Ten Bridesmaids

Drama: The Ten Bridesmaids (See my drama link for a humorous drama)

Address

Let me first ask you to just imagine a dark country road, walled in on either side by tall creepy trees, and you've just pulled into a lay by with a puncture. Your car has hit a pothole at the side of the road a few hundred yards back, and your tyre has a large gash in it. In fact you're very fortunate to find the lay by, because it's not a very wide road.

It's also 31st October, Hallowe'en, and soon it will be pitch black, and every car that passes by just doesn't seem to want to know you're in trouble.

It gets worse than that.

You have jacked up the car, but the tyre which has now been loosened, won't come off, and you're wondering if it's because you haven't taken off the screw at the centre. You don't even know if the screw/nut has to be removed, because you've left the car manual at home, and besides you don't have a screwdriver that large with you anyway, only one large enough to take off the small screws/nuts.

Worse still, the bits and pieces you've removed are very hard to see now in the dark, because you've discovered you haven't put a flashlight for emergencies in the boot.

Worse still, you can't sit in the car to shelter because obviously the car is still jacked up.

So you must  stand and wait well over an hour for the AA man to come.

The good news is that there are two of you and you don't mind playing eye spy with my little eye, until help comes. We heard that he was definitely coming and that gave us some hope.

This is what happened to Bob and myself just the other week.

We will certainly be prepared next time.

At this time of the year approaching Advent, we hear a lot of stories told by Jesus in our churches about the need to be prepared, to be watchful and alert, on the look out for his return.

And I'm sure that if Jesus had been physically present there and then, in our dark lane trying to teach his disciples about the last days; he would certainly have used us as  perfect examples of the kind of idiots who got left behind at the Second coming.

 Jesus, always seemed to find some topical story or example around him when he told his parables, stories people could readily identify with.

However in our gospel reading today we hear his own example, drawn from  a scene at a wedding. It's called the parable of the ten bridesmaids/ virgins.

 It's interesting that what we read here in this example, was true to life even up to the last century in Palestine.

Wedding were usually celebrated in the autumn or winter months when not much farming was being done.

There would have been tremendous cries of joy and delight in the village and a great sense of an entire community celebrating, so it was a good analogy to use to describe the coming of God's kingdom to come

The guests and the bridesmaids would sometimes be waiting all day, at the bride's house for the groom, and when he arrived with his friends, he would then be escorted along with his bride and her friends to his own home, in a blaze of lights and candles.

But often the bridegroom would be held up, because he had to spend time negotiating over the presents he would bring the bride's relatives.

So throughout the day messengers would come in and announce, "He won't be long now…He's coming…and guests would hurry out to meet him, and then return again when he didn't arrive.

Sometimes the bridegroom didn't arrive until midnight, by which time the guests , the bridesmaids and no doubt the poor bride would be quite worn out, unless of course they had had a chance to have a nap.

We are told in our story today, that everyone had done just that.

However, five of the bridesmaids were prepared, with a good supply of oil for their lamps, but the other five were foolish and were caught out with none.

On reading this again I wonder if perhaps they had had SOME oil in their lamps at first, but no EXTRA in their flasks. So when everyone fell asleep, their lamps had gone out, when everyone woke up, and only the wise ones were able to top up their lamps from their flasks, whereas the others couldn't.

I just can't imagine them being so foolish as to take absolutely none whatsoever. This interpretation makes more sense to me.

Whichever it was though, they were caught unprepared, just like we were.

Worse still when they returned with their oil, they couldn't get in to where the celebrations were going on. The bridegroom had closed the door to them, and was telling them, "I do not know you!"

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I don't today want to speculate upon the harsh judgement of the bridegroom,

Or get bogged down for that matter with the reason why the wise bridesmaids had not shared their extra oil… I'm sure we could expand on these two themes, but I think what's being said here is that what we're being shown a lesson in taking the time to be ready, and well prepared, alert and awake. Because it wasn't a case of IF the groom was coming, but WHEN.

I remember a story about three demons arriving in Hell, to report to the devil as to how successful they had been at tempting Christians to abandon their faith.

One reported, "Master, I told them that there was no God…"

The devil reprimanded him saying, "Fool, they just have to look at God's creation, and they won't be convinced by your words.

The next demon said, "Master I whispered to them that there was no such a thing as the devil or evil…"

"They are not as stupid as you, " snorted the devil, " They just have to look about them and they will see my handiwork too!"

The third stepped forward, and said, "Master, I told them they had plenty of time!"

The devil smiled and replied,  "That ought to do it, well done, my servant"

It's so easy isn't it today, to think, there's plenty of time.

It's so easy in the society we live in to become so worn out with busy-ness, we end up shattered, complacent and focussed upon OUR needs rather than anyone else's, and then we look back and wonder what we did with our time, and where our friends have gone to.

It's so easy today to convince ourselves… "Never mind about tomorrow, let's live it up now, enjoy life. Eat, drink, and be merry. Plenty of years ahead!"

I'm sure many think this way…but what about what is to come… do they know God, and will He know them when His kingdom comes.

There are so many things, which distract us from knowing God, and His will in our lives. There are so many things, which distract us from being prepared for Christ's return.

And because we're so occupied and busy, distracted and inward looking many today miss out on so many blessings along the way. Many in today's world are without the flashlight and the car manual I spoke of earlier, and at present have no plans to put them in the boot in case of a puncture.

Perhaps these foolish bridesmaids thought along these lines…there's plenty of time.

The wise bridesmaids, on the other hand, had a sense of urgency about them. They obviously cared more about the bridegroom and made sure that he enjoyed his day, and so they planned ahead.

And so I ask this morning, a question … if Jesus were to come back this very night, what would our reaction be? Would we be happy to see him, because our lives are in order, or would we be terrified, because we know we're not ready. The prayer group were so honest with their answers to this question..

…so are there are unresolved issues in our lives…reconciliations that we planned that never happened…arguments where we 'lost it' and never took time to apologise….parents or children we've overlooked?

And are there things we so much wanted to accomplish for God and we never did…. Was there a gift we were going to offer which was never given…. or even a calling we've put on hold…financial support for some project or crisis we didn't accomplish?… a person we didn't minister to?

Let us pray that God will shine his light upon us this morning and show us an unresolved area of our lives which might have grieved him, and let us put it right today.

Nothing should be allowed to disturb the peace which God has given us …

God loves us,

He doesn't want to leave us where we are, he moves us on.

' Today is the day of salvation' it says in scripture. Do it today.

And if any of us feel we have run out of oil, let us seek to be topped up?

It's not too late, and there may not be as much time as we think…