you, and surprise you, and leave you in the dark.

There are some things in life that just cannot be shared. You can’t depend on me for your salvation just because I’m ordained and have been called and set aside to be your pastor. I confess right here and right now that I’m not even close to being religious enough to save all of you! But you can depend on God with some intentional choices and personal work; it takes discipline to stay in love with God.

I know all the reasons and excuses to go to the wedding without that extra oil because I’ve used them. It’s too much work. Someone else will have enough. Here’s my favorite: What difference will my one lamp make? What difference will little ole me make in the areas of bringing peace on earth, saving us from global warming, feeding the hungry, eliminating poverty, working for justice, making a pledge to the church? I may as well give up before I start.

This is foolish thinking. Each one of us makes a difference! So why not make a positive difference? The world needs all of us doing the best we can. What we do affects those around us. What you give to the church affects others.

We need enough oil in our own lamps to light our way. What Jesus wants is to know us. Jesus doesn’t want our stuff, our latest gadgets. Jesus wants us, who we are. We only have our lives to offer, our hearts and souls, our gifts, our presence, our prayers. When we give of ourselves—this is being generous.

So, what better time to have a stewardship campaign! We are in the midst of a global economic crisis and it is an opportunity for us to say to the world and to ourselves that our faith is in God, not in our economy. In these selfish, greedy, envious times, I have said to myself, I am going to learn about extravagant generosity and trusting God. Now, not tomorrow when times are better, but now. Because now is the time for me to wake up. Now is the time for all of us to wake up.

Amen.