Pastor's Letter

Being Ready to See Christ

Prayer and Hope
Once again, so close to the Las Vegas tragedy, we’re faced with another.  This time the tragedy happened in a church where people were in the midst of prayer.
 
The stark confrontation between right and wrong, good and evil, justice and injustice met.  And we’re left pretty much speechless, even though the world is talking about it.
 
As Christians, the one thing we can do is continue to pray for all those affected by the senselessness of it all and those who are coping and trying to get through it with those around them.  We hold onto the hope that comes when people are together.  The community that prayed together that morning didn’t disperse—they’re held together and are still praying with those reaching out to them.  Our prayer unites with theirs.
 
The pastor of the Trinity Baptist Church, who was in the midst of the shooting, said “I don’t try to offer answers if you don’t have answers, but point to the hope that we have in Christ, that he is in control although things may seem out of control.  We have great hope even despite the trials and what’s going on in the country.”
 
When things seem out of control, we seek and look for Christ, the One we trust.
 
The Groom is Coming
That leads us to the gospel today, which includes the parable of the ten bridesmaids who are waiting for the groom to come. 
 
The wedding rituals of the Middle East centuries ago are very different from our modern customs.  Back then, the wedding celebration happened at night and it included a procession with stops at different places before arriving at the main one, and as it often happens when people are together, time flies. So, when the groom would arrive at the next stop was anyone’s guess.
 
In the parable, the bridesmaids are the ones who meet the groom to take him into the feast.  Five were wise and brought enough oil for their lamps to last well into the night.  The other five unfortunately didn’t bring any extra oil and were running low.  In the story, the groom comes while the five who weren’t prepared went off to buy more oil for their lamps. 
 
The moral according to Jesus is this:  Stay awake and be prepared.  He’s coming!
 
Some scholars tell us this isn’t necessarily only a parable about Jesus’ second coming.  It can also be about recognizing him here and now in the present.  And it helps us to think about being prepared to notice Jesus Christ in our midst, even inside tragedy when nothing makes sense. 
 
Many people of faith in Jesus’ day saw him perform miracles, touched him, ate with him, listened to him, and still didn’t believe he could be Emanuel—God with us. But others did.  The difference is the readiness in our hearts to see Christ at work—especially through the good we find in one another. 
 
Christ is the bond that unites us—which we call love.  We continue to look for goodness and hold onto the very things that allow us to experience love in our lives.  That’s where we can be prepared to meet Christ, the One we’re waiting for.