Good Morning. I had looked forward to greeting you all this morning from the pulpit in the church – but as you can see we find ourselves back in the wilderness, but at least now these are familiar surroundings. Because the floors of our newly restored church were not properly sealed, they were damaged in our first days back in the church. Our zeal and excitement at getting back into our old and beloved worship space has given us a perfect example of the importance of being fully prepared when the time comes to face our maker.
This morning we hear two very striking statements about the importance of being prepared to face God, and our own life’s work at the end of the age. In the Episcopal Church we are not known for preaching on the end times much – and I am not going to give you a recap of the popular christian fictions novels of the Left Behind series – the ones that describe in detail visions from Revelation and the ultimate battle between good and evil. But I do want to talk with you about the messages these scripture passages have for us, and how we might be better prepared at the end of our times here on earth to face the day of the Lord.
From The Book of Amos, we hear an excerpt of one of the lesser prophets as he speaks to the people of the nation of
Amos is reminding the people of
“Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord!” he calls out. “Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?”
The people have not done their task, and therefore, the day of the Lord is not something to look forward to with excitement, but rather as those who must face a teacher with no homework in hand, a missed deadline, a question that they should know the answer to, they find themselves coming up short. They are not prepared for such a day.
“Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them…Take away from me the noise of your songs… but let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.”
This righteousness Amos speaks of? What of that? It is defined as that quality of life-giving relationship with others in community that gives rise to justice. It is when individuals feel connected to the needs of others present in their community – and whether they are related to them or not, or know them or not, they reach out a hand and share what resources they have so that that person may know the love of a God in whose eyes all people are created equal and are deserving of at least the basic means of life.
Today’s Gospel takes us down a related road in line with Matthean themes: do one’s own good works, dedicate one’s life to Jesus, and be prepared for the end time.
In this parable we are introduced to characters that are wise, and characters that are foolish. The wise women are those who are prepared to wait for any length of time for the expected bridegroom. They are wise because they know that sometimes the road is difficult and it can take longer than expected to get from one place to another. They have made provisions for their lamps so that when the bridegrooms arrive their lamps will shine a bright light of welcome.
The foolish, however, prepared their lamps based on an assumed arrival time. And as the evening wore on, and the bridegroom was delayed, oil in their lamps burned down. All of the bridesmaids fell asleep, five slept with no concern or anxiety, for they had done the necessary preparation that allowed them to sleep soundly, awaiting the bridegroom’s return. But the foolish maids, also drowsy discovered that in the late hour their lamps would no longer burn to provide the welcome. In their scramble to complete the task they missed the entrance of the bridegroom, and their opportunity to enter in to the wedding banquet.
The kingdom of heaven is like this? Some will be left out in the dark and the cold?
Some will be forced to worship in the fellowship hall and not in the newly restored beautiful church?
This is not a parable about haves and have nots, or about those who are good enough, or not good enough to get into heaven – but rather it is about those have lived a life in a way that prepares them for the moment of truth, the time of reconciling the life you have lived, the person you have been, with the mandate that has been given through your call to discipleship, your commitment to your baptismal vows, your life as a faithful witness of Christ to the world.
Some of us are baptized into the Christian community early in life and the values and expectations are passed on from parent and Godparent to child at the earliest ages. Others encounter the depth of God’s abundant love later in life and are transformed by it, taking on the call of discipleship as adults, and faithfully taking on the challenges and the duties that go along with the commandments to love God and love your neighbor. But many of us live into our call to be faithful Christians on winding and meandering paths. Paths that ask really important, and difficult and worthy questions, sometimes leading to deeper wisdom, and other times leaving us to wonder, what foolishness is all of this?
From Matthew’s gospel we gather that the wise and the foolish share the same outward appearances. You cannot tell by looking at the 10 bridesmaids which are foolish and which are wise – they all are dressed properly and carry the right tools. But it is the ones who are committed and faithful to the task of awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom that are prepared for his arrival. In our call as faithful Christians, we share baptism as the common marking of our faith. But baptism alone does not guarantee our entrance into the banquet. It is not a magic moment that results in protection – but rather, the mark of a path that we must undertake, an active life of seeking the good, doing what is right, and pursuing justice for all – the same justice Amos spoke of to Israel.
In our experience as a Christian community, the urgency of the coming of the kingdom has dissipated over the centuries. And yet, we may be closer to that day than any generation before us. We have tasks set before us that could be accomplished if we do our homework. If we respond to God’s call to justice.
Justice is described in the New Interpreter’s Bible commentary as: the establishment of the right, and of the person in the right, through fair legal procedures in accordance with the will of the Lord.
In our day, in our time we have systems in place that attempt to provide justice to those in need – fair wages so that workers can support themselves and their families, protective services for children who have been neglected and abused, community centers that seek to provide stable structures in the lives of young people who don’t know that stability in their own homes… and yet, these issues persist in our community and in the lives of Americans and individuals around the world. Hunger, child mortality, disease, pollution, hopelessness… we may not be doing a much better job at this than the generations that have gone before us. And we too will be called to face our maker, to face the day of the Lord.
Who in this community is served by the gift of your time, your talent, your treasure? How are you seeking not only to pray that the needs of others be met, but to ensure that hands, and hearts strive for that justice for all of God’s people? Where does your daily vocation, livelihood, recreation lead you as a minister – as one who serves as Christ’s hands and feet in this world? I call you a minister because we are reminded by virtue of our baptism we are all called ministers of the church. In our Outline of Faith, found on page 855 of the prayer book, the question is asked: Q. What is the ministry of the laity?
The answer follow:
A. The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world.
We too have an assignment; we have our work to do in the world. How might Amos applaud or critique us for our work as a community? Where might we as the community of the
Delivered by The Rev. Mary Catherine Enockson
Sunday, November 9, 2008
