Sunday Activities - July 13 2008

We had a really nice time on Sunday! Yvonne fixed Todd's favorite meal: meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Cinnamon coffee cake was for dessert. Then we watched Matthew 25:1-13 and discussed it.

It was the parable of the ten virgins. Two groups of five people were represented: one wise and one foolish.

The story was about a Jewish wedding.

The virgins were with the bride and were to keep "watch" (a pretty familiar word for military people). The groom was at the bachelor party with his friends. After the party they would come and get the bride. The bride's friends, who were on "watch" would announce his arrival; they would all go out and meet him and then process together carrying their lamps to light the way, singing and celebrating, to the wedding banquet.

There was only one distinction between the two groups of virgins: one group was "prepared" for the possibility that the bachelor party would run long and brought extra oil for their lamps. The other group did not. So they were "unprepared" for the bridegroom's return.

As expected by the five virgins who brought extra oil for their lamps, the bachelor party ran late. The bride's friends got tired and fell asleep. But finally, the bridegroom did arrive, and the call rang out to go out and meet him.

The virgins all got up and cut off the burnt part of the wicks of their lamps. The lamps were almost out of oil and the lights were going out. The wise virgins, it can be surmised, simply refilled their lamps, while the foolish virgins had to go and get more oil.

However, while they were gone the bridegroom came, and the celebration procession went out to meet him, and escorted him into the wedding banquet hall. Then the door was shut.

When the five who went to get more oil arrived and asked to be allowed into the banquet hall the bridegroom denied knowing them, and refused them entry.

That's the story.

The lesson Jesus conveys in this story is simple: we must be ready for Jesus' physical return to this earth! No one knows when He will return, but we have repeatedly been told in the Scriptures that He will return!

The question is: "How can we know we are ready?"

I believe the key is in the bridegroom's response to the foolish virgins when he said: "I tell you the truth, I don't know you."

Whether we enter into the kingdom of God or not has always been based on one criteria: whether or not we have opened our hearts and invited Jesus Christ in (Rev 3:20). That moment is the beginning of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And it is that personal relationship that Jesus will either acknowlege or deny when He returns.

Are you actively keeping watch for His return? Will you be prepared for His return? Or will He say, "Sorry, I never knew you?"