Living With Fear
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Dear fellow preachers,
According to recent polls, we Americans expect another major terrorist attack, and because of that, we are uneasy. For this week's installment of The Immediate Word, we are addressing that mood and the widespread concern about what might happen next.
We've asked TIW team member Charles Aaron, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Bowie, Texas, to write about that, using the gospel text from the lectionary as a basis. We included team comments, related illustrations, worship resources by Larry Hard, and a related children's sermon by Wesley Runk
Living With Fear
By Charles Aaron
Matthew 25:1-13
It could happen again. We've only recently finished clearing out the debris from September 11; we're still negotiating how to distribute the money from the generous donations to the victims; children in New York are still having nightmares, but it could happen again! The CIA has warned that Al Qaeda could launch another terrorist attack, and we are unprepared.1
A shiver goes down our spines as we hear such things. A general feeling of fear and dread settles over the land like a heavy fog. Even Americans who don't expect to be at ground zero may be anxious. We were all wounded, at least in spirit, in the September 11 attacks. Just the thought that horrific scenes of smoke, mangled bodies, twisted metal, and terrified survivors could once again fill our TV screens -- and our souls -- seems too much to bear. We can barely breathe a sigh of relief over the capture of the snipers before we have to face this new threat. As syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts asserts, after noting that the past 20 years have been relatively tranquil, "Now, fear is back, and we don't know how to handle it."2
The gospel lesson for this week doesn't seem to offer much comfort. The passage is a strange parable, encrusted with unfamiliar cultural practices. Ten bridesmaids ("virgins" in the Greek) wait for the return of the bridegroom -- not a situation we have experienced. Scholars agree that the parable can be interpreted as a kind of allegory.3 The bridesmaids are the church. The bridegroom is Christ. The meeting with the bridegroom is the Parousia. The delay of the bridegroom is the long interval (now 2000 years and counting) between Jesus' first and second advents. Having enough lamp oil is whatever the church is supposed to be doing in this interval. The crucial question for preaching the parable is what it means to have enough oil for the delay.
Before we address that issue, though, we should be honest. We in the mainline churches don't quite know what to do with the Parousia. We do not operate with a burning sense of the imminent second coming of Christ. Despite the popularity of the Left Behind series, most Christians have not closed out their bank accounts, quit their jobs, and gone to the mountaintop to wait for Jesus to arrive on a cloud. I fully affirm the New Testament's assurance that the future, both history and beyond history, is in God's hands. I believe that God will bring healing and justice to all of creation. I do not necessarily expect that event to happen soon. We may well have another 2000 years to wait. That is part of the message of this parable: it will be a long wait.
For one thing, most Christians in the first world are reasonably comfortable with the creation as it is. We find fulfillment in our lives, through careers, family, and hobbies. For most of us, "eschatology" is a fun-filled retirement followed by the bliss of heaven when we die. We don't buy into the notion of the apocalyptic writers that creation is so evil, painful, and corrupt that we are in desperate need of God's radical intervention to make a new creation. Some of us in the church may even believe that we can fix things ourselves, and resent the notion that God is going to "interfere" with our plans for straightening things out.
As an example of how the eschatological element of this parable can be "demythologized," see Edmund Steimle's sermon on this passage. Entitled "Address Not Known," the sermon bleaches out the sense of radical, eschatological intervention by God, and talks about a sense of God's presence. In Steimle's words, "The bridegroom was delayed. And the foolish bridesmaids were unprepared for that -- for the delay, for the absence. Originally the parable was a word to the hipped-up followers of Jesus and to a hipped-up early church, to cool it! Be ready for God's absence. It may be a long time before you will have unmistakable assurance that God is present" (emphasis added).4 Steimle speaks not to the impatience with the delay of the Parousia, but to the general feeling of the absence of God. What the parable promises is not the eschaton, but a renewed feeling of the presence of God. For all of its exegetical boldness, Steimle's sermon speaks to where many in the mainline churches are today: not expecting the eschaton, but longing for the comfort of God's presence.
What we may also want from God, besides an assurance of presence, is for God to fix the things that are beyond our control. Even those of us who acknowledge that we can't fix everything don't really want God to replace this world with a new creation. We want to be safer, less fearful, less vulnerable to evil, but we want this world to carry on.
For all of these reasons, we find it hard to plug into this parable. Nevertheless, this parable speaks directly to the church in the kind of crisis we face. We have to confront the reality of another terrorist attack without the prospect that God will intervene either to bring in the new creation or even to stop the terrorists.
For that crisis, we need oil in our lamps. As discussed above, the lamp oil is the ministry of the church between the two advents of Christ. Having oil for our lamps is not just one thing the church should do, it is everything the church should do. Matthew calls the church to be the salt and light of the world,5 and to model the radical discipleship of the Sermon on the Mount. All of that is part of having oil for our lamps. Surely, part of having oil for our lamps is also sustaining faith in the face of a dangerous and confusing world. Lack of oil would be giving in to fear or giving up in despair. Matthew doesn't promise an easy or safe discipleship. The church can expect torture, death, betrayal, hatred, and an increase in lawlessness.6 The point is not to focus on protecting our lives, but to remain faithful.7
One problem with this parable is its seeming lack of grace during the wait. God's grace appears clearly only when the bridegroom returns. During the interval, it looks as though everything is up to the church. The bridesmaids are expected to bring their own oil. No forgiveness is offered to the ones who forgot the oil. Even the part of the church (the wise virgins) that remembered the oil does not share with the part that forgot. Certainly, we need grace and empowering during the interval.
We get this assurance at the end of the book. The Risen Christ promises to be with the church, even to the end of the age.8 This assurance lets us know we are not in this alone. With this assurance, we can minister to those who lose a family member to the violence of terrorism. With that assurance, we can speak to those who turn from the faith, not out of fear or despair, but out of selfishness, seeking their own gain now, unwilling to wait for the bridegroom.
Personally, I dread the thought of another terrorist attack. I am as scared as anyone. I hope the intelligence and military resources of our government can prevent it from happening. Nevertheless, I see that Matthew calls us to trust and faith, even in the long delay when we don't see the bridegroom coming around the bend. Having oil for our lamps is not easy. Grief and fear are not sleep-inducing, as the plot of the parable suggests. Nevertheless, we can have courage for the uncertainty of the future. The church can proclaim God's care for the creation, even when everything looks like pure chaos. The church can proclaim that the delay doesn't mean that God will never act. The church can proclaim that no matter how much damage the terrorists can do, they do not get the last word. The church can proclaim that no matter what happens, the bridegroom will show up for the celebration.
Notes
1 Ken Guggenheim, "Report: Next Attack Could Top 9/11," Associated Press, AOL News, Friday, October 25, 2002.
2 "Sniper Gone, But Fear Isn't," Dallas Morning News (October 27, 2002, 4J).
3 Thomas G. Long, Matthew (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997), 280.
4 From Death to Birth (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973), 61.
5 Matthew 5:13-14.
6 Matthew 24:9-14.
7 Matthew 16:25-26.
8 Matthew 28:20.
Team Comments
Carter Shelley responds: The general feeling of fear you identify in the opening paragraph may vary in intensity according to geography. Folks in Wilkes County, North Carolina, where there isn't one large city, don't expect terrorists to attack us anytime soon. Folks do have relatives in larger urban areas, and there were a couple of close calls for friends of friends in NYC on 9/11, but the general attitude here is one of distress and empathy, but not fear for our own personal safety.
Your reference to the tranquility of the past 20 years leads me to ask -- are you thinking of the Cold War and the arms race? I need things to be explicitly stated to keep me traveling along the same thought patterns as the writer.
I appreciate the use of Tom Long's reading of this parable and also the way you use Edmund Steimle's sermon on the same text.
One of the interesting phenomena you touch upon in the third paragraph is the current interest and belief that Christ's second coming may be soon to claim those who won't be "Left Behind." From readings in history and conversations with folks older than middle-aged us, I have the feeling almost every generation thinks they live in the worst possible time in history -- no matter when they live. They see the immediate past as having been simpler, better, kinder, saner, whatever, and regret the changes they see around them in their present world. Perhaps it's because the dangers and problems of one's own age are the most obvious and scary and real.
You touch on the idea that a lot of contemporary Christians want our world to stay pretty much as it is only better. That viewpoint coincides with the late 19th century and early 20th century Christian liberalism that ignored the reality of human potential for sin, self-interest, and the seeking of power.
Of course, many did raise the question, "Where was God?" after 9/11. I suspect Steimle, who could be tough in his sermons and insights, would say God hadn't been present. I once took a class with him in which he stated that God is silent and absent at times and we really can't pretty that up. There was a Frontline special on this whole question earlier this fall.
I've been reading David Gergen's "Eyewitness to Power" about what he learned serving as a speechwriter for five presidents: Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. I haven't read all of it yet, but he points out that one of the things that made Nixon a great president (putting aside the obvious dark side for a bit) was his ability to see the large picture, globally, and to be at the forefront in terms of leadership. This ability made it possible for Nixon to initiate a good relationship with mainland China, which no previous president had even considered attempting to do. One of the things about the wise virgins is their ability to think ahead and anticipate that which the foolish virgins cannot see (literally and metaphorically) due to the inadequate amount of oil they bring to the wedding. Christians also need to think globally, to think outside our own American box, to start to wonder and discover what it is that makes other people, religions, cultures, economies, etc., tick and to do so with an openness that is not condescending or naively superior. What an exciting 21st century we might have if Christians took the initiative in reaching out to discover what good could be accomplished in the next 100 years. Rather than reacting to disasters, attacks, wars, and the like, to be the initiators of an alternative model for being a part of the world. Your sentence towards the end that encourages us not to "focus on protecting our lives but to remain faithful" is key to this message. Being faithful is incredibly hard -- but it's also incredibly wonderful when one dares to attempt it in fellowship and concert with other Christians.
Chuck Cammarata responds: This piece gives us some good and important scholarship and it addresses a fear that many in our society are feeling, but it doesn't challenge me to deal with that fear nor does it encourage me. It simply says that having oil in my lamp is "everything the church should do." I guess I'm not sure what exactly that means. In short, there's no flesh on them bones.
Additionally the essay offers little or no hope to the Christian. If it is not eschatological -- which I personally disagree with; I think it is eschatological -- but even if it isn't and it is simply about finding God's presence in this life, it needs to tell me how to cultivate this presence. It doesn't do that. In fact, it ends by presenting a sense of dread about the future, hoping and praying that the government can protect us when we know full well it can't. And then says, in the final sentences, but God will be with us anyway. HOW? WHERE? This piece needs to help me see and sense God. It needs to give me something to help me to deal with my dread.
Paul says in Philippians, "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds." Paul also says, in that oft-ridiculed statement in Romans 8, "All things work together for the good for those who are in Christ." And Jesus says, "Don't worry. Just seek first the kingdom of God and all these things you worry about will be taken care of."
The eschatological quality of the parable of the ten virgins and other such material in scripture is saying to us that this life is not all there is. Maybe life in this world will be hard for you, but that isn't the end of it. Beyond this life there is eternity. This message has been hugely important to Christians throughout the ages. It has sustained them as they were martyred or lived lives of lifelong misery, as did the slaves in 18th- and 19th-century America. There are the last two chapters of Revelation. There is Jesus' talk about the kingdom of heaven. This is what the old spirituals of the slaves focused on, and this is what Lazarus and Dives speak to.
This essay needs either to offer me some real hope or to help me better understand how to keep my lamp filled with oil so I don't miss the bridegroom whenever he is coming, be it now or later or both.
Stan Purdum responds: Let me play devil's advocate. I too proclaim that God has the last word and urge trust that God is the ultimate victor. But every time I do, I can always imagine somebody out there in the pews saying, "Big deal. God wins in the end. But by then I am already dead, and if I didn't win in my own life, I lost. What you are talking about is pie in the sky."
Also, if the terrorists attack again, and one of my children is among the victims, the fact of God's ultimate victory won't make the loss of my child okay, and won't fill the void left by the death.
I guess, like the parable, this reaction calls us to think about the nature of faith and what it means to wait for things to work out right.
Carlos Wilton responds: You help us all to focus on the important issues arising from this text, particularly the fact that faith is very often about waiting, sometimes for a very long time.
I found your conclusion especially strong.
I realize what you've written is not intended to be sermon itself, but rather sermon notes or an essay. If I build a sermon on it, I may begin with the Leonard Pitts quote, which I think is a real attention-grabber. Here's the sort of introduction I may use ...
"Fear is back, and we don't know how to handle it." These are the words of syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, reflecting last week on our national situation.
Truly, we're living in a time of fear. The memory of the September 11th attacks is still fresh. The stock market continues to be jittery. The recent sniper episodes in Maryland and Virginia remind us how easy it is for a few misguided individuals to disrupt the lives of millions. We all know this sort of thing could happen again -- and probably will.
All the experts are predicting that this season of fear is far from over. Fear is likely to be our daily companion for some time to come.
For us Christians, then, the question is, "How do we live through a time of fear?" Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 25 that suggests a model for how to do that.
(At this point, I'll retell the parable, emphasizing the point that the only difference between the wise and foolish bridesmaids -- for, indeed, both have faithfully turned out to welcome the bridegroom, and both have fallen asleep -- is that the wise bridesmaids have brought extra containers of oil for their lamps.)
The wise five and the foolish five are equally devoted. The difference is that the wise bridesmaids, with their extra flasks of oil, are prepared for the likelihood that their wait will be long. They know they're in it for the long haul.
It's natural to wish for a quick and easy solution to tough problems: "Come in and end this thing, O God, before anyone else gets hurt." But when such prayers are met only by silence, then where are we? Does hope dry up? Does faith wither and die?
Not if we've prepared ourselves for what could be a long wait. Our Lord is encouraging us to keep a supply of oil for our lamps, to get us through extended seasons of fear and heartache.
Related Illustrations
The late Jim Clelland, former Dean of Duke University Chapel, used to preach at a boys' prep school in the 1950s. Once he was preaching on this very parable, and ended his sermon with a rhetorical question: "Young men, I ask you, where would you rather be? Here, in the light, at the feast for the bridegroom ... or there, out in the dark with a group of foolish young girls?"
Someone in the congregation shouted, "Out in the dark with the girls, sir!"
That ended the sermon.
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A young Jewish student once asked his rabbi, "When is the best time to repent?"
The rabbi thought for a minute, then answered, "The best time to repent is at the last possible moment."
The student objected, "But you never know when the last possible moment will be."
"Exactly!" answered the rabbi.
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In one of the late Charles Schulz's Peanuts cartoons, Peppermint Patty goes off to attend a church-related summer camp, where a lesson on the Second Coming convinces her that the world is going to end very soon.
Suddenly worried that her family may not be ready, she goes straight off to the camp office to telephone them with the terrible news. The line is busy. While she's waiting, she notices a display on the wall with architect's drawings of the camp's five-year plan for new buildings.
In the final frame, she hangs up the phone and walks away, saying, "The world may be coming to an end tomorrow, but I wasn't born yesterday!"
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"You would be surprised if you knew how soon one begins to feel the shortness of the tether: of how many things, even in middle life, we have to say, 'No time for that,' 'Too late now,' and 'Not for me.' But Nature herself forbids you to share that experience. A more Christian attitude, which can be attained at any age, is that of leaving futurity in God's hands. We may as well, for God will certainly retain it whether we leave it to him or not. Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment 'as to the Lord.' It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received." (C.S. Lewis, in a fall, 1939, sermon at the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, in Oxford, England. At the time Lewis preached this sermon, the Nazis had recently invaded Poland. His congregation that day was filled with young men who, once Britain inevitably entered the war, did not know whether they would live or die -- or, indeed, if Western civilization would survive.)
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Did you hear about the Rev. David Austin? He was a Presbyterian pastor in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After studying the books of Daniel and Revelation, he became convinced that current events were pointing to the imminent return of Christ. When Christ did not come in the year Mr. Austin predicted, his congregation asked the presbytery to dissolve the pastoral relationship.
The year David Austin expected the imminent coming of Christ was 1796.
(Based on information presented by James Smiley, in A Brief History of the Presbyterians [Geneva Press, 1996], p. 66.)
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"If you don't live now, treat people now, act now as if the world you dream of were already present, how will that world ever be birthed into existence?" (Alice Walker)
Related Worship Resources
By Larry Hard
CALL TO AWARENESS
L. Prepare to meet Christ!
P. Here? Now? How?
L. Wait, worship, and listen!
P. What words do we need?
L. Listen to words we sing today!
P. What about the worries that fill my mind?
L. Listen to what the scriptures say!
P. What about concerns that alarm me?
L. Listen to affirmations we declare!
P. God knows I need to meditate and pray.
SILENT MEDITATION AND PRAYER
Be aware of what is moving through your mind. Ask God to prepare you to be open to new insights and inspirations.
OPENING PRAYER
I come to You, O God, to be prepared for what I will face this week and in the uncertain future. You know what thoughts fill my mind, what worries trouble me, and what challenges I face. Grant me the faith I need and the assurance of Your help. Amen.
OPENING HYMN (suggestions)
"Open My Eyes, That I May See"
"Christ Is the World's Light"
"Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah"
CONFESSION
Grace-giving God, I confess that I have failed to keep the light of love shining within me and through me. Forgive me when I fail to face my fears about an uncertain future.
I keep busy. I try to forget what is troubling me and others. I ask for your grace to replenish the light of love within me, through Christ who has come and continues to come. Amen.
WORDS OF PARDON
May the strong presence of God's mercy grant all of us the assurance that we are forgiven, in the name of Christ. Amen.
AFFIRMATIONS OF FAITH
I believe in God who is with us and sustains us day by day.
I believe in Christ who comes to us at expected and unexpected times.
I believe in the Holy Spirit who is here to bring light to our lives.
I believe in the church as the family of God that helps me through my times of
trouble.
I believe in the kingdom of God as an unfolding plan even when times are uncertain.
I believe in the power of faith to help me overcome.
SUGGESTED SCRIPTURE SENTENCES
Instead of an Affirmation of Faith, words of scripture could be read as people listen. Scripture sentences could be projected on a screen to be read.
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Ps. 109:105)
"They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." (Is 40:31)
"Ask and it will be given you; search and you will find." (Mt 7:7)
"The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid." (Heb 13:6)
HYMNS
"Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying"
"I Want to Be Ready" (Afro-American Spiritual)
SONGS
"Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning" (Composer unknown, Arr. by Haldor Lillenas)
"Arise, Shine" (Words and Music: Gary Smith)
A related children's sermon
By Wesley Runk
Matthew 25:1-13
Text: Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (v. 13)
Objects: an empty lunchbox and a camera without film
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is one of those days that make me nervous. Do you ever have nervous days? (let them answer) You do! What kinds of days make you nervous? (let them answer) It isn't easy, is it? When I got up this morning I wanted to brush my teeth, but I was out of toothpaste. Then I made myself some toast, but I didn't have any butter. Finally, I got dressed and was already to go, but I could not find the keys to my car. But it got worse. I started to drive myself to church, but I ran out of gas. What a day! I am exhausted.
But that is only part of it. Have you ever taken your lunchbox to school and your mom forgot to put your lunch in it? (let them answer) That's not good, is it? Or how about the day I took pictures of my family and I forgot to put any film in the camera? That wasn't good either, was it?
When those things happen, it means that we are not very well prepared, doesn't it? It's too late when we open our lunch box and remember that we left our lunch at home. We can't eat the air that is inside the box. We will be pretty hungry when we get home, won't we? You can't ask your friend for his/her lunch can you? (let them answer) No, they only brought enough for themselves. Do you think your friends will enjoy hearing about the pictures you wanted to take with the camera that didn't have any film? (let them answer) I don't think so.
The Bible teaches us the same thing. Jesus tells us that we must be prepared to know God. We need to learn about God from our mothers and fathers and Sunday school teachers and pastors and our friends. We need to read our Bibles and say our prayers. I know it takes time, but God has given us a lot of time to learn about him.
Jesus says that someday he is coming back to be with us, but some people will not even know he is here because they won't recognize him. Jesus will be like a stranger to them. It will be like going to the store for film for the camera while the party is going on. When you get back to the party with film in your camera, the party is over. It's too late. So Jesus teaches us to learn every time we have the chance to learn and serve God. The more we know about God, the better prepared we will be.
The next time you see your lunch box or your camera I want you to think about how much better it is to have a lunch inside the lunch box and film inside the camera. Then when you need them, they will be there to help you.
The same thing is true about knowing God. Read your Bibles or have your mom or dad read it to you. Pray everyday and live with people who love God and serve him everyday.
The Immediate Word, November 10, 2002, issue.
Copyright 2002 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
According to recent polls, we Americans expect another major terrorist attack, and because of that, we are uneasy. For this week's installment of The Immediate Word, we are addressing that mood and the widespread concern about what might happen next.
We've asked TIW team member Charles Aaron, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Bowie, Texas, to write about that, using the gospel text from the lectionary as a basis. We included team comments, related illustrations, worship resources by Larry Hard, and a related children's sermon by Wesley Runk
Living With Fear
By Charles Aaron
Matthew 25:1-13
It could happen again. We've only recently finished clearing out the debris from September 11; we're still negotiating how to distribute the money from the generous donations to the victims; children in New York are still having nightmares, but it could happen again! The CIA has warned that Al Qaeda could launch another terrorist attack, and we are unprepared.1
A shiver goes down our spines as we hear such things. A general feeling of fear and dread settles over the land like a heavy fog. Even Americans who don't expect to be at ground zero may be anxious. We were all wounded, at least in spirit, in the September 11 attacks. Just the thought that horrific scenes of smoke, mangled bodies, twisted metal, and terrified survivors could once again fill our TV screens -- and our souls -- seems too much to bear. We can barely breathe a sigh of relief over the capture of the snipers before we have to face this new threat. As syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts asserts, after noting that the past 20 years have been relatively tranquil, "Now, fear is back, and we don't know how to handle it."2
The gospel lesson for this week doesn't seem to offer much comfort. The passage is a strange parable, encrusted with unfamiliar cultural practices. Ten bridesmaids ("virgins" in the Greek) wait for the return of the bridegroom -- not a situation we have experienced. Scholars agree that the parable can be interpreted as a kind of allegory.3 The bridesmaids are the church. The bridegroom is Christ. The meeting with the bridegroom is the Parousia. The delay of the bridegroom is the long interval (now 2000 years and counting) between Jesus' first and second advents. Having enough lamp oil is whatever the church is supposed to be doing in this interval. The crucial question for preaching the parable is what it means to have enough oil for the delay.
Before we address that issue, though, we should be honest. We in the mainline churches don't quite know what to do with the Parousia. We do not operate with a burning sense of the imminent second coming of Christ. Despite the popularity of the Left Behind series, most Christians have not closed out their bank accounts, quit their jobs, and gone to the mountaintop to wait for Jesus to arrive on a cloud. I fully affirm the New Testament's assurance that the future, both history and beyond history, is in God's hands. I believe that God will bring healing and justice to all of creation. I do not necessarily expect that event to happen soon. We may well have another 2000 years to wait. That is part of the message of this parable: it will be a long wait.
For one thing, most Christians in the first world are reasonably comfortable with the creation as it is. We find fulfillment in our lives, through careers, family, and hobbies. For most of us, "eschatology" is a fun-filled retirement followed by the bliss of heaven when we die. We don't buy into the notion of the apocalyptic writers that creation is so evil, painful, and corrupt that we are in desperate need of God's radical intervention to make a new creation. Some of us in the church may even believe that we can fix things ourselves, and resent the notion that God is going to "interfere" with our plans for straightening things out.
As an example of how the eschatological element of this parable can be "demythologized," see Edmund Steimle's sermon on this passage. Entitled "Address Not Known," the sermon bleaches out the sense of radical, eschatological intervention by God, and talks about a sense of God's presence. In Steimle's words, "The bridegroom was delayed. And the foolish bridesmaids were unprepared for that -- for the delay, for the absence. Originally the parable was a word to the hipped-up followers of Jesus and to a hipped-up early church, to cool it! Be ready for God's absence. It may be a long time before you will have unmistakable assurance that God is present" (emphasis added).4 Steimle speaks not to the impatience with the delay of the Parousia, but to the general feeling of the absence of God. What the parable promises is not the eschaton, but a renewed feeling of the presence of God. For all of its exegetical boldness, Steimle's sermon speaks to where many in the mainline churches are today: not expecting the eschaton, but longing for the comfort of God's presence.
What we may also want from God, besides an assurance of presence, is for God to fix the things that are beyond our control. Even those of us who acknowledge that we can't fix everything don't really want God to replace this world with a new creation. We want to be safer, less fearful, less vulnerable to evil, but we want this world to carry on.
For all of these reasons, we find it hard to plug into this parable. Nevertheless, this parable speaks directly to the church in the kind of crisis we face. We have to confront the reality of another terrorist attack without the prospect that God will intervene either to bring in the new creation or even to stop the terrorists.
For that crisis, we need oil in our lamps. As discussed above, the lamp oil is the ministry of the church between the two advents of Christ. Having oil for our lamps is not just one thing the church should do, it is everything the church should do. Matthew calls the church to be the salt and light of the world,5 and to model the radical discipleship of the Sermon on the Mount. All of that is part of having oil for our lamps. Surely, part of having oil for our lamps is also sustaining faith in the face of a dangerous and confusing world. Lack of oil would be giving in to fear or giving up in despair. Matthew doesn't promise an easy or safe discipleship. The church can expect torture, death, betrayal, hatred, and an increase in lawlessness.6 The point is not to focus on protecting our lives, but to remain faithful.7
One problem with this parable is its seeming lack of grace during the wait. God's grace appears clearly only when the bridegroom returns. During the interval, it looks as though everything is up to the church. The bridesmaids are expected to bring their own oil. No forgiveness is offered to the ones who forgot the oil. Even the part of the church (the wise virgins) that remembered the oil does not share with the part that forgot. Certainly, we need grace and empowering during the interval.
We get this assurance at the end of the book. The Risen Christ promises to be with the church, even to the end of the age.8 This assurance lets us know we are not in this alone. With this assurance, we can minister to those who lose a family member to the violence of terrorism. With that assurance, we can speak to those who turn from the faith, not out of fear or despair, but out of selfishness, seeking their own gain now, unwilling to wait for the bridegroom.
Personally, I dread the thought of another terrorist attack. I am as scared as anyone. I hope the intelligence and military resources of our government can prevent it from happening. Nevertheless, I see that Matthew calls us to trust and faith, even in the long delay when we don't see the bridegroom coming around the bend. Having oil for our lamps is not easy. Grief and fear are not sleep-inducing, as the plot of the parable suggests. Nevertheless, we can have courage for the uncertainty of the future. The church can proclaim God's care for the creation, even when everything looks like pure chaos. The church can proclaim that the delay doesn't mean that God will never act. The church can proclaim that no matter how much damage the terrorists can do, they do not get the last word. The church can proclaim that no matter what happens, the bridegroom will show up for the celebration.
Notes
1 Ken Guggenheim, "Report: Next Attack Could Top 9/11," Associated Press, AOL News, Friday, October 25, 2002.
2 "Sniper Gone, But Fear Isn't," Dallas Morning News (October 27, 2002, 4J).
3 Thomas G. Long, Matthew (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997), 280.
4 From Death to Birth (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973), 61.
5 Matthew 5:13-14.
6 Matthew 24:9-14.
7 Matthew 16:25-26.
8 Matthew 28:20.
Team Comments
Carter Shelley responds: The general feeling of fear you identify in the opening paragraph may vary in intensity according to geography. Folks in Wilkes County, North Carolina, where there isn't one large city, don't expect terrorists to attack us anytime soon. Folks do have relatives in larger urban areas, and there were a couple of close calls for friends of friends in NYC on 9/11, but the general attitude here is one of distress and empathy, but not fear for our own personal safety.
Your reference to the tranquility of the past 20 years leads me to ask -- are you thinking of the Cold War and the arms race? I need things to be explicitly stated to keep me traveling along the same thought patterns as the writer.
I appreciate the use of Tom Long's reading of this parable and also the way you use Edmund Steimle's sermon on the same text.
One of the interesting phenomena you touch upon in the third paragraph is the current interest and belief that Christ's second coming may be soon to claim those who won't be "Left Behind." From readings in history and conversations with folks older than middle-aged us, I have the feeling almost every generation thinks they live in the worst possible time in history -- no matter when they live. They see the immediate past as having been simpler, better, kinder, saner, whatever, and regret the changes they see around them in their present world. Perhaps it's because the dangers and problems of one's own age are the most obvious and scary and real.
You touch on the idea that a lot of contemporary Christians want our world to stay pretty much as it is only better. That viewpoint coincides with the late 19th century and early 20th century Christian liberalism that ignored the reality of human potential for sin, self-interest, and the seeking of power.
Of course, many did raise the question, "Where was God?" after 9/11. I suspect Steimle, who could be tough in his sermons and insights, would say God hadn't been present. I once took a class with him in which he stated that God is silent and absent at times and we really can't pretty that up. There was a Frontline special on this whole question earlier this fall.
I've been reading David Gergen's "Eyewitness to Power" about what he learned serving as a speechwriter for five presidents: Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. I haven't read all of it yet, but he points out that one of the things that made Nixon a great president (putting aside the obvious dark side for a bit) was his ability to see the large picture, globally, and to be at the forefront in terms of leadership. This ability made it possible for Nixon to initiate a good relationship with mainland China, which no previous president had even considered attempting to do. One of the things about the wise virgins is their ability to think ahead and anticipate that which the foolish virgins cannot see (literally and metaphorically) due to the inadequate amount of oil they bring to the wedding. Christians also need to think globally, to think outside our own American box, to start to wonder and discover what it is that makes other people, religions, cultures, economies, etc., tick and to do so with an openness that is not condescending or naively superior. What an exciting 21st century we might have if Christians took the initiative in reaching out to discover what good could be accomplished in the next 100 years. Rather than reacting to disasters, attacks, wars, and the like, to be the initiators of an alternative model for being a part of the world. Your sentence towards the end that encourages us not to "focus on protecting our lives but to remain faithful" is key to this message. Being faithful is incredibly hard -- but it's also incredibly wonderful when one dares to attempt it in fellowship and concert with other Christians.
Chuck Cammarata responds: This piece gives us some good and important scholarship and it addresses a fear that many in our society are feeling, but it doesn't challenge me to deal with that fear nor does it encourage me. It simply says that having oil in my lamp is "everything the church should do." I guess I'm not sure what exactly that means. In short, there's no flesh on them bones.
Additionally the essay offers little or no hope to the Christian. If it is not eschatological -- which I personally disagree with; I think it is eschatological -- but even if it isn't and it is simply about finding God's presence in this life, it needs to tell me how to cultivate this presence. It doesn't do that. In fact, it ends by presenting a sense of dread about the future, hoping and praying that the government can protect us when we know full well it can't. And then says, in the final sentences, but God will be with us anyway. HOW? WHERE? This piece needs to help me see and sense God. It needs to give me something to help me to deal with my dread.
Paul says in Philippians, "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds." Paul also says, in that oft-ridiculed statement in Romans 8, "All things work together for the good for those who are in Christ." And Jesus says, "Don't worry. Just seek first the kingdom of God and all these things you worry about will be taken care of."
The eschatological quality of the parable of the ten virgins and other such material in scripture is saying to us that this life is not all there is. Maybe life in this world will be hard for you, but that isn't the end of it. Beyond this life there is eternity. This message has been hugely important to Christians throughout the ages. It has sustained them as they were martyred or lived lives of lifelong misery, as did the slaves in 18th- and 19th-century America. There are the last two chapters of Revelation. There is Jesus' talk about the kingdom of heaven. This is what the old spirituals of the slaves focused on, and this is what Lazarus and Dives speak to.
This essay needs either to offer me some real hope or to help me better understand how to keep my lamp filled with oil so I don't miss the bridegroom whenever he is coming, be it now or later or both.
Stan Purdum responds: Let me play devil's advocate. I too proclaim that God has the last word and urge trust that God is the ultimate victor. But every time I do, I can always imagine somebody out there in the pews saying, "Big deal. God wins in the end. But by then I am already dead, and if I didn't win in my own life, I lost. What you are talking about is pie in the sky."
Also, if the terrorists attack again, and one of my children is among the victims, the fact of God's ultimate victory won't make the loss of my child okay, and won't fill the void left by the death.
I guess, like the parable, this reaction calls us to think about the nature of faith and what it means to wait for things to work out right.
Carlos Wilton responds: You help us all to focus on the important issues arising from this text, particularly the fact that faith is very often about waiting, sometimes for a very long time.
I found your conclusion especially strong.
I realize what you've written is not intended to be sermon itself, but rather sermon notes or an essay. If I build a sermon on it, I may begin with the Leonard Pitts quote, which I think is a real attention-grabber. Here's the sort of introduction I may use ...
"Fear is back, and we don't know how to handle it." These are the words of syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, reflecting last week on our national situation.
Truly, we're living in a time of fear. The memory of the September 11th attacks is still fresh. The stock market continues to be jittery. The recent sniper episodes in Maryland and Virginia remind us how easy it is for a few misguided individuals to disrupt the lives of millions. We all know this sort of thing could happen again -- and probably will.
All the experts are predicting that this season of fear is far from over. Fear is likely to be our daily companion for some time to come.
For us Christians, then, the question is, "How do we live through a time of fear?" Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 25 that suggests a model for how to do that.
(At this point, I'll retell the parable, emphasizing the point that the only difference between the wise and foolish bridesmaids -- for, indeed, both have faithfully turned out to welcome the bridegroom, and both have fallen asleep -- is that the wise bridesmaids have brought extra containers of oil for their lamps.)
The wise five and the foolish five are equally devoted. The difference is that the wise bridesmaids, with their extra flasks of oil, are prepared for the likelihood that their wait will be long. They know they're in it for the long haul.
It's natural to wish for a quick and easy solution to tough problems: "Come in and end this thing, O God, before anyone else gets hurt." But when such prayers are met only by silence, then where are we? Does hope dry up? Does faith wither and die?
Not if we've prepared ourselves for what could be a long wait. Our Lord is encouraging us to keep a supply of oil for our lamps, to get us through extended seasons of fear and heartache.
Related Illustrations
The late Jim Clelland, former Dean of Duke University Chapel, used to preach at a boys' prep school in the 1950s. Once he was preaching on this very parable, and ended his sermon with a rhetorical question: "Young men, I ask you, where would you rather be? Here, in the light, at the feast for the bridegroom ... or there, out in the dark with a group of foolish young girls?"
Someone in the congregation shouted, "Out in the dark with the girls, sir!"
That ended the sermon.
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A young Jewish student once asked his rabbi, "When is the best time to repent?"
The rabbi thought for a minute, then answered, "The best time to repent is at the last possible moment."
The student objected, "But you never know when the last possible moment will be."
"Exactly!" answered the rabbi.
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In one of the late Charles Schulz's Peanuts cartoons, Peppermint Patty goes off to attend a church-related summer camp, where a lesson on the Second Coming convinces her that the world is going to end very soon.
Suddenly worried that her family may not be ready, she goes straight off to the camp office to telephone them with the terrible news. The line is busy. While she's waiting, she notices a display on the wall with architect's drawings of the camp's five-year plan for new buildings.
In the final frame, she hangs up the phone and walks away, saying, "The world may be coming to an end tomorrow, but I wasn't born yesterday!"
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"You would be surprised if you knew how soon one begins to feel the shortness of the tether: of how many things, even in middle life, we have to say, 'No time for that,' 'Too late now,' and 'Not for me.' But Nature herself forbids you to share that experience. A more Christian attitude, which can be attained at any age, is that of leaving futurity in God's hands. We may as well, for God will certainly retain it whether we leave it to him or not. Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment 'as to the Lord.' It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received." (C.S. Lewis, in a fall, 1939, sermon at the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, in Oxford, England. At the time Lewis preached this sermon, the Nazis had recently invaded Poland. His congregation that day was filled with young men who, once Britain inevitably entered the war, did not know whether they would live or die -- or, indeed, if Western civilization would survive.)
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Did you hear about the Rev. David Austin? He was a Presbyterian pastor in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After studying the books of Daniel and Revelation, he became convinced that current events were pointing to the imminent return of Christ. When Christ did not come in the year Mr. Austin predicted, his congregation asked the presbytery to dissolve the pastoral relationship.
The year David Austin expected the imminent coming of Christ was 1796.
(Based on information presented by James Smiley, in A Brief History of the Presbyterians [Geneva Press, 1996], p. 66.)
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"If you don't live now, treat people now, act now as if the world you dream of were already present, how will that world ever be birthed into existence?" (Alice Walker)
Related Worship Resources
By Larry Hard
CALL TO AWARENESS
L. Prepare to meet Christ!
P. Here? Now? How?
L. Wait, worship, and listen!
P. What words do we need?
L. Listen to words we sing today!
P. What about the worries that fill my mind?
L. Listen to what the scriptures say!
P. What about concerns that alarm me?
L. Listen to affirmations we declare!
P. God knows I need to meditate and pray.
SILENT MEDITATION AND PRAYER
Be aware of what is moving through your mind. Ask God to prepare you to be open to new insights and inspirations.
OPENING PRAYER
I come to You, O God, to be prepared for what I will face this week and in the uncertain future. You know what thoughts fill my mind, what worries trouble me, and what challenges I face. Grant me the faith I need and the assurance of Your help. Amen.
OPENING HYMN (suggestions)
"Open My Eyes, That I May See"
"Christ Is the World's Light"
"Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah"
CONFESSION
Grace-giving God, I confess that I have failed to keep the light of love shining within me and through me. Forgive me when I fail to face my fears about an uncertain future.
I keep busy. I try to forget what is troubling me and others. I ask for your grace to replenish the light of love within me, through Christ who has come and continues to come. Amen.
WORDS OF PARDON
May the strong presence of God's mercy grant all of us the assurance that we are forgiven, in the name of Christ. Amen.
AFFIRMATIONS OF FAITH
I believe in God who is with us and sustains us day by day.
I believe in Christ who comes to us at expected and unexpected times.
I believe in the Holy Spirit who is here to bring light to our lives.
I believe in the church as the family of God that helps me through my times of
trouble.
I believe in the kingdom of God as an unfolding plan even when times are uncertain.
I believe in the power of faith to help me overcome.
SUGGESTED SCRIPTURE SENTENCES
Instead of an Affirmation of Faith, words of scripture could be read as people listen. Scripture sentences could be projected on a screen to be read.
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Ps. 109:105)
"They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." (Is 40:31)
"Ask and it will be given you; search and you will find." (Mt 7:7)
"The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid." (Heb 13:6)
HYMNS
"Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying"
"I Want to Be Ready" (Afro-American Spiritual)
SONGS
"Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning" (Composer unknown, Arr. by Haldor Lillenas)
"Arise, Shine" (Words and Music: Gary Smith)
A related children's sermon
By Wesley Runk
Matthew 25:1-13
Text: Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (v. 13)
Objects: an empty lunchbox and a camera without film
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is one of those days that make me nervous. Do you ever have nervous days? (let them answer) You do! What kinds of days make you nervous? (let them answer) It isn't easy, is it? When I got up this morning I wanted to brush my teeth, but I was out of toothpaste. Then I made myself some toast, but I didn't have any butter. Finally, I got dressed and was already to go, but I could not find the keys to my car. But it got worse. I started to drive myself to church, but I ran out of gas. What a day! I am exhausted.
But that is only part of it. Have you ever taken your lunchbox to school and your mom forgot to put your lunch in it? (let them answer) That's not good, is it? Or how about the day I took pictures of my family and I forgot to put any film in the camera? That wasn't good either, was it?
When those things happen, it means that we are not very well prepared, doesn't it? It's too late when we open our lunch box and remember that we left our lunch at home. We can't eat the air that is inside the box. We will be pretty hungry when we get home, won't we? You can't ask your friend for his/her lunch can you? (let them answer) No, they only brought enough for themselves. Do you think your friends will enjoy hearing about the pictures you wanted to take with the camera that didn't have any film? (let them answer) I don't think so.
The Bible teaches us the same thing. Jesus tells us that we must be prepared to know God. We need to learn about God from our mothers and fathers and Sunday school teachers and pastors and our friends. We need to read our Bibles and say our prayers. I know it takes time, but God has given us a lot of time to learn about him.
Jesus says that someday he is coming back to be with us, but some people will not even know he is here because they won't recognize him. Jesus will be like a stranger to them. It will be like going to the store for film for the camera while the party is going on. When you get back to the party with film in your camera, the party is over. It's too late. So Jesus teaches us to learn every time we have the chance to learn and serve God. The more we know about God, the better prepared we will be.
The next time you see your lunch box or your camera I want you to think about how much better it is to have a lunch inside the lunch box and film inside the camera. Then when you need them, they will be there to help you.
The same thing is true about knowing God. Read your Bibles or have your mom or dad read it to you. Pray everyday and live with people who love God and serve him everyday.
The Immediate Word, November 10, 2002, issue.
Copyright 2002 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
