Our Gospel reading for tomorrow is Matthew 25:1-13 -- the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids; also known as the Parable of the Ten Virgins. This parable of Jesus is all about being ready - about watching and waiting. It's about making advance preparations for a very important event - the return of our Lord Jesus to snatch away his bride, the Church.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.
But at midnight there was a shout: "Look! here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." But the wise replied, "No! There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves" And while they went ot buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But he replied, "Truly I tell you, I do not know you." Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
So, apparently we cannot get to heaven on someone else's coattails. We need our own oil in our own lamps. As the classic spiritual song says: "Keep your lamps trimmed and burning. You don't know the day."
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church - Episcopal
Billings, MT
406-208-7314
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org/
photo: The nave of the Church at
Holy Spirit Monastery,
Conyers, GA, January 2008
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.
But at midnight there was a shout: "Look! here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." But the wise replied, "No! There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves" And while they went ot buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But he replied, "Truly I tell you, I do not know you." Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
So, apparently we cannot get to heaven on someone else's coattails. We need our own oil in our own lamps. As the classic spiritual song says: "Keep your lamps trimmed and burning. You don't know the day."
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church - Episcopal
Billings, MT
406-208-7314
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org/
photo: The nave of the Church at
Holy Spirit Monastery,
Conyers, GA, January 2008
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