Rev. Molly F. James, PhD
St. Alban’s, Simsbury, CT
Proper 27A, November 12, 2017
May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point to the living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
If you go through my car, you will discover that I am my father’s daughter. You would find jumper cables, a first aid kit, wipes, a sewing kit, a leatherman multi-tool, and a lint roller. When I was a kid, we would often tease my dad about the contents of his car, particularly his glove compartment. He seemed to have everything in there - cups, paper clips, safety pins, note paper, forks and spoons, tools, etc. Elsewhere in his car you could always find paper towels, kleenex, a first aid kit, jumper cables and a tow rope. We would tease him, and he would smile good naturedly, knowing fully well that it would only be a matter of time before we would need one of those items.
When we fell down and skinned our knees he was ready with gauze and band-aids. When we had take out food with no silverware, he was ready with a spoon or fork. When we borrowed his car for an important interview, we would be grateful for the lint roller. And my dad was ready to help perfect strangers when their car batteries died or they were stuck in a ditch.
I can’t help but think that if my dad had been there with the bridesmaids in our Gospel story this morning the unwise bridesmaids wouldn’t have had such difficulties, because he probably would have had extra oil to share!
Although we teased my dad about always having all that stuff, I realize now what an important lesson he was teaching us. He showed us again and again that there was nothing life could throw at us that we could not handle. He also taught us that life would not always be easy, and so we need to be prepared to handle the challenges that will come our way.
This was a lesson my parents taught me on a broader level as well. My parents taught me that being prepared for challenges meant taking care of ourselves physically and spiritually - eating well and exercising, going to Church and cultivating a community of support. This meant that when I was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager that community sprung into action to surround us with love and care. The most tangible expression of that being that they worked together to make dinner for us twice a week for the entire year I was on chemotherapy. My parents showed me that a large part of being prepared for the challenges of life was about cultivating community to ensure that we did not have to face a challenge alone.
It seems to me that our Gospel lesson this morning is about preparation. The wise bridesmaids, who have filled their lamps, are rewarded and praised for their forethought. The foolish ones, who lived too much in the present moment and did not think about being prepared, miss out on the gift of being invited into the banquet with Jesus. The Gospel reminds us that we do not know when Jesus will come. This is the important truth: life is uncertain, and we need to be prepared. We need to have things in our personal “glove compartment” and to structure our own lives in such a way that we have what we need to face the challenges that will come in the course of our lives. My parents’ lessons on this front helped provide me with sense of stability and confidence. They showed me that life would not always be easy, but I did not need to fear that fact. As long as I had community and tools, I would be able to handle any situation.
There are lots of uncertainties in life, and we seem to be increasingly aware of them lately. The new headlines are full of stories of violence, tragedy and disasters. All of us, and particularly the young people among us, can feel overwhelmed by the anxiety and fear that is present in our culture. The world can be a scary place. We need to be prepared to face the reality of uncertainty in our lives and in our world.
I believe that that is one of the great gifts of Church generally, and this community in particular. You are a community that support each other through thick and thin. You are here to hold the faith for each other. You are here to remind each other that no matter the challenges life brings, we do not have to face them alone.
The invitation for all of us in today’s Gospel is to be prepared, because life is uncertain. I believe this invitation is two-fold. It is an invitation to stock our glove compartments, so that we have band-aids and spoons when we or someone else might need them. It is also an invitation to cultivate support around us. We human beings were created to be in community. We are created to support and care for each other. The invitation is to deepen our connections with each other and with God, so that we feel grounded and supported as we go about our lives. It is worth remembering that Jesus did not go it alone, so neither should we.
May our Gospel be a reminder for us to give thanks for all those in our lives who helped us be prepared for the challenges we have had to face, and may we seek to help each other be prepared for whatever challenges may lie ahead.
AMEN.
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