Matthew 25:1-13
Where do you think all these
appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen?
Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight
for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are
willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk
violence to get your hands on it.
You wouldn’t think of just
asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be
asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each
wanting your own way.
“God’s kingdom is like ten young virgins who
took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and
five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The
smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom
didn’t show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep.
“In the middle of the night someone yelled out, ‘He’s here! The bride-groom’s here! Go out and greet him!’
“The
ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to
the smart ones, ‘Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.’
“They answered, ‘There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.’
“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.
“Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, ‘Master, we’re here. Let us in.’
“He answered, ‘Do I know you? I don’t think I know you.’
“So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Tomorrow, our great-nephew
Timothy will celebrate his seventh birthday – and our great-niece Erin
will graduate from high school. We blinked, and these little ones grew
up. Timothy should still be a wide-eyed baby dancing to “Jack’s Big
Music Show”…and Erin should still be that little five-year-old girl who
ran across the street to visit us after school several times a week.
Hopefully
we will be around to watch the next chapters in the lives of these two
and all of the other young people in our family and “circle.” But
events over the last 8 months have shown us that nothing in life is
certain – even life itself. So we must make the most of every minute!
In
a spiritual context, this means that we must never pass up an
opportunity to share Jesus with others. We cannot waste time on
bickering and negativity. Our denomination’s Bishop posted a note about
this today that ended with #WeAreMore. We are more than gossip, lies,
cheating, judgment, discrimination, hatred, and nastiness. We are more
than selfishness, narcissism, xenophobia, racism, classism and
homophobia. We are more than fear-mongering, dissention, and
rabble-rousing. As Disciples of Christ, we ARE more – or we should be!
This
is not something we can play around with and put off for another day.
Some want to say, “I am going to ‘sow my wild oats’ for now and have
fun…and I’ll be ‘good’ when I am old and gray.” Others want to say, “I
have too much to do right now. When I am less busy, I’ll spend more time
with God – or my kids – or my family.” The truth is that we really
don’t know when Jesus might arrive…or when our last minutes on earth
might be happening.” We have to live every second as if it is the
last…as if Jesus might return – or call us home – at any moment!
We
have to demonstrate at every turn that #WeAreMore…because this is the
life to which Jesus has called us. We have to represent “more” in every
word, thought and action. We have to prioritize and recognize what is
truly important…and what is a total waste of our energy. God will show
us how to do this…and we must trust His directives and follow them to
the letter. Believe it or not, the more we listen to Him and trust His
lead…the more time we will have for the things that really matter…and
our lives will be filled with far less stress and angst.
We cannot stop the clock…or control the hour when Christ returns or calls for us. But with God’s help, we can
regulate what we do with our time – and how we serve Him. We can
operate in the frustration and negativity of “less”…or we can show the
world that with Jesus, #WeAreMore. What are you showing the world these
days?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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