“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to wait for the bridegroom.” –Mt 25:1
(lectionary focus: Mt 25:1-13)
A well-meaning family member recently gave my older cousin a self-help book: Find a Husband After Thirty-Five (using what I learned at Harvard Business School). We rolled our eyes and groaned when we saw it . . . then of course devoured it cover to cover! A twelve-month plan for the thirty-something singleton to get herself to the altar with the man of her dreams. “Saturation” tips for online dating. Research development for “product improvement.” Culminating in, believe it or not, a full-scale “marketing plan” with an upscale product roll-out, advertising strategy, and “man-agement” training. This has got to be a recession-proof industry if I’ve ever seen one!
Of course, preparing for the Son of Man is something quite different than slogging through the dating scene in search of a mere mortal. We’re talking about an apocalyptic event to usher in a new era of justice and peace, where the last shall be first and the powerful shall be humbled and the oppressed shall be set free. We’re talking about a radical reversal of fortunes that terrifies some and liberates others. We’re talking about an event that most of us say we want but that few of us believe might actually happen in our lifetimes. We’re talking about a serious theological commitment to the power of God to transform the world, not frivolous romantic yearnings exploited by a consumer culture.
But that’s just the point, isn’t it? It’s exactly the point.
Jesus has asked us to seek this coming reign of God with the same intensity and passion and longing with which we seek a life partner. Jesus has asked us to long for this radical re-orienting of the entire cosmos with the same dedication and yearning with which we crave human companionship. And Jesus has demanded that we stop sulking around in our loneliness and despair—to stop waiting for the fantasy of the peaceable kingdom to drop magically out of the sky—and instead get off of our rears and out of the house and actually do something to make the world ready for its arrival.
We do not know when this event will actually take place. We just know that it has been promised, as if a betrothal. And we know that we want it desperately. In the meantime, Jesus has asked us to do whatever it takes to be prepared for this coming reign of God, including using what we can learn from Harvard Business School!
So what might that something be? How might we keep our lamps trimmed and burning? How might we roll out our marketing plan in preparation for God’s eternal reign?
Maybe we can get started by doing some of the other things Jesus asked us to do, like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, and healing the sick. Maybe we can get started by committing ourselves over and over again to a culture of peace and a forgiveness of debts. Maybe we can get started by committing ourselves over and over again to loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. Maybe we can get started by taking one small step at a time to love God and to love neighbor.
The wise bridesmaids among us will know that this takes hard work and dedication, that we will need to replenish our oil, that we will need to seek support from our companions on the journey. The foolish among us may think it’s just a romantic getaway, rather than a lifelong commitment through the good times and the bad.
We all get tired as we wait for The One, preparing for a kingdom that is already here but yet to come in fullness. But we can do what it takes to make sure we have enough oil to keep us going after we've fallen asleep. Because the longed-for consummation will finally come, even if it seems so incredibly impossible. And it will be a joyous feast for everyone to share.
“So always be ready, because you do not know the day or the hour the Son of Man will come.” For now, we are all bridesmaids waiting for the groom. But one day soon we will all be brides. Amen.
Gusti Linnea Newquist
(additional lectionary texts: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
(lectionary focus: Mt 25:1-13)
A well-meaning family member recently gave my older cousin a self-help book: Find a Husband After Thirty-Five (using what I learned at Harvard Business School). We rolled our eyes and groaned when we saw it . . . then of course devoured it cover to cover! A twelve-month plan for the thirty-something singleton to get herself to the altar with the man of her dreams. “Saturation” tips for online dating. Research development for “product improvement.” Culminating in, believe it or not, a full-scale “marketing plan” with an upscale product roll-out, advertising strategy, and “man-agement” training. This has got to be a recession-proof industry if I’ve ever seen one!
Of course, preparing for the Son of Man is something quite different than slogging through the dating scene in search of a mere mortal. We’re talking about an apocalyptic event to usher in a new era of justice and peace, where the last shall be first and the powerful shall be humbled and the oppressed shall be set free. We’re talking about a radical reversal of fortunes that terrifies some and liberates others. We’re talking about an event that most of us say we want but that few of us believe might actually happen in our lifetimes. We’re talking about a serious theological commitment to the power of God to transform the world, not frivolous romantic yearnings exploited by a consumer culture.
But that’s just the point, isn’t it? It’s exactly the point.
Jesus has asked us to seek this coming reign of God with the same intensity and passion and longing with which we seek a life partner. Jesus has asked us to long for this radical re-orienting of the entire cosmos with the same dedication and yearning with which we crave human companionship. And Jesus has demanded that we stop sulking around in our loneliness and despair—to stop waiting for the fantasy of the peaceable kingdom to drop magically out of the sky—and instead get off of our rears and out of the house and actually do something to make the world ready for its arrival.
We do not know when this event will actually take place. We just know that it has been promised, as if a betrothal. And we know that we want it desperately. In the meantime, Jesus has asked us to do whatever it takes to be prepared for this coming reign of God, including using what we can learn from Harvard Business School!
So what might that something be? How might we keep our lamps trimmed and burning? How might we roll out our marketing plan in preparation for God’s eternal reign?
Maybe we can get started by doing some of the other things Jesus asked us to do, like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, and healing the sick. Maybe we can get started by committing ourselves over and over again to a culture of peace and a forgiveness of debts. Maybe we can get started by committing ourselves over and over again to loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. Maybe we can get started by taking one small step at a time to love God and to love neighbor.
The wise bridesmaids among us will know that this takes hard work and dedication, that we will need to replenish our oil, that we will need to seek support from our companions on the journey. The foolish among us may think it’s just a romantic getaway, rather than a lifelong commitment through the good times and the bad.
We all get tired as we wait for The One, preparing for a kingdom that is already here but yet to come in fullness. But we can do what it takes to make sure we have enough oil to keep us going after we've fallen asleep. Because the longed-for consummation will finally come, even if it seems so incredibly impossible. And it will be a joyous feast for everyone to share.
“So always be ready, because you do not know the day or the hour the Son of Man will come.” For now, we are all bridesmaids waiting for the groom. But one day soon we will all be brides. Amen.
Gusti Linnea Newquist
(additional lectionary texts: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
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