As we gather for this year's Remembrance Service we are very aware of the war that's going on in Israel and Gaza at the moment, as well as the continuing war in Ukraine. And so you might have come here wondering what the Christian faith might have to say into those situations, or to us as we look on.
If so, you might be slightly puzzled that the reading we've just had is Jesus talking about bridegrooms, virgins and oil lamps! Just to explain, I didn't choose the readings – in church we have set readings for each Sunday and these are the ones set for today. However, I do think that they do have something to say to us at this time.
But first let's unpack Jesus' story a little bit, because it's describing a very different culture to our own. In Jesus' culture, the bridegroom would leave his house, go to his bride's house, they would have the marriage ceremony and then he would process back to his house with her for the wedding feast. This journey would go a scenic route around the village or villages so that the whole community could greet the couple. Because it was hot, the bridegroom would often not set off until it was cooler in the evening, so by the time he got back again it would be late at night, therefore the bridesmaids who were waiting for the couple to arrive for the feast would have to keep watch with lamps burning in the night.
This is all very alien to our way of doing weddings, but perhaps you might be familiar with the song “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning” - and if you've ever been puzzled by those lyrics, you might understand them more if you know that they're based on this parable of Jesus'. However, this reference and meaning are slightly obscured when the lyrics are changed from asking for oil “till the break of day”, to asking for oil “till the end of day” In the parable the lamps are needed till the break of day not the end of day because this is a parable about waiting.
Jesus has taught that he's going to die, be resurrected and then go back to his Father before returning at the end of time, for the Final Judgement and the start of the eternal kingdom of God, where there will be no more sin or death. His disciples have asked him what the signs will be that he is about to return, and he says there will be no signs. The day and hour are unknown, his return will be unexpected, but when he does return we will all know about it. As Paul says in our first reading Jesus will return “with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.”
This parable gives us a picture of waiting for something that will definitely happen, but at an unknown time. The bridegroom will return but the bridesmaids don't know when. So what are they to do in the meantime? They are to keep their lamps lit.
That's not the most helpful piece of advice for us! But by describing the bridesmaids as being either wise or foolish, Jesus reminds us of an earlier parable (which also has a song about it!!): the parable of the wise and foolish builders. The wise man built his house upon the rock; the foolish man built his house upon sand and when the storm came only the house on the rock survived. Jesus explained “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
The way the wise keep their lamps lit is to hear Jesus' words and obey them. To hear and obey his commands to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. It is to love your neighbour as yourself, including loving and praying for your enemies and those who persecute you. But most of all it is to recognise not just the wrong things that others do, but to recognise our own sins and failings; to realise that in God's eyes all sins are equal, because his standard is perfection. Unless we are perfect as God himself is perfect none of us deserve to enter into his eternal kingdom of peace.
But Paul reminds us in the next chapter of his letter to the Thessalonians the God doesn't want us to be punished for our sins, but wants us to be saved by Jesus: for Jesus died for us, he died in our place, to take the punishment we deserved.
The wedding feast image is not an accident. Jesus the bridegroom has gone out to get his bride, us. We are not able to come to the wedding feast unless we are his bride, unless we've joined ourselves to him, as a man is joined to his wife. If we have joined ourselves to him, we stop using our old name of 'sinner' and take on his name 'holy'.
But what's all this got to do with war and conflict? It is only in and through Jesus that there will be a solution to the wars and conflicts we have, because it is only through repentance that we can be being transformed into the likeness of our perfect bridegroom. And as we wait for his return, as we wait for the dawn of his reign of perfect peace and justice, we are to continue to be wise; listening to and obeying Jesus.
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