As you know by now, my favorite part in all of Scripture is the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. Today and for the next two Sunday’s we will hear the three parables contained therein. The parable of the ten bridesmaids, which we just heard, begins the chapter. Next week we will hear the parable of the talents. And then on the last Sunday of Pentecost we will hear the parable of the last judgment. Each parable begins, as this one did, with Jesus’ saying, "The kingdom of heaven will be like."

As you also know, my take on this chapter is that these three parables, taken together, constitute a summary of what it means to be a Christian. Each parable stands alone. The parable of the bridesmaids reminds us that we must always be prepared to meet the bridegroom, who, of course is Jesus, whenever he comes into our lives. Jesus may come into our lives when we expect him and he may come when we least expect him; and so we must always be ready to meet him.

The parable of the talents reminds us that God blesses each one of us with certain gifts. Some are more gifted than others, to be sure; but no one is devoid of gifts and talents and blessings. What we are called to do is use those gifts, whatever they are, to the very best of our ability. We are not to bury them or do nothing with them, either because we take them for granted or because we are afraid that we might misuse them.

The parable of the last judgment is a reminder that as Christians we have been called to live a certain way of life. We are to realize that just as the most important people in Jesus’ life were the outcasts of society, the down-and-outs, the have-nots, they are to be the most important people in our lives. Why? Because as they were for Jesus, so they are for us: they are our brothers and sisters and we must never forget that.

When we take these three parables together, when we see Matthew 25 as a whole, I believe this is what we see and what Jesus is saying to us. Jesus is saying that to be a Christian, to follow him, means that we are always to be prepared to use whatever gifts and talents with which God has blessed us to seek, to see and to serve Jesus in everyone we meet, especially the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the lonely – the last, the least and the lost of this world.

My addendum to this is that we are to do it both individually and together, which is what "all that jazz" is all about. Like a fine jazz ensemble sometimes we use our gifts individually and sometime we use them together. And when we do so, we make great music and, and, most importantly, the kingdom of heaven is already among us, right here and right now. You see, the kingdom of heaven not only will be, but it already is. As Christians we believe that whenever we live out our faith as we can and must, the kingdom of God is already here. Whenever we use our gifts as best we can, whenever we see Jesus in another, whenever we take care of the needs of those less blessed, the kingdom of heaven is among us. That is precisely the point of these three parables and of the whole of Matthew 25.

That is also why this first parable seems a little harsh, a little unJesuslike, if you will, Picture the scene Jesus paints. A wedding has been planned for 2:00 in the afternoon. As is the custom the bridesmaids arise early in the morning to head to the church to get dressed, fix their hair, put on their make-up. Since it is still dark when they awake and head off to the church, they have to bring along their lamps to light the way. Five of them are wise enough to bring extra oil just in case. The other five give doing so no special thought. And so they arrive at the church and get ready.

As the time for the wedding nears, they all notice that the groom is nowhere to be found. They begin to get anxious. Two o’clock rolls around and no groom is to be seen. No one has any idea where he is, but no one is going anywhere. They simply wait. As the afternoon rolls into evening, they light their lamps to keep watch. Eventually they fall asleep because they are tired but they also know the groom will arrive sometime. And he does: in the middle of the night.

By this time, of course, the oil in the lamps of all the bridesmaids has run out. Five take out the extra oil they brought along, trim their lamps and get ready to meet the groom. The other five ask to borrow some of extra oil but are turned down and told to go buy some, which, of course, is impossible because the stores are closed. By the time they get back to the wedding, the doors are shut and they are not allowed in.

The point of the parable, as is obvious: Jesus is the bridegroom. Five of the bridesmaids were prepared to meet him no matter when he arrived and the other five were not. The further point is that we will meet Jesus not only in the kingdom of heaven that comes in death, but, perhaps more importantly as far as Matthew 25 is concerned, we will also meet Jesus in the kingdom of heaven that is already here. The question is: are we prepared? Are we prepared to meet Jesus when we die and, again, even more importantly, are we prepared to meet Jesus right here and right now?

The truth is that there are times when we are like the five bridesmaids who were prepared to meet Jesus even at 2:00 in the morning. And there are times when we are like the other bridesmaids who couldn’t see Jesus even in the middle of the afternoon. Jesus was here yesterday. Jesus is here today. Jesus will be here tomorrow. Are we prepared to meet him? Do our lamps have enough oil that they will be lit so that we can see him even in the middle of the night?

If we are alert, if we are prepared, as the third parable in Matthew 25 reminds us, we will see Jesus in prisons, along highways, in our schools, in the hospital, at the office, at the movies – wherever we are and whomever we meet. But if we are not awake, not alert, not prepared, we will not see Jesus even in the light of the noonday sun. As the parable of the bridesmaids reminds us, we cannot make up for a lost opportunity to seek, see and serve Jesus. Someone else cannot do our work for us. If and when we get around to doing it ourselves, we will discover that the door of opportunity will be closed. That is harsh, but it is also the truth, if it not?

The further truth is that in this lie in this world we are not always so prepared to meet Jesus whenever and wherever he arrives in our lives. When something goes wrong, it goes wrong at the worst possible time. The bridegroom arrives late for his own wedding. The car doesn’t start when we are in a hurry. We have a job interview and have a bad hair day. It happens. The kingdom of heaven was among us yesterday and we may have been part of it, or we may not have been prepared for it or we may have missed it altogether.

At the end of each baptismal service we give a candle to the newly baptized. It is a reminder to the one being baptized that he or she is to be like the bridesmaids who were able to light the way for the bridegroom in the middle of the night. The one baptized is to keep that candle burning brightly not only to seek, see and serve Jesus in every person but that in doing so will allow every person to see Jesus living in and through him or her.

This past week and this weekend we are remembering the saints among us, both the living and the dead. The candles on the altar represent those members of our parish family who have finished their course in the kingdom of heaven here on earth and are now living in God’s eternal kingdom in heaven. Those burning candles remind us that as they lit the way for us, made the kingdom of heaven alive for us by their lives, so must we light the way for others by the way we live our lives by living out "Matthew 25…and all that jazz."

This week we all received a packet in the mail asking us to take some time prayerfully to think about the many blessings and gifts God has given to us and how we share those gifts in order to make the kingdom of heaven alive in the place. I trust that you have done so. Please return your time and talent offerings as well as your financial offering next Sunday when we will hear the parable of the talents, offer our time and talents and treasure for the life and ministry of Christ Church, and then give thanks to God for them.