Isaiah 40:1 - 11 Comfort

Grace and Peace to you from Him who is and who was and who is to come,

            Let’s imagine that a Christian brought a friend to church one Sunday and that while they are driving back home after worship and coffee hour they talk over the passage from Isaiah that we read a few minutes ago.

            The first friend says: “I’m glad I came with you today.  I feel refreshed, as you said I would.  I especially felt uplifted during the music and the prayers.  I know that I’ll go again even though there were a few things I didn’t understand.  I’ve been thinking about the Old Testament reading.  I kept the printed copy and read it over three times while you were talking with your friends.  I thought I knew what the word “comfort” means, for example, but Isaiah used it in a way I can’t grasp.  I don’t know how to connect it with my life right now.”

            “I’ve learned that we rarely get the answers to our questions all at once,” the second friend replies.  “The truth sometimes comes slowly.”

            “You mean those words from Isaiah make sense to you?” the first friend asks.  “About receiving double for sins and hard service being completed and preparing for the Lord.  And do you know who the voice is that’s mentioned three times?”

            “I’ve thought about that passage myself,” the first friend replies.  “It makes sense to me if I keep in mind what I believe about Jesus when I read it.  We heard the pastor say that Christ came to earth to free us from the power of sin and to reopen the lines of communication between us and God that our sin broke down.  Jesus releases us from the grip of death and sin.  He brings us from death to life.  When Isaiah wrote about comfort, he didn’t mean a plush life but rather the forgiveness of sin. The law presses down on us.  It shows us our weaknesses and our sins.  Our consciences are sometime burdened.  The Heavenly Father has compassion on us and invites us to focus on Jesus.  When Isaiah wrote that God’s people received double from his hand for all their sins, he meant that penitent sinners receive, first, forgiveness and restoration to God’s favor and secondly the promise that we will live happily with him in eternity.  God blesses us doubly in Christ.  He casts our sins away and opens for us the gates of heaven.”

            The first friend asks if that’s true for everyone who believes in Christ.

            “He reaches out to us in friendship,” the second says.  “He eases our consciences.  He frees us from the fear of death.”

            “I hope that’s true,” the first friend says, “because that’s what I need right now.  But I’d like to know what Isaiah meant by hard service.  It seems to me that most people live fairly well right now.”

            “In external things, yes,” the second friend agrees.  “But inside – it can be a different story.  Most of us are shocked when we discover our sinfulness.  We try to hide from it.  We can make things hard for ourselves by saying that we’ll do better and aim for perfect lives.  We become like the little engine that could.  The more we recognize our sinfulness, the more we fear it and the harder we work to make it go away.  This is what Isaiah meant by hard service.  We make trouble for ourselves by taking on a task that’s beyond us.  Jesus removes this source of frustration.  He commands us to stop trying to remake ourselves and to take comfort in him.  He forgives and he renews.  A double blessing.  He accomplishes for us what we can’t do for ourselves, but that we know must be done or else we are lost.  We don’t have to strive any longer.  Our hard service has been completed.”

            A profound message, one that we should take to heart. The first person pauses a moment  to think, then says that some people might understand this offer as an excuse to be lazy.

            “They shouldn’t,” the second person says.  “It’s an invitation to walk humbly before God and to receive heavenly comfort.”  They stop at a red light.  “That’s a lot to absorb,” the second person goes on. “Would you like me to put some music on – or maybe catch the news?”

            “Not yet.  I was hoping you’d say something about how this comfort works.”

            “I’d love to,” the second person says. “Isaiah describes comfort in three different ways.  You may have noticed an interesting word picture – raising up and bringing down.  God raises up the meek, the frightened, those of us who know our sinfulness, while he lowers the proud.  He brings down folks who strive to build up their own righteousness.  Everyone is equal before God.  He doesn’t listen to anyone’s claims to moral superiority, but he does smooth the way for folks who live by the gospel.  He evens things out.  He makes the way bearable.  A great Christian once said that there are two very difficult ways to live.  One is to put the law in first place.  The other is to put our minds first, or to live only according to what we can see or touch.  It’s the natural human way, but God gets left out and troubles usually follow.  By contrast, the Heavenly Father invites us to live by the gospel and under his grace, which means to believe in Christ and to serve our neighbors.  The same Christian says that this is the direct and straight way to heaven.

            “That’s one kind of comfort,” the first friend says.  “The Father removes obstacles and he smooths our way to him.  What are the other two?”

            “God instructs us.  He teaches us the difference between his kingdom and the world that we see.  The visible world can be very impressive.  It can inspire and thrill us.  It can intimidate us, too, and hurt us very deeply.  But this visible world is fleeting; it changes, like beautiful flowers that fade, while God’s kingdom is eternal.  God’s promises last forever; the gospel will never fade.  I feel comforted whenever I let go of the world and stop my striving and turn my concerns over to the loving Lord.”                                                 

            “Yes, I see,” the first person says.  “I have too many worries right now.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been trying to do everything on my own.  I did feel better, you know, when the whole congregation was praying together.  I believed that God’s goodness would never perish and that he alone was worth seeking.”

            “Good,” said the second person, “but we won’t put the radio on yet, because you’ll want to know about the third aspect of comfort.  The readings we had today emphasized God’s revelation of himself to the world.  He comes with power, and even the strongest nations are under his control.  But when he comes to his people, his children, his sheep, he comes in gentleness and kindness.  He gathers us up the way a shepherd rounds up his flock; he carries us in his arms; he holds us very close to his heart.  He reveals himself to us as goodness and loving-kindness.  It’s a wonderful mystery that God comes in both power and love.  I feel comforted to know that one day all evil will be wiped away and that the Heavenly Father is now helping me safe for life in his eternal kingdom.”

            “A very special kind of comfort,” the first person says, “to know that God wraps me up in his love and promises to keep me safe.  He gives me the rest I’ve been looking for.  But what about on Thursday when I’m tired from work and out of sorts and feeling very far away from heaven?  Where is his comfort then?”

            “We hear many different voices in the course of a week,” the second friend answers – in school, if we’re a student, on TV, at work, while shopping, in the newspapers.  Wherever we go,  Most of the voices speak the law in one way or another.  They change their tune.  They conflict with one another, and they’re not always reliable.  This contributes to the stress everyone experiences.  But we hear another voice – one that we can count on – a voice from God.  We find it in the Bible.  It never fails us.  It works for us on Thursday just the way it works on Sunday.  I try to spend some time every day listening to God’s voice in Scripture.  This means I have a reservoir of comfort to call on when stress closes in on me.  I feel protected and secure, one of the safe lambs in Jesus’ flock.  It will work out for you, too.  I promise.”             

            The two friends turn a corner.  They aren’t far from their street.  Again, the first friend stops the second from turning on the radio.  “I can answer my last question on my own, I think – about what we should do to prepare for the Lord when he comes.”

            “He’s already come,” the second friend says.

            “We should clear away obstacles, with the help of God.  We should keep the comforts of the world in their rightful place, while we find lasting comfort from God’s Word, the word that never changes or shuts down.  Now, I guess we can put the radio on.  I’m ready to find out what’s been going on in the world.  I know I can look to God’s Word for comfort.”

            So we leave the two friends, hoping to take into our hearts the same lesson they learned – that comfort from God is available in every situation to everyone who trusts him.  The weeks before Christmas always bring a mixture of earthly joys and earthly stress.  Heaven offers better than either – comfort from the God whose birthday we’ll be celebrating soon, comfort, as the two friends said, that will never run out.  In Jesus’ Name we give thanks.  AMEN.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge Christ Jesus.  AMEN.             

Mark 13:24 - 37 Watching and Waiting in Faith

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from Him who is and who was and who is to come,

            We sometimes ask if life will ever be better than it is now, not only for ourselves but for the whole world.  Jesus answered that question when he said that until he returns, life on earth will always be mixed, a mingling of joys and sorrows.  Peace and war will alternate.  False prophets will deceive the unwary.  “There will be earthquakes in various places,” he said, “and famines.”  His followers will be persecuted and also strengthened by God to endure.  Families will be shaken up.  The situation will become especially bad just before the end when Jesus returns.

            God’s people persist in faith and hope, however, trusting that he will keep on forgiving our sins, through faith in his blood, that he will provide for us, and that he will cause everything that happens in our lives to work out for his glory and our good.  We trust that he’ll smooth out rough places and bring us periods of joy and fulfillment even in this life. 

            The circumstances of life will change completely after Jesus returns.  Then, as John tells us in Revelation, the earth as we experience it day by day will pass away and a new heaven and a new earth will take its place.  God will wipe away every tear.  Death won’t exist anymore.  There will be no mourning or crying or pain; God’s kingdom will come in full and he will make everything new.  The mixed character of earthly life will be replaced for believers like you and me with everlasting rejoicing in the presence of God.

            In the meantime, we live by faith and seek the will of God for us.  The Lord, speaking through Moses, offered the Israelites a choice between death and life.  The same choice comes to us.  Since we are believers, we choose life, the lives we have now, trusting that Jesus will carry us safely through the peaks and valleys, to the life to come that he promises us.  The devil tries to coax us to surrender to the standards of the mixed world that surrounds us – that life is money and stuff and ceaseless busyness or else the opposite – that whatever we do will count for nothing.  Faith in Christ helps us avoid these snares.  Jesus encourages us to think wisely about the life he’s given us and to live steadily.

            He instructs us to stay alert and to wait for his return.  St. Paul wrote: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him.  Paul called us children of the light.  Even if it is dark outside or if troubles threaten to close in or if temptation seems to cloud our understanding, we keep watch by the light of faith.  As Jude said in his brief letter, “Keep yourselves in God’s love while you wait.”

            Waiting for Christ gives us a purpose.  There may be moments, though not many among our people, when time seems to hang heavily in the air without moving or when we lose the zest for our worldly activities or when we don’t know what to do with ourselves.  At such times, we remember that Jesus, who pardons our offenses and restores our vigor, has something meaningful for us to do – to live in expectation of his return.  Jesus will use our talents; he won’t lose interest in us; neither will he punish us by withdrawing his love. 

            He promises that there will be a reward for waiting.  You may remember Jesus’ parable about a great Lord who returns home after a wedding to find his servants watching for him.  Jesus said: “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; he will gird himself and have them sit at table and he will come and serve them.”  Jesus promises to bless everyone who watches for him. 

            We’ll say something in a moment about what watching means, but first we should rule certain things out.

            Watching does not include trying to predict the time of Christ’s return.  Some folks say that he came back in 1914 but has stayed invisible.  Others say he’ll never come to earth again or that the times have become so bad that he will surely appear in a few weeks.  He alone knows the date and he forbids us from trying to speculate.  As in many cases, it is more enriching and spiritually stimulating to live by faith than by fact.

            We should also point out that waiting for Jesus’ return doesn’t mean, as some folks say, that we should expect a thousand-year period when life on earth will be perfect, with peace and plenty abounding everywhere for everyone, just as in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. The Bible doesn’t teach that.  Instead, so that we know what to expect, Jesus warns us that life on earth will be a mixed affair until he returns.  And what a glorious day that will be. 

            So what does watching mean.  First, prayer.  We pray for many things – health, strength, pardon, and deliverance, both for ourselves and others.  We also pray for Jesus’ return – “Thy kingdom come” – and in the last verse of the Bible God says, “Surely, I am coming soon” to which John the Evangelist replies, “Come, Lord Jesus.”  We don’t know how Jesus will use our prayers for his return – to build up our own faith, to make us ready to receive him, or to help us understand more clearly what his kingdom is like.  Whatever the case, watching includes prayer.  As Jude said, “Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”

            Secondly, watching means staying in tune with God’s Word, regular Bible reading and coming to worship on Sunday, as the folks at St. Peter’s this morning customarily do.   As we read the Scriptures, our understanding deepens and we grow in appreciation for God’s love and his will for us.  We take hold of God’s pardon and appreciate better the life he has given us and what he enables us to do with it.  We lose the fear of death.

            The Scriptures teach us God’s wisdom – that earthly life is fleeting.  In his eyes, a span of years is nothing – only a breath.  Even so, hope comes from him.  He hears our prayers and our pleas for help.  He isn’t blind to our troubles.  He keeps us from falling.  He will preserve our faith so that we may stand before him joyfully when our Lord returns, on the day when he will see us as without fault.

            So we stick with God’s Word to learn the truth about him and about ourselves and the destiny of the human race.  God’s Word keeps his light from growing faint with us and from losing touch with the great things God wants us to wait for.  As Jude said, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”

            Watching also means thinking critically about most things that we hear, including unsubstantiated theories about the future that sometimes come our way, especially at the start of every new year. I once heard someone predict, for example, that society will fall apart completely   by the year 2300. Last week, I heard a man say with complete confidence that the Christian religion would not be around in the year 3000.   How would he know?  Everything is under God’s control.  He determines beginnings and endings and what goes on in between.  We rest securely in the assurances we receive from his Word.  And disregard anything that contradicts it.

            Watching, moreover, includes concern for the spiritual welfare of our neighbors.  “Be merciful to those who doubt,” Jude wrote, “snatch others from the fire and save them.”  The kingdom grows through one-to-one contact.  God’s glory shines in his people.  It isn’t the glory of earthly wonders but the glory of confidence in God’s love.  We look for opportunities to tell others the good news of the gospel.  The Lord won’t let us grow discouraged.  He puts opportunities before us and encourages us to speak his word sincerely and confidently.

            To sum up, then, life for us as the present time is mixed, but by faith we take hold of the better world that is coming.  We stick to what the Bible tells us about Jesus.  We watch.  We pray.  We come to worship.  We don’t surrender to false ideas.  We tell our neighbors about our faith.  In other words, we help to make this present life better for others in ways that please God.  If we’re ever tempted to be discouraged about the way the world is going – or fearful that we’ll stumble off the path of faith, it helps to remember the plans for restoration that our Lord will carry out when he returns and the place he has prepared for us in his kingdom.  If we ever feel lost or momentarily uncertain about what to do with ourselves, we remember Jesus’ command and keep on watching. In His name we stay alert.  AMEN.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of Christ Jesus.  AMEN.  

                           

Matthew 25:31-46 -- Sheep in the Lord's Flock

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord,

            This morning’s gospel invites us to reflect on three basic questions about our lives:  Who are we? What does God want us to do with our lives?  What will become of us?

            Supposing someone asks us to identify ourselves.  We would give our names, where we live, whether we are married or single, whether still working or retired.  We might tell a little bit about our biographies and what we’re interested in.  There’s a lot more to who we are, of course, and we might go on if we have the chance.  We are sheep in God’s flock, citizens of the heavenly kingdom, sisters and brothers of our Lord.  The gracious, loving, everlasting Heavenly Father claims us as his own for Jesus’ sake because of our faith in his Son.  He declares that we are righteous in his eyes and without fault.  Our sins are forgiven, and so the death and judgment of which Jesus speaks in our parable don’t frighten us.  We confessed our sins a few minutes ago and accepted our Heavenly Father’s pardon.  He has thrown our transgressions so far away that he cannot see them. The blood of Jesus washes us clean.

God’s mercy will reach its fulfillment on the Day of Judgment, which Jesus described in the parable.  The heavenly king doesn’t remember the bad deeds of his sheep, only the good ones.  Somebody put it this way:  God’s sheep already have his verdict in their favor.  He blesses us with all the gifts of his grace:  forgiveness in Christ, the fellowship of other believers, hope, strength, the ability to love, and persistence.

The promise of Christ’s return fills us sheep with joy and courage.  His parable sets before us a description of God’s love for his people.  He forebears; he overlooks; he sees the faith he has put in our hearts.  Belief in our loving Heavenly Father is a wonderful thing.  Some folks wander for years and never come to rest in his embrace.  St. Peter’s people don’t have this problem. We are the beloved sheep of whom he takes care.  This is our identity.    

This brings us to our second question – what Jesus expects his sheep to do.  To  begin with, Jesus said in the Gospel of John that the work of God is to believe in Him whom He has sent, that is, believe in Christ.  Paul lists some of the traits of the Christian heart in one of his letters:  joy, patience, love, inner peace, self-control, goodness, faithfulness.  The Lord mentions in this morning’s parable some actions that arise when we have these qualities in our souls: easing hunger and thirst, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and people in prison.   Basic things – physical needs like clothing and nourishment and companionship, the sorts of things that anyone can do and the St. Peter’s people excel at. 

Though they do not save us, the good works God’s people do are important.  We help our neighbors, not so as to win God’s favor, but to express our thanks for the friendship he has given us as a free gift.  When we visit a shut-in or spend time with someone in trouble or help needy people with food and clothing, we show our confidence that God favors us and that we are safe in his care.  Our good works aren’t ways for us to make an impression on God, for we could never measure up to his demands.  They are signs that the Father has chosen us as his own for the sake of his Son.

The sheep of Jesus’ parable teach us a lesson.  They don’t boast about their good deeds, because they know they haven’t done anything to earn recognition from God.  They are modest and happy to be in the heavenly king’s presence so they don’t clamor for certificates of merit.  They are genuinely surprised, in fact, that the king noticed something they did.  This is true to life.  Believers are likely to be critical of themselves and always aware of their shortcomings, often in a state of repentance.  The Holy Spirit works on us to teach us our failings.  We aren’t complacent or self-satisfied.  We never become so undisciplined that we say to ourselves that God can’t do without us.  It’s the goats in the parable who are pleased with themselves.  I once listened to a radio and heard someone say this: “It is man’s work to heal God.  The question is not – why doesn’t God save us?  The question is – how do we save God?”  This man may have had a high opinion of himself, but he thought like a goat.  He had the best intentions imaginable, yet he was so full of himself that he didn’t leave room for the Almighty God and his eternal Word.

Here’s another example.  When I was working in Sudbury, I once talked with a highly-educated executive in the biggest mining company in the city.  He had many advantages, friends, an active brain, money coming in.  After I told him what I did for a living, he said in a very friendly way that he didn’t believe in God, but if he did, he was certain that God would let him into his heaven because of the wonderful life he led.  Pure goat talk.

It’s part of human nature to want to be active and important in the world.  People everywhere are busy – being useful, taking the lead, solving problems, helping themselves and others.  Human beings are highly resilient.  We get knocked around and we get back up on our feet, into the battle again.  Our faith encourages us to keep busy, of course, and most Lutheran people like to be on the go so long as they are able.  But we make a distinction.  Our activity doesn’t come from a desire to gratify our egos or to set ourselves up for others to admire.  Our good works are fruits of our conviction that we are god’s sheep, disciples of the One who lived and died for us.  We don’t fear where we will stand when Jesus returns.  God sees our faith, which moves us to repent of our sins and take hold of our Lord eagerly.  He assures us that it is his intention that we stand with the sheep on the last day.  He pardons the interference that we put between ourselves and him and strengthens us so that we do the works that please him and always with the knowledge that we are his humble sheep.

We rejoice, then, that our Heavenly Father gives us identities as his sheep and that he finds meaningful things for us to do.  He also tells us what will become of us.

Script teaches us that from the foundation of the world, even before the Lord made the stars, the lakes, and the forests, Jesus prepared a heavenly place for his sheep.  When he returns we will receive in actuality what we now have by promise – a green pasture in the kingdom of heaven, where there will be no more suffering or tears or grief.  All God’s children will be at rest and at peace, surrounded by everlasting joy and love.  Moreover, we will not be in subjection in any way.  We will reign as kings and queens alongside Christ.  Paul wrote:  “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.”  And James, our Lord’s half-brother said, “Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

A time is coming when we will exchange our earthly cares and our cold-weather clothing for robes of righteousness.  If by God’s grace we stay with him in faith – and it’s his intention that we do so – he will bless us with crowns as splendid as any that kings and queens now wear.

As we said before, it‘s a wonderful thing to have faith in a loving God.  The Father will nourish us the way a shepherd feeds his sheep.  He will keep calling us his own beloved children.   By his leading, we will carry out his will as we look ahead to the glorious life that’s coming.  We ask him for the depth of character not to take his promises lightly and to keep us in his flock so that we may be with him on the wonderful day that’s coming.  In His name, we rejoice. AMEN.                              

                  

                                                                                    

Matthew 25:1 - 13 -- Readiness for Christ's Return

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

            The word “parable” comes from a Greek word that means “putting things side by side”.  Somebody said that a parable is a heavenly story with an earthly meaning.  Somebody else said this:  “a parable is one of those stories in the Bible that sounds like a pleasant yarn but keeps something up its sleeve that pops up and leaves you flat.”  In other words, Jesus’ parables are meant to wake us up from complacency and get us to think.

            When I was a seminary student, I learned that although our Lord’s parables have many details, most of them have one central point of comparison and one basic message they want to get across.  I’ve never been very good at figuring out these central points, so if I want to get to the heart of Jesus’ stories, I need to consult the writings of experts, which I did.  This morning’s parable is the same as the others:  we need to do some thinking to get to the main points.  

            Jesus uses the parable of the wise and foolish virgins to help us be ready for his return.  That’s its basic meaning.  A day is coming when he will return in glory to claim his beloved people with all the love and joy with which a new husband claims his bride.  He will bring his faithful children into eternal happiness.  He will wipe away sin and death and every evil to such an extent that we won’t even remember the things that may trouble and vex us today.  Instead, there will be gladness and rejoicing forever.  The love God has for his people, which we now experience by faith, will be clear to us and visible and unmistakable.

            The Lord commands us, meanwhile, to be ready.  The word “readiness” suggests certain things to us.  We get ready for winter by getting our heavy clothes in order and making sure the car is shipshape, if you have one.  A student gets ready for exams by studying faithfully.

            We get ready for the Lord’s second coming in a different way, not by taking external measures, but by trusting in Christ now, in his friendship, his goodness toward us, his promise that we are saved by God’s love through our faith in him.  Somebody explained the details of the parable this way:  the oil we need is God’s grace and the power of Christ and the flame the oil produces is faith together with the good works we perform today and tomorrow and the inner changes we undergo as the Holy Spirit works to transform her.

            Faith in Jesus means more than agreement with certain facts, such as the ones we’ll recite in the Apostle’s Creed. It isn’t just carrying out the forms of religion or being active in the church.  Faith is a living trust that Jesus is our friend and savior – that he died on the cross to win the forgiveness of sins for each one of us.  Faith in Jesus means a profound certainty in our hearts, which only God can give, that Christ hears our prayers, that he’s present in our worship and in the sacraments, and that he has prepared a place for us in heaven.  Faith in Jesus means assurance, confidence, that we ourselves are saved.  If when we read the Bible or hear God’s Word spoken, we are convinced of Jesus’ friendship for us, then we have a good supply of oil and the flame of faith is burning.  We’re ready for the second coming of Our Lord.

            Let’s think about how this readiness works by imagining a few people in everyday situations.  Nelson is an intelligent and searching person.  He wants to know about salvation.  He reads a wide assortment of material and talks to many people.  He often hears the idea that he doesn’t need God for salvation because he can earn it on his own through good works and pushing himself to live by a strict code.  But because he knows very well he isn’t perfect and is likely to make mistakes, he doesn’t take these ideas seriously.  He knows that he needs help.  He turns to the Bible where he learns that Jesus is his help and he comes to trust what Scripture says about the Lord.  Nelson is ready for the second coming.

            Mary Beth is a young lady from a strong Christian background.  She goes to school and then to work, where she meets a variety of people whose faith isn’t so strong.  They tease her and tell her she ought to get more fun out of life.  Going to church every Sunday won’t do anything for her, because there is no evidence that Jesus will come back.  Mary Beth says that it isn’t just a matter of going to church.  It’s true that for people turn religion into a routine, but she herself has a strong personal trust that Jesus is her savior.  He refreshes her and gives her energy.  He removes her sins and fills her with confidence.  Her lamp is filled with oil.  She’s ready for the second coming of our Lord.  

            Warren is an older man.  He’s had a wide experience of life and contact with hundreds of people.  Many have done better than he in a worldly sense, and he has endured more than one heavy disappointment.  Without his faith in God, he would be tempted to sink into despair and give up on life.  He’d be inclined to blame himself for everything he thinks has gone wrong.  But Warren is a Christian.  He brings his troubles to the foot of the cross and he feeds on our Savior.  Even while he knows the heaviness of life, he trusts in the mercies of Christ.  He is ready for the second coming.

            Hilda has had a long life.  She knows what it means to be active and she’s had many joys.  She’s also experienced a lot of sadness and frustration in recent years together with physical pain.  People she loves have moved away or passed on to eternity.  She’s tempted to wonder if life has meaning and purpose, but only tempted because she believes in her heart that Jesus walked the earth before her and that he passed through every sorrow that she’s now experiencing.  She leans on Jesus’ companionship and his compassion for the wounded.  She trusts that he died for her and that in his rising to new life again she herself gains new life.  As she turns to Jesus, she discovers that her joy revives and she’s ready for the second coming.

            We’ll take one more example.  Priscilla is a new Christian.  She has many questions and she isn’t sure that other Christians accept her.  But she knows that Jesus is her savior and she has experienced his power to renew.  She knows that Jesus’ blood washes away her sins and that she has a never-failing friend in our Lord.  She is ready for his return.

            These five people of faith are prepared for the second coming because by God’s grace they trust in Jesus now.  They know he is their savior; their lives are safe in his hands.  It would be easy to imagine five people of a different sort, who thought they were ready for Jesus’ return but actually were not because although they had the right lamps, they lacked the oil that brings faith.  They went to church; they did good works, but their souls were elsewhere, focused on themselves and on the world rather than God’s will for them.

            The Savior’s parable teaches several lessons.  First, that automatic religion doesn’t do much for us.  It’s possible to know all the teachings and to do good works and practice all the rituals, but to be dead inside.  True religion comes from personal contact without Savior, who makes alive and who brings joy. People who look for a lively, strengthening faith will find it.  They will be ready for Christ when he returns.

            Secondly, borrowed faith doesn’t help.  The foolish virgins believed that when the time came they could get oil from their friends.  But their neighbors had none to give.  They had just enough for themselves and nothing left over.  It isn’t enough to say, as some might, though no one here this morning, I’m sure, “Well, my grandparents had lots of faith and I will attach myself to theirs.”  We need our own relationship with the Savior.

            Thirdly, God’s grace is abundant.  He is very patient, slow to anger and quick to forgive.  He continues to reach out his hand.  But a time is coming when it will be too late.  There will be no chances for sinners to repent and faith to be renewed.  The Lord has included us among the wise.  We ask him to keep us there and to build up our understanding of what it means to be ready for his return.

            In the fourth place, Jesus points out that we do not know exactly when he will come back.  It could be next month.  There could very well be a long delay.  We do not know.  this is not a case, however, where ignorance is bliss.  We are not to use our lack of knowledge as an excuse for laziness.  We should regard each day as if that were the day of Christ’s return.  When we think this way, we find that the Lord is bringing out the best in us.  He motivates us to do good works – to spread the gospel, to help the needy, to visit the sick, to pray for ourselves and our neighbors, to read the Bible every day.  We find then that we are not living by automatic religion or leaning on the prestige that previous generations built up.  We are living by our own faith with plentiful supply of oil to fill the lamp when our Savior returns.  What opportunities he has given us!  What ways to be active as we get ready to receive him on the day of his second coming.  In his name we rejoice.  AMEN.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of Christ Jesus.  AMEN.