Amazing God of love, bless and protect this dear reader in all that they may face today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Matthew 25: 1 "God's kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. 2 Five were silly and five were smart. 3 The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. 4 The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. 5 The bridegroom didn't show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep. 6 "In the middle of the night someone yelled out, 'He's here! The bridegroom's here! Go out and greet him!' 7 "The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. 8 The silly virgins said to the smart ones, 'Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.' 9 "They answered, 'There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.' 10 "They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked. 11 "Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, 'Master, we're here. Let us in.' 12 "He answered, 'Do I know you? I don't think I know you.' 13 "So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive. (The Message)
"Christ will come again." It is part of our Holy Communion ritual and it is a tenet of our faith as Christians. The questions most seminary professors ask, "What have we done with His first coming? And what are we doing to prepare for His second coming?" Both are great questions and as much a part of our faith as our declaration of Christ's return. This teaching from Jesus has to do with our being ready. We should be ready daily to receive Jesus and His leading in our lives; and we should be ready to live a life that shows others that they too, should be ready for Jesus and all that He offers. The illustration mentioned above as late as the 20th Century was still a part of Palestinian life. I do not know if it still is, but the wedding celebration was a festive week or so. The bride and her bridesmaids would gather early and have their celebrations and await the arrival of the groom and his party. The tradition was to try and catch the bridal party asleep, so the bridegroom could come at any hour. The understanding was that no one was allowed on the street after dark without a lampt and so readiness involved having enough oil for the lamp while they awaited the arrival of the groom.
The Kingdom of God requires our commitment to being ready. Ready to enter in and ready to serve. We do not know the time nor date of Jesus' return, but we labor on, ready at each instant for that return. Jesus was stressing to His disciples and to us, that there is so much still to be done that we cannot just sit and look skyward. We must continue to care for one another as the second part of this chapter in Matthew will show. In the meantime, we do not lose heart nor hope. The journey should be as fulfilling as the destination.
PRAYER: Loving God, as I journey on today, remind me of the joy that is mine as I seek to serve You and Yours. May I not lose heart nor hope about all that is mine now and can be others if I but show them the way. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
