When I was a student at Sam Houston University, a friend of mine named Nancy had a date with an Aggie. Well, Nancy and her date came in early and so we found a fourth and played a game of Hearts. Contrary to my normal performance at Hearts, I actually won that night. Several days later, I got the card from A & M from this guy. It said, "Someday your ship will come in." You open it up and it continues, "And you'll be at the train station."
Now most of you know that my name is Nan. It's not Nancy, it's not Nanette, or any of the other possible variations. Now, the problem was, this card was addressed to "Nancy Lewis." So we never figured out if it was intended for me or for Nancy, but we both decided that he was the one who missed the boat. He just didn’t pay attention – not unlike the five foolish bridesmaids in our gospel lesson today. They just didn’t pay attention either.
You know, today’s gospel lesson could be compared to when a hurricane comes through. Let’s say there were ten guys who bought new generators, but when the hurricane came along half of them realized too late that they forgot to buy extra gasoline to run them.” So by the time they finally figure out that they need more gas than what’s left from when they tried it out, and they go to the station, the power’s already out and the pumps don’t work, and regardless of how sorry they are, or how much they are willing to pay, they can’t get the gasoline.
Our five foolish maids came with that same mindset where they believed that all they needed was the lamp because this occasion would be just like all the other weddings they had been a part of. It just never even crossed their mind that this time it might be different. But it was different and they didn’t adapt to the change – they were unprepared for change. And even when they began to get an inkling that this time might be different, they did nothing. They could see that the others had brought extra oil – and now, with the groom’s delay, they had time to go get oil, but they still didn’t use this time for that purpose. They waited until the end when the reality of the situation was unavoidable and then it was too late.
These were young women from the groom’s household who wait at some distance from the house to escort the groom and his new bride back to the house when he comes from collecting her from her father’s house – and according to one source, they not only light the way, but they also perform a welcome dance to honor the new bride who will be living among them.
While these maids wait for the groom they grow drowsy and fall asleep. Someone likened the five foolish maids to everyone’s worst nightmare… Well, maybe not nightmare – but that common dream so many of us have – each our own versions – about not being prepared at the appropriate time. My particular dream usually has to do with going to class to take a test – in my dream, not only have I not studied for the test, but I’ve never even attended the class and I’m not sure where it is.
These young ladies have participated in other weddings and they don’t expected this to be any different. Like the foolish maids, we, too, may be resistant to change. We often expect everything to stay the same – like there’s some kind of status quo that’s never going to change. We do this in our personal life, in our professional life and even in our church life. Maybe we have a good thing going, and we expect it to stay the same. Then it doesn’t and like the five foolish maids, by the time we recognize that there is a problem, it’s too late to reverse the situation. It’s like a wife (or husband) who doesn’t realize there’s a problem with their marriage until their spouse asks for a divorce. Or like parents who overlook the signs of alcohol or drug abuse by their child until they are called by the police. There could be any number of scenarios that we could imagine or name.
Churches can be just as blasé about what is going on in their parish. They can be just as resistant to change as individuals. They like to see new people come in – but that causes discomfort if the new people are different. One of the churches in our diocese decided that they needed some way to incorporate new people into their church family. And sometimes it’s just too long to wait for the bishop to come, so they’ve come up with a service of “inclusion” – they call it the “Liturgy of Belonging.” We have actually used this here in the past. There is a little service after The Peace when a family has expressed a desire to become a part of the parish family. Patterned somewhat after the Baptism service near the end, the priest turns to the congregation and asks:
Will you welcome (name/s) into this family, embrace their gifts, their needs, and their dreams? Will you recognize that their presence and participation will change the shape of the body and help it grow in new ways? Will you support them in their journeys, and assist them in their ministries?
And the answer is: Yes! Yes! Yes!
This is very intentional in the realization that when new people are added to a congregation, there will be change. And it is very intentional in recognizing the need for new blood in the church and the change that will occur and the intention to accept that change. I guess that you could consider it to be something like a marriage ceremony.
Like the maids in our story, maybe we’re waiting for something to happen in our lives. The five wise maids anticipate a future that involves them and they want to be prepared. We may be anticipating a change in our lives also. We may be waiting for the birth of a child, or for a phone call that offers us a job… maybe for our child to graduate from high school and leave for college... news from the doctor’s office… that special person to pledge to share our life with… All these circumstances are going to create change in our lives. We have to be prepared to face that change regardless of what it brings. If we are not willing to grow and change, then we will stagnate and die.
It reminds me of one of my favorite sayings: “all you have to do is suit up and show up and the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest.” Well, maybe sometimes that doesn’t quite get it. You have to be accepting of whatever is going on, and willing to fulfill your part, whatever that might be. But it’s about being prepared and ready to do your part.
Notice that this is a wedding feast – not a funeral. It is a joyous occasion – an occasion for celebration. And also notice that the participants are not alone – even in the waiting. When things go slow, when nothing appears to be happening – when you wait for the future to reveal itself to you – you are not alone. There is always someone there with you – with similar questions or doubts or struggles – but ready to sit with you and share what is happening. It is not unlike what is happening here at Grace. We know that a new rector is long in coming, but knowing that the vestry is now receiving names and preparing to go out, even this month to visit and interview, we have to be prepared. We also know that a new rector is going to change the dynamic of Grace, and we each have to be prepared for that change.
This whole story is considered to be somewhat allegorical. Scholars are very careful to point out that we are not to consider it a complete allegory. The difference between the two groups of bridesmaids is said to be their faith preparation. It takes faith to wait – faith to sustain us during the long night watches. It takes faith and courage to change when that is needed. It takes knowing and believing that when the Lord calls us to wait or to make changes in our life, that he will give us the strength and the tools to accomplish what needs to be done, or to survive the changes that are made. We prepare our lives, our hearts and our minds so that when the Lord comes, we may go in with him, rejoicing and may feast at the table that he has set for us. Are you ready for the changes that are coming?
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