11-06-2005

Celebrating the freeing, supportive presence of God. So your experience of God may become your experience of life. It is wonderful what God can do!

"Trimming Our Lamps"

November 6, 2005

Good Morning!

   One of the many memories I have as a youth back home was that of the electrical power going out at least once during the winter and once during the summer. It most occurred around some kind of weather event, although there were times that there did not seem to be anything evident to cause it.

   I actually would look forward to it because I had a fascination with kerosene lamps. Candles and flashlights were ok, but those kerosene lamps held a particular fascination for me. Perhaps because I enjoyed history and remembered my grandmother’s stories of her being a young girl in charge of the daily ritual of cleaning and preparing the kerosene lamps for the evening’s darkness.

   She had explained how it involved trimming the wicks, filling the base with kerosene, and washing the globes. She could not understand my fascination with them because she most disliked the cleaning of the globes. They were fragile and yet they needed a degree of pressure to get that oily black residue off them; and her mother expected the globes to be crystal clear.

   The obvious lesson is that if you want to be prepared for the darkness, then you must trim, fill, and clean your lamps in plenty of time. This lesson could be applied to so many of our life’s responsibilities. The lesson is also known as an ‘if - then’ kind of teaching.

   IF you want your car to keep running THEN you must gas it, oil it, and maintain it. IF you want your house to have heat, light, and water, THEN you must order it and pay the bills. IF you want your children to be educated and have as many opportunities in life as possible, THEN you must deal daily with their homework and with preparations to pay for college. IF you believe in representative government, THEN you must make it to the voting polls. IF you want a fully functioning church always there when you need it, THEN you must participate and contribute to its well-being.

   Who would have thought, however, that there would be preparation for meeting Jesus Christ? Our Scripture this morning has Jesus telling this fascinating little story about the kingdom of heaven being compared to a wedding banquet. Ten bridesmaids were to be prepared to meet the bridegroom when he arrived. And just like our every day experiences with people, Jesus describes half of them as foolish, and the other half as wise.

   The wise took spare oil for their lamps but the foolish did not. This might not have been a problem except for the fact that the bridegroom was delayed, and that used up the oil already in the lamps.

   When the arrival of the bridegroom was announced, interestingly enough, all of the bridesmaids trimmed their lamps, but the foolish ones had to begin begging to borrow oil because their supply was near run out. The bridesmaids were forced to go to the dealer for more oil, but while they were gone, they missed the arrival of the bridegroom. Those who were prepared went to the banquet with the bridegroom and the door was shut behind them. When the foolish bridesmaids finally did arrive, the Lord told them that they were not known to him.

   Apparently, without being prepared, we will miss the Lord’s coming. In other words, IF we do not keep our spiritual tanks filled, THEN the light of our faith will burn out and we will not recognize the Lord when he comes because of the spiritual darkness all around us.

   All of the bridesmaids remembered to trim their lamps perhaps because it did not involve as much time, or effort, or planning as filling their oil tanks. Not only that, but it did not require money to trim the wicks as it did to purchase oil for the tank. So they were actually hedging their bets by not purchasing additional oil. The trouble is that they lost their own bet.

   OK, Jesus, we got the message that we must be prepared, we must keep alert, and we must not skimp when it comes to preparing for you. But those are generalities that almost anyone could agree to. What is it, exactly, that you are asking us to do in preparation for your coming?

   I believe that Jesus is telling us to do whatever it takes to keep our light of faith burning … time, effort, commitment, offerings. What is it that would keep your light of faith burning?

•More daily conversation with God? •More delving into the scriptures? •More support for our church dinners?

•More determination to give offerings worthy of a God who saves us for all eternity?

•More being present at weekly worship? Or small group study?

•More serving the needs of the hungry or impoverished?

•More determination that this church will remain vibrant and become even more relevant to a world at times gone mad?

   It is not for me to say, but for you to discover through a regular, disciplined process with your God and Savior. Do not neglect these questions, but rather try your best to find answers so that your spiritual life and the life of your church will be enhanced. And when we are well on the road to this, I believe we will be well on the road to being prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ … whether his coming be for the world, or for you and I individually.

   God help us to grow, as we strive to know. Prepare us for your coming!

Amen.

Please take some time to browse our Sermon Archives - where we'll be storing sermons for you to enjoy again...

Also you may email the church for any Sermons you'd like to see again. perryumc@frontiernet.net