November 9, 2014 – Matthew 25: 1-13
Matthew 25:1-13
Faithful Active Waiting
22nd Sunday after Pentecost [Lectionary 32A] – November 9, 2014
First Lutheran Church – Winnipeg, MB
The parable tells the story of a party that is about to happen but that hasn’t happened yet.
The party can start when the bridegroom arrives.
Then everything can be as it was intended.
But the bridegroom has been delayed.
And so the bridesmaids wait. And wait.
This story was important to the early Christians because they could relate to the waiting.
They were expecting Jesus to return fairly soon after he ascended into heaven
40 days after the resurrection.
But generations went by and there was no dramatic return.
They knew one day Jesus promised that all things would be restored.
That all hurts would be healed.
That pain would cease.
The hunger would come to an end.
That justice, as Amos has it this morning, would roll down like a mighty river.
They knew God had promised the restoration of all things.
They knew a better day was coming.
And they were waiting for it.
But how, they wondered, were they to wait faithfully?
What did faithful waiting look like?
I was reminded this week that there are different ways of waiting.
One way of waiting is to wait passively, where you don’t do anything.
That’s the kind of waiting I did when I lived in residence at
Luther College at the University of Regina.
You wait in line for the shower in the morning.
You wait in line for the bathroom in the evening.
And in between you wait in line for breakfast, lunch and supper.
I was not very good at that kind of passive waiting.
That kind of waiting drove me nuts. I lasted four months in residence.
But there’s another kind of waiting, the active kind.
The kind where you do stuff to get ready for the thing that is coming.
The kind of waiting you do while you’re getting ready for a party.
You make a guest list.
You send invitations.
You get the house ready.
You look at recipes.
You do some shopping.
You get your things ready.
You start cooking – and you get ready to be hospitable and gracious.
Waiting doesn’t have to be passive.
It can be full of activity and full of anticipation – full of wakefulness.
Five of the bridesmaids in the story wait passively –
they don’t do anything to get ready for the party that is coming.
But five wait actively – they get extra oil so they are not caught off guard!
They’re ready for the fulfillment because they have been waiting actively.
This is the kind of waiting Jesus is encouraging in Christian community.
It is true that all things are not yet fulfilled.
We are waiting for promised day of fulfillment – when all things will be as God intended.
When the hungry poor will hunger no more.
When suffering will come to an end.
When our hurts and disappointments and griefs will be mended.
When the earth will be healed.
When war will be no more and when justice will roll down like a mighty river.
But Jesus is inviting us to not wait passively as if we were waiting for the shower at
the Luther College residence at seven in the morning.
Rather, Jesus is inviting us into an active waiting, a waiting that actually gets ready and
prepared for the day that is coming.
By having enough oil to be a light in the current darkness –
a darkness that we can bring a little light to now in anticipation of the rising of
the full bright morning sun that is promised us.
When we engage in this kind of faithful, active waiting we steward our gifts well.
This good stewarding of the many gifts God has given us takes many forms at
First Lutheran Church, and we are very careful to make sure that
all the stewarding of gifts directly anticipates that day God is bringing in.
We steward gifts so that hunger is addressed, so that justice is furthered,
so that children are cared for, so that faith is nurtured, so that community is bred.
We steward our gifts as a way of getting ready for the party that is coming.
And we don’t always know the end result of our generosity.
Kate Reid told me a story this week that I have invited her to share with you this morning.
A story in which, through the stewarding of a thoughtful gift, healing was furthered and
a light was shone in darkness.
It is a rare thing to be able to see the results of the good we release into the world. Whether it’s the toonie we drop in the box for the veteran sharing poppies, or the box of cereal donated to help feed a family. We are thanked, we know the family who receives it will enjoy having it, but were not there to see their child eat that bowl of cereal before heading off to school and having a productive day because of it.
A few weeks ago though, Kristofer and I were given a great gift that we knew needed to be shared.
For years Kristofer has been searching for a treatment for a persistent skin condition. This condition caused large red patches, itchy tender spots on his face and close to his eyes. Doctors and specialists had prescribed every kind of cream, solution, and balm a chemist could create, to no avail. Some worked temporarily, others had odours so strong they could curl nose hairs from ten feet away, and one of the last made the problem twice as bad. We were at a total loss.
Three weeks ago Kristofer and I were at Wednesday night food bank, not as volunteers, but as receivers of a lovely meal and donated items to help get us through the weeks to come. In the past we would eat our dinner, wait our turn to collect our items, and then leave soon after. But that evening we stayed, and not because a feeling told us something special was going to happen, we just needed to take our time because of feeling under the weather.
As each person came up to gather their things I noticed there was an item included that our volunteers weren’t 100% sure of. I asked if I could examine the box to figure out what it was. It turned out to be a name brand skin cream designed not only to moisturize skin but provide itch relief. Since we had already received our items, we weren’t in line to get anything more. Both of us were curious and a little excited to try this cream to see if it would help. I asked the volunteer if there were enough, could we please have one also. We were assured there was, and offered many thanks for allowing us to have one. Eagerly we opened the box, and I told Kirstofer to try it on one spot right away to see if there might be a reaction either good or bad. Almost instantly Kristofer felt relief. Our joy and surprise must have shown, because moments later we were handed another box quietly with a happy smile that said to us “I can see this will be a genuine help, and we have many blessings to share”.
Once home we applied it to all the affected areas, and I could see the relief and weight lifting off him. “Well how does it feel? Is it burning? Tell me?” I pleaded. “Its cool on those spots, it feels good!” “And the itching?” I asked. “Gone!” he exclaimed. We were so elated I remember crying for joy. Within days there was a marked improvement, and now after 3 weeks 85% of the effected areas are healed completely or close to healed.
Had it not been for the decision of one person to donate the product, and it somehow make its way to our food bank and into our hands, I wouldn’t have this story to tell. There is only so much a person can claim as coincidence. We both fully believe that a small miracle occurred. God’s hand has reached out over us, to help us, when we needed it. Without having prayed for, or asking we were shown how one act of kindness can transform a life.
Thank you, Kate. I love this story. Telling the story is good stewardship of the story!
Truly no act of kindness is ever wasted, no good stewardship of a gift is ever wasted.
We can’t always see the results of our generous giving.
But we have to trust that God is using the gifts we share as a way of bringing light into darkness.
As a way of somehow anticipating and getting ready for the great day God has in store.
As a way of bringing a little bit of healing in anticipation of the full healing that is coming.
Jesus ends his parable very dramatically – yes, he sounds kind of mean!
But we know Jesus loves hyperbole and exaggeration to make a point.
I think it’s just his way of saying that there are consequences to not stewarding our gifts well.
Healing may not come when healing was possible.
Justice may not come when justice was within our reach.
Peace may not come when peace was within our grasp.
There are dire consequences to passive waiting.
So let’s take Jesus up on his invitation.
The good news is that we can do so with confidence
because God has promised the party will come.
We can give generously and confidently knowing that God will make good use of our gifts and
that they will bring the day long promised a little nearer for those who most need it.
Like Kate and Kristofer’s story reminds us, our gifts make a difference.
Our generosity makes a difference.
Our good stewardship makes a difference.
And let’s face it, it’s not just about the skin cream.
Your generosity provides a space where that transaction can happen.
It provides a weekly food bank where things like that can occur.
It provides amazing dedicated volunteers who faithfully, actively await the day when all
God’s children will be fed and satisfied.
Your generosity provides a dependable venue where people are fed and hurts are healed.
And we can’t do it without your faithful generosity.
So: confidently, expectantly, actively,
let us take Jesus up on his invitation to be light in darkness,
and to be generous faithful stewards of all our gifts,
trusting that God’s day will come and the party will happen.
So together let us say, “Amen.”
Pastor Michael Kurtz
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