‘Therefore keep watch, because you do
not know the day or the hour.’
Matthew 25.13 (NIV-UK)
Dear friends,
It’s been a good month in September, not quite so hot, but still with good weather and at long last some much needed rain. Many of us have been on holiday, and at Church we’ve celebrated Harvest Festival.
October always seems to be a quieter time, where we can slow down a bit before Remembrance Sunday and then preparations for Advent and Christmas. Actually, we may think we can slow down, but many among our church family are beavering away none the less. For those of us who can slow down, it is with reason, to prepare ourselves for the busyness later in the season.
The verse at the top of the page is at the end of the parable Jesus told about the ten maidens waiting for the bridegroom to arrive at the wedding feast. Five of them were wise and carried extra oil for their lamps, whereas five of them were foolish and didn’t. In the story, the bridegroom took a long time in coming, and when his arrival was finally announced, the five without oil had to go off to buy some more. When they arrived back at the wedding banquet, the door was shut and they weren’t allowed in.
There are all sorts we could think of in that story, including about welcome and sharing, both of which seem to be out of the picture. But of course, we’re not meant to look at what the story throws up on the side - it is just an illustration - rather, at what Jesus was saying through it.
The point of it is to be prepared for whenever Jesus returns, because we don’t know when that will be, or how long we each have on earth. It’s about preparing ourselves, having faith in Jesus, and a relationship with Him, trying to follow Him in our lives. Church is a place where we can encourage each other in our faith, share stories of what God is doing in our lives, and help each other through the more difficult times, so that we can all be ready for the Lord’s return.
But in it is that idea of waiting, something many of us aren’t very good at. I think the busier we are, the less we like waiting - there’s always something we can do. Jesus’ parable isn’t about doing as we wait, rather about being prepared for Jesus. So we can stop, take a breath, and make sure we’re prepared spiritually for the season to come.
In Christ Jesus, Clare <><