“Keep Awake”

Scripture – Matthew 25: 1-13

Sermon preached at Immanuel UCC on Election Sunday, November 8, 2020

“Keep Awake therefore,
you know neither the day nor the hour”

I don’t believe I have ever seen more prophetic words in a weekly scripture readings.

This past week we have spent countless hours waiting for the outcome of our presidential election. Indeed, I think part of my brain has been awake this entire week. In fact, “you know neither the day nor the hour” could be the tagline for all of 2020.

Don’t forget, this same year our country went through the process of impeaching our president; a devastating hurricane season that is still ongoing; through the most destructive fire season we have ever seen – not just in the US, but in Australia where 500 million animals were killed… 

We saw the first reckoning from the trials brought by the Me Too movement;
the destruction of the city of Beruit; civil unrest in Hong Kong, Poland, Thailand, and now Ethiopia.

We witnessed the senseless killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Walter Wallace Jr. and so many others. And we were awakened to a movement around racial justice not seen in this country in over 50 years. 

And of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, which is on track to kill a quarter of a million Americans by Thanksgiving, just a few weeks from now.

And I know this is less important but I didn’t even mention: Murder Hornets, Harry and Meghan leaving the royal family, and to add insult to injury, because I’m sure you forgot about it… (anyone know what I am about to say?) we had to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics!

Friends, this week, I didn’t think I could “keep awake” much longer. But of course, now that the Presidential race has ended (or at least we hope it has), the real work of bringing our country back together begins. 

Of choosing love over hate, hope over fear, and healing over violence. 

I pray you understand me that I in no way mean these words to sound partisan, rather to recall that the tenants of Faith, Hope, and Love are the most Christian values we can lift up, even and especially when the very word “Christian” is being used as if it were a partisan term.

Our scripture today is the story of the ten bridesmaids who fall asleep while waiting for the groom to arrive. At first, this story appears a bit ungenerous. Not only do the so called, “wise” bridesmaids refuse to share their oil with the so called “foolish” bridesmaids who have none, but the wise bridesmaids send the foolish bridesmaids out to buy their own rather than share what they have. Then, when the groom arrives, they don’t even wait for their counterparts to return before heading into the wedding banquet and shutting the door. 

“Keep Awake” the parable concludes, as if our exhaustion is necessary to be worthy of God. 

Of course, this call to “keep awake” is sandwiched between other parables and stories in which we are instructed to do the same. In Matthew 24 (40-42) we are told: 

“40Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

And perhaps most well known, in Matthew 26 (36-46) in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked his friends to stay awake with him – and they too fall asleep. 

But – after the week we have had, I find it important to remember, that God also commanded us to Rest – and so of course “Keep Awake” is meant in spiritual terms – 

Keep awake to the message of Jesus, 

keep awake to the sound of the Holy Spirit, 

keep awake to how God is working in our lives. 

Context for this passage is important, because we can easily read this story as another opportunity for division. To drive a wedge between wise and foolish, worthy and unworthy, saved and condemned. 

But recall that in Matthew the use of Light also has a spiritual meaning. A few chapters before Jesus proclaims, “16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven”(Matthew 5:16).

And so, we have a call to remain spiritually awake and aware, met with the instruction that those who are wise have additional oil to fuel their spiritual light. 

Taking this allegory further, we can understand that when we study the wisdom of Jesus and know the Love of God we become spiritually filled. In other words, by cultivating our knowledge of God and filling up our spiritual cup, we are left with an abundance of oil to burn the lamp of our Spirit and let our light shine. 

If we take this idea of spiritual light, or spiritual wisdom seriously, then it stands to reason that when the foolish bridesmaids demand some of it, the only option is to refuse, or more specifically to say, “go out and seek it yourself” 

– I reject the idea here that there is lack of abundance, there is always enough Spirit to go around. But rather – maybe spiritual wisdom is something we must seek for ourselves, wisdom in any form can’t be “given” out of abundance, it must be acquired.

So, the bridesmaids who are wise to the Love of God – while showing the foolish bridesmaids what is possible – also advise them that they must go out into the world and gather up this spiritual goodness in their own way and on their own time. There is no quick fix. 

I sometimes think about this passage when I read about Christians who claim to be suddenly awakened to Jesus as their “Lord and Savior”, and proclaim themselves “Saved.” As if that is all there is to it.

AND that may very well be all Jesus needs – honestly, who am I to judge? 

Yet, I struggle with this kind of click-bait Christianity. On the one hand, it seems to recognize something desirable and mysterious in the Light that shines from those who are followers of Jesus and yet on the other, there is an arrogance in one’s response to this mystery being: “I want that, therefore, it is mine.” 

Much like the bridesmaids going out at the last minute to acquire the oil they need, spiritual wisdom needs to be cultivated, not conquered. 

Again, I do not mean to imply that one cannot be suddenly converted to the way of Jesus and change their whole lives accordingly – indeed, this is the story of many disciples in the Bible. 

Yet, there is a kind of profanity (as in the opposite of sacred) to declaring oneself “wise” without really doing the in-depth spiritual work to know what you are getting yourself into. Even the disciples follow Jesus around for a while before they try to preach themselves…

Being a follower of Jesus means not only celebrating when your candidate wins, but to challenge yourself to find compassion for the one you opposed. 

Being a follower of Jesus means not only breathing a sigh of relief that your job is secure during a global pandemic, but finding ways to support those who may not be so lucky. 

Being a follower of Jesus means taking a hard look at our complicity in the sins of our country as much as we celebrate our success as a great democracy. 

Being a follower of Jesus means we must do the work of going from stall to stall, problem to problem, teacher to teacher, and examine how God is still speaking to us – offering us oil to light our lamps for others. 

Friends, after this week my lamp is burning on very little oil – especially when I think about the hard work still to be done. And yet, when it comes to filling up our own reserves, this is one thing we must do for ourselves. But the good news is, we don’t have to go out there alone. For even the bridesmaids travel together. 

Keep awake, therefore – a new day is coming.

Amen.