Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus said, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, `Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, `No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, `Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
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Message given at Grace Church 9 November 2008
Joshua 12:1-3,14-25 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

For some reason, children don't always act on what their parents tell them. Anyone who has ever supervised 3 year-olds can relate to this, "Pick up your toys, PICK UP your toys, I SAID PICK UP YOUR TOYS!" At that point, your face is as red as a beet and the veins are probably popping out of your head. Let's face it, when we want something to really get across, we repeat ourselves, sometimes getting louder and louder each time.

One of the things that Jesus taught again and again was that His disciples need to be ready for when He returned. He used parables that described a master on a journey who left his workers in charge of a project, about a rich man who gave his servants money to invest, and He told this story about some wise and foolish bridesmaids.

We've all been to weddings. Usually music, like the Wedding March, starts playing to announce the coming of the bride. The congregation stands to turn and look as the bride and her bridesmaids make the grand entrance. It's the bride's big day. Meanwhile the groom has slipped to the front with the pastor and the best man, not drawing too much attention.

But in Jesus' day it was different. There was negotiation between the groom and bride's family about the payment that was necessary, usually money or livestock. There was always a cost. Often this engagement was up to a year in length. The bride was considered married even though she still lived at home with her parents. There was no physical contact. She would remain a virgin until their wedding night. It was during this betrothal time when Mary conceived Jesus. That's why Joseph was going to quietly divorce her.

Anyway, once all the preparations were done it was time for the wedding. Around suppertime, the groom would come to get his bride and her friends with his best buddies using flaming torches acting as floodlights. And the cry would go out "Here comes the groom!" When the two groups met they'd return together with singing and rejoicing to the new home using the bridesmaid's lamps for light. Once there, a big party would start, often lasting seven days. Can you imagine the bill for this seven-day party? And they had to do a whole bunch of cooking and preparing. No wonder Jesus had to turn water into wine at that wedding in Cana of Galilee! The guests had been partying heavily.

And this is what Jesus' listeners thought of when He taught about a wedding party. But He was also talking about His own leaving and returning.

Jesus was clear that no one except, God the Father, knew when the second coming of Christ would happen. He also knew that He was the bridegroom and we, His church, was His bride. He also knew there was a price to be paid.

Jesus also knew people. One of the hardest things to do is to remain alert for long periods of time. Your mind wanders. Your body gets fidgety. And we all have a tendency to nod off as we lose focus. All of us have rented a movie and fallen asleep half way through. The next thing you know, the movie is watching you. I've been there, done that.

Jesus relates human nature to the young bridesmaids who wait and wait for the groom to show up for the wedding. They get a sleepy. They take a nap. Suddenly, there's a big noise as the groom and his gang approach. Jesus is telling us that we must keep our lamps ready and our hope burning brightly. He WILL come again, and blessed are they who are ready and waiting when He returns. After all, who wants to get left behind when Jesus shows up?

In His parable there were 10 bridesmaids who were excited to be in the wedding party. They all knew what they had to do, and each of them had good intentions. I figure they were all dressed similarly. They all had wedding lamps. But there was a huge difference between them. Jesus said that five were prepared and five were not. 5 were wise and 5 were foolish. 5 had enough oil for their lamps and 5 did not. The important part was that you couldn't tell from superficial looks who was wise and who the dummies were. Reminds me of 1 Samuel 16:7b, "for the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

We can fool our friends, we can sometimes fool our families, we can fool our church but we can't fool God. You can look the part, play the part, and talk the part, but acting doesn't get you ready for Jesus' return. If we are not ready, Jesus will call us foolish.

When our kids were small Scotty asked our son Masi when he should get ready to catch the fly ball hit to him. Do you sit in the outfield, waiting and then when the ball is hit do you try to put on your pants, grab your hat, tie your shoes, search for your mitt and then try to catch the ball? By that time the ball has already hit the ground, or worse, hit you on the head. That's not the time to get prepared. No, you have get ready before the ball is in play. You need to be fully dressed, and have your glove on before you go into the outfield. You have to warm up, throwing and catching. And you have to pay attention to each pitch. Otherwise you are just taking up space and the other team will win. You have to be ready to play. You have to be ready to win. You have to be ready and have your heart strong in the Lord BEFORE trials happen. Otherwise you will be lost when all heck breaks loose.
The accident the other night just down Farrington Avenue at Puupeelua that took the lives of 2 men and put a third in Maui Memorial with critical head wounds, shows us again how things can change in an instant. None of us knows how long we have on this earth. So I have 2 questions. If Jesus were to come back right now, or if your life were to end in a moment, would you be ready?
Would you be prepared?

Is there some kind of emergency kit that we can use to be prepared? The answer is YES. Jesus taught His listeners to watch and pray. We have expanded that a bit. The things we use to get ready will bring us joy today and make us stronger no matter what tomorrow holds. The things we need to be prepared will prepare us for every trial that comes our way. And those tools also happen to be the same things we need to strengthen our CORE.

And guess what. If we are prepared for Jesus to come at any moment, and if our Core is strong, then we won't get beaten and lose when the next big opponent shows up. For many of us the next huge giant in our path isn't death. It isn't sickness. In Christ, we can be ready and prepared when unexpected enemies knock on our door. But for many of us the next giant in our path is called, THE HOLIDAYS! Yep. They are coming. And if we wait to be prepared, we will get run over by credit card debt, by the parties, by gift-giving frenzies, by frustration, and by weariness. And unless we are ready for Jesus, the Holidays won't be Happy Holidays. So let's go over what it means to be ready for Jesus and how to be strengthened so that we cannot be defeated.

We need to C - commit our life to Jesus. This is the starting point. And this is the place we need to go to restart when we have nodded off. Acts 4:12 tells us, "There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them." What's wonderful is that Jesus is actually waiting for us to come to Him! Too often we feel that we aren't good enough. But the truth is that none of us will ever be good enough. That's why His love is so wonderful. Jesus reaches out to embrace us even when we feel like we're at our lowest point.

Scotty and I read an email this week that talked about falling from grace. You heard that before, right? Well, the author said that we CAN'T fall from grace, because grace is where we fall to. It's there when we hit the very bottom. That's when we know how amazing grace really is.

In scripture oil is a physical representation of the Holy Spirit. If you have committed your life to Christ, you have received the Holy Spirit. He lives in you. That's the oil in our lamp that keeps us burning, burning, burning. But sometimes we feel empty and we need to be filled again and again by praying and really reading the Word of God. So the first thing in getting ready is the C - commit to Jesus whether it's for the very first time, or if we have drifted and moved far from Him, commit again.

Then O -offer your gifts and talents. God is the giver and the believer is the receiver. The good things of life are available to enjoy because of God's gracious giving. The first question is not "How much do I give to God of what's mine?" but, "How much of God's time and talent and treasure do I keep for myself?" Believers cannot keep what's not theirs. We can only hold what has been given and keep what's needed. As faithful trustees, giving is done out of a heart that is in tune with the heart of God. The Israelites brought the first of everything they harvested to the Temple. They brought fruit and grain and oil. They led goats and oxen and cattle. They carried the first vegetables from their gardens. This happened all year round. They usually gave the first tenth of everything they received to the Lord. That's what tithe means: one tenth. Think of it this way, they gave 10% of all they had been blessed with as a Thank Offering to the Lord throughout the year. That tithe is what kept the Temple running, paid for the oil in the lamps, kept the paint on the walls, and fed all who served the Lord full time. Offerings were given in addition to the tithe. Jesus said that He could tell where our hearts are by where we place our treasure. Look in your checkbook register and at your credit card statements. If you're not returning any of our treasure to God, that's probably a reflection of how much of your heart you've given to Him. So how do we get ready? Give. Now I know that money is tight for many of us and the economy is in a huge mess. This is when we get tempted to hold on even tighter to our money. Now more than ever we need to give, not horde. And that includes all aspects of our life - our time, our talent and our treasure.

On a practical note, if you aren't in the habit of tithing, it is OK to start in stages and grow into it.
But the main thing is that we give to God first, no matter how much or how little we have.

Then we can R - reach out to a broken world. In this parable Jesus is teaching that it has to be our own faith, not the faith of someone else that's helping us to be prepared. Others can't bring it for you. You can't bring it for your friends, your kids or your family. This I-want-to-be-ready faith has to be yours. We cannot give our oil to others, as much as we may want to, or no one will have the light. Our faith doesn't cover anyone else. But we can share the light we have by showing our friends and family where to get the oil before He comes back. As Greg Laurie says, "I'm just a beggar showing other beggars where to find food."

The R has many different parts. The Lord can use your specific gifts to reach a lost soul: we can learn to listen in love. All over this island are people with lonely hearts and stories of brokenness. One great way to reach out to someone in the name of Jesus is to become His ears and listen with His heart. We can reach out by living our faith and by inviting friends and family into a relationship with Jesus Christ. First we talk to Jesus about them before we talk to them about Him. We can open our homes to lead a small group. We can bring them to church. We can volunteer to cook a meal, give a kupuna a ride, or help someone with chores. And here's a big one: as we reach out we can trim our wicks.

When Scotty and I first moved to Moloka'i the electricity wasn't really "guarans"… it would go off at least once a week, especially in Ho'olehua. So everyone had oil lamps with those nice big flat wicks all through their homes. If you didn't trim the wick the flame would be too big. It would make the chimney black with soot, so even less light would shine, and you'd use up the oil real fast. So we need to trim our wicks (scissor motion over tongue). Curb your tongue. You want to share the light? Speak only words of genuine encouragement. That will light the way for Jesus' return.

And the final thing in our preparedness kit is: E - enjoy the presence of God in our lives. There is a way that we can be ready for whatever curveball gets thrown at us. There is a way to be ready for the time that Jesus comes back or calls us home. Did you know there is an instant cure for anger and bitterness? And did you know there is even a solution to the impossibility of finding parking in Kaunakakai the week before Thanksgiving? It is to practice the presence of God and be thankful!

Thankfulness is a command in the Bible. It's also a habit. When the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonian church, he ended with these words, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Here is a secret you won't find on T.V. When we develop the habit of thanking the Lord… the celebration begins now. His kingdom can come on earth as it is in heaven! Imagine walking around your job or your home or while shopping with Jesus walking beside you. You can have a running conversation of thanks with Him. And even if you do it out loud, no one will be any wiser. Thank you cell phones! It looks like people are wandering all around now talking to themselves, when they're just talking into an unseen microphone. Well, with the Lord, we have direct connect! So say it out loud "Thanks Lord for the parking stall." "Thank You Jesus for my family." "Mahalo for the food on my plate." If you cultivate thanksgiving to the Lord, your life will change and you will begin to experience and enjoy His presence in a deeper way.

When we are constantly giving thanks, we won't have room in our hearts or on our lips for envy or for gossip or for slander or for hate. Blessings will be what spring out from our hearts. Because we know that our momentary trials are nothing compared to the glory He has in store for us. Not just in heaven, but right here, every day! We don't have to get caught up in the moment of temporary trials. We have a hope… it is Jesus and we are always watching for Him.

Practice with me right now. Take a deep breath and softly say, "Thank You Jesus." See… it wasn't that hard. Now try it again but use your own ending. Deep breath 1-2-3-go "Thank You Jesus for…."

So this is our tool kit to be ready for Jesus if He returns right now. These are our strategies for enjoying His presence and strength as we practice trimming our wicks and asking Him to store in us His grace-full oil. These things are the ways to begin to live our lives to be prepared and be victorious in Him, no matter how big the challenge, no matter how complicated the mess, and no matter how fast the ball seems to be coming at us. If we're prepared in Jesus early, we won't be chasing and losing when the unexpected happens. Amen? Amen.

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