‘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 to 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. (Matthew 25:1-13)
Jesus will come again. It's something we read and declare every time we have Holy Communion. If you were in church yesterday, you said it then. "Christ will come again." And so, as Jesus prepared His disciples for life without Him, He spoke about being ready for His second coming. He used many stories and parables, and this one is in keeping with the Jewish traditions of marriage at that time. The groom's ploy was to keep the guest and bridal party guessing as to his arrival. The bridesmaid's job was to welcome him and light his way into the celebration hall. Jesus' story tells of five of the bridesmaid's in His story as being wise, for they knew to have extra oil just in case the groom decided to delay his arrival. The other five were so caught up with the excitement of being bridesmaids, they did not bring extra oil, and eventually fell asleep. It was at midnight that the shout came that the bridegroom was coming and the bridesmaids needed to spring into action in welcoming the groom and lighting his way. The foolish ones noticed their oil was low and their lamps would not last the night, and so they ran to buy some more. While they were gone, the groom arrived, he and all enter the banquet room, and the doors to it are locked. Later, the foolish five come and bang on the door asking to be let in. The bridegroom replies he does not know them and does not let them in. Jesus concludes the story with, "Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
In reading today's Upper Room, the writer shared how as a child, he had a lot of faith then, and as he grew older he sank into depression; but early one Monday morning he remembered a song sung in worship and that brought back memories of other songs and worship experiences that had blessed his life and had sustained him now that he needed faith more. Jesus' point is not lost on us; we must stay ready and to do that we must stay connected with God. Every moment spent in devotional reading, scripture reading, prayer, worship, communion, small groups; anything we do for the good of our souls, blesses us and keeps us ready.
Your heart and my heart are hurting from the news heard yesterday about the small church near us; First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas. At 11:30, a gunman enters and kills 26, and wounds many more. The thing we are called to do is to pray for those who survived, for those who lost loved ones, and for those working the scene to try to make sense of a senseless act of violence. No explanation will make this any easier for those whose lives are forever changed. Our prayers for the pastor and his wife, whom we understand were traveling, and they had left their 14 year old daughter behind, and she was one of the victims killed. The days ahead will the most difficult in their lives for all concerned; prayer is the best resource we have to ask God's comfort and strength to be with them during these days.
Live a life that is ready, and one that blesses others to be ready as well. We trust in the Lord.
PRAYER: Loving God, we lift our hearts to You. We ask Your strength and comfort be with those hurting in all places, especially Sutherland Springs. Guide those who are there helping the hurting, the doctors and surgeons working on the wounded, and especially those who are grieving and mourning, that they might be comforted. May any distractions that come over debates about this or that, not stop the faithful from doing our job as believers; praying and offering comfort and support as You show us. Bless our little ones, protect them and others. We pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Our faith and trust are in the Lord Jesus.
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Update: The Rev. Michael Dobbs, pastor of FUMC Mathis, underwent surgery to remove his dialysis port, which is a victory! Please continue to pray for his cancer treatments that he defeat this disease! We pray again for Mr. Doug Smith and his battle with cancer. His radiation treatments are coming to an end soon, and we also pray for the victory over cancer. Thank you for your faithfulness.
