Needless to say, last weekend was a little chaotic. Our whole community planned and prepared for the possibility of power outages, icy roads, and snow (and we got them). I’ve never seen the grocery stores completely void of certain items, such as milk; however, no one wanted to be caught without. Our governor even declared a state of emergency for specific northern counties in Georgia. Proactivity and preparedness were the goals in the days leading up to this week’s winter weather.
The Story of Ten Bridesmaids (Matthew25:1-13)
“Here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like at that time. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.2 Five of them were foolish. Five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t take any olive oil with them. 4 The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The groom did not come for a long time. So the bridesmaids all grew tired and fell asleep.6 “At midnight someone cried out, ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him!’7 “Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’9 “ ‘No,’ they replied. ‘There may not be enough for all of us. Instead, go to those who sell oil. Buy some for yourselves.’10 “So they went to buy the oil. But while they were on their way, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding dinner. Then the door was shut.11 “Later, the other bridesmaids also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’12 “But he replied, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. I don’t know you.’13 “So keep watch. You do not know the day or the hour that the groom will come.
In this parable, we see a dramatic contrast between being prepared and being unprepared. As the opening line says, this parable is meant to show us what Heaven will be like when the end times come. Christ’s first coming was long awaited and anticipated. Many thought that God had forgotten them since it had been so long, but Christ came just as the prophecies said he would. In the same way, we are in a season of anticipatory waiting. Christ’s return is imminent; it’s just a matter of time, and we are called to be ready. We are called to prepare our hearts through repentance, reconciliation, and renewal. We should ask for salvation from Christ, forgive our enemies, and seek to love and serve Christ in our daily lives. We should be transformed by the renewing of our minds and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The bridesmaids who were not prepared were actually left out of the wedding festivities because they did not have the oil to sustain their lamps through when the groom arrived. He arrives while they are gone to buy more oil, and when they return, the door is closed. The wedding festivities, or Heaven in this parable, should be our end goal, the motivation behind our preparation. We need to seek Christ now instead of when it’s too late.
Let us approach our relationship with Christ with the same sense of urgency that we prepare for inclement weather. Let us be like the children who look forward to the snow. Let us not be fearful, but instead, let us anticipate with excitement what could be if we are prepared for His Kingdom to come to earth.
