The Wise and Foolish – 12 November 2017 – 23rd Sunday after Pentecost/ Lectionary 32

This might be a day to speak of the parallels between the wedding banquet and the feast to which we are invited at the altar. It is where Jesus has promised to meet us and we do not want to be unaware of his presence through inattention or neglect. Even if it was difficult to perceive the kingdom in the past week, we can count on meeting Jesus at his table. –– Judith Simonson

Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus' parable of the so-called Ten Bridesmaids is a lesson in waiting. It has become so a common narrative that we file it under the category of “wise and foolish” or “preparedness.” Five were prepared with extra oil, while the other five ran out of oil and were left in the dark. The bridegroom (and presumably the bride with him) came and only the five “prepared” ones were ready to welcome the newly married couple. Jesus ends the story with the exhortation, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (v 13).

Commentaries see in this parable Jesus speaking about the Parousia, the final day of judgment, when the living and the dead will account for their lives before God. While the Parousia is definitely in view, the immediate context of Jesus telling the parable was to prepare the disciples for Jesus' own judgment with his impending betrayal by Judas Iscariot, being hauled before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, and subjected to oppressive humiliation at his ghastly crucifixion at Golgotha. The disciples would be judged, too, for their faithfulness and follow-through in bearing their crosses for the sake of their Lord.

The parable reminds us of the constant coming again of Immanuel, God-with-us, every moment of our lives. Definitely, Jesus will return in glory just as he ascended to heaven.

But what about the days that we take for granted that, in fact, are filled with God-moments of punctuated bridegroom appearances? Do we welcome the bridegroom in our homes and in our hearts also? How do we become “detectives of the divine” now as a preparation for the Day when He comes with the angels in glory, a Day whose day or hour we know not? If we are faithful with the little things now, aren't we then being prepared for the Big Thing when it does happen?

We do not know the day or the hour that the Son of Man does come to us in our study, at home, in the grocery store, at the bookstore, or at the coffee shop because we are so busy, asleep at the wheel with our own notions of importance, that we miss those God-moments. Wake up, and testify of God's goodness and grace in your midst and in the lives all around you. –– Neal D. Presa

Amos 5:18-24

The Day of the Lord is an auspicious day, not necessarily like Christmas when we welcome a little child. Amos, the prophet, gives us a warning meant to remind us of the awesome power of God –– not to be taken lightly or to presume we understand.

Amos’ word from the Holy One is an admonition to all of us close our eyes to our neighbors’ needs: “Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an every-flowing stream.” We will be answerable for our failings.

It is a hard word, married to the parable of the bridesmaids with their lit and unlit lamps so that we sit up and take notice. The Advent season is coming when we ponder eschatological time and endings.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The image here of union with God in eternity is a palpable reminder, again, of the seriousness with which we are commanded to see our lives, ending with a soft whisper: “Therefore encourage one another...” Be kind. Have compassion. Do not fail to care.

Neal D. Presa, pastor of Middlesex Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth Presbytery, New Jersey, was the Moderator of the 220^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA).

Judith E. Simonson is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Homily Service 41, no. 4 (2008): 123-129.