WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.200 --> 00:00:03.700 I call them bad dreams. 2 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:07.900 You might call them nightmares or night terrors. 3 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:14.200 I don't get them often but mine typically have something to do with 4 00:00:14.200 --> 00:00:16.900 not being ready, not being prepared. 5 00:00:18.200 --> 00:00:21.900 I can't get somewhere to save someone in time. 6 00:00:21.900 --> 00:00:26.500 I oversleep on the morning of something important like preaching in 7 00:00:26.500 --> 00:00:27.000 Chapel. 8 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:32.299 I am already running late and now my car won't start or I have a flat 9 00:00:32.299 --> 00:00:32.400 tire. 10 00:00:33.800 --> 00:00:36.100 Does this sound familiar at all to any of you? 11 00:00:36.100 --> 00:00:38.300 Do any of you feel this way? 12 00:00:38.300 --> 00:00:43.200 Do you worry about not being prepared and not being ready? 13 00:00:44.400 --> 00:00:49.600 Jesus teaches his disciples with a kingdom of heaven Parable. 14 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:54.900 We're told of ten virgins who are waiting to accompany a bridegroom 15 00:00:54.900 --> 00:00:56.500 into the wedding feast. 16 00:00:56.500 --> 00:01:01.500 Now five of the virgins are described as wise in addition to having 17 00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:03.300 lamps with them, 18 00:01:03.300 --> 00:01:09.100 they also have extra jars of oil. The other five virgins are described 19 00:01:09.100 --> 00:01:12.300 as foolish because although they have lamps with them. 20 00:01:12.300 --> 00:01:14.800 They don't have any extra oil. 21 00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:19.900 And for some reason, we're not told why, but for some reason the 22 00:01:19.900 --> 00:01:21.800 bridegroom is delayed in arriving. 23 00:01:21.800 --> 00:01:23.800 He's running late. 24 00:01:25.100 --> 00:01:27.800 Picture, the picture the scene with me. 25 00:01:27.800 --> 00:01:29.100 Where is the bridegroom? 26 00:01:29.100 --> 00:01:32.300 Why isn't he here yet? Is something wrong? 27 00:01:32.300 --> 00:01:33.400 What if something happened to him? 28 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:37.100 I'm tired of waiting for the bridegroom. 29 00:01:37.100 --> 00:01:38.900 I can't wait any longer. 30 00:01:40.300 --> 00:01:46.100 And sure enough one by one by one all 10 of these virgins fall asleep. 31 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:51.300 Suddenly at midnight the bridegroom arrives and all the virgins wake up 32 00:01:51.300 --> 00:01:54.600 and those that are ready they head inside with him and they accompany 33 00:01:54.600 --> 00:02:00.200 him into the feast. And the door is closed behind them and locked shut. 34 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:02.000 No one else can get in. 35 00:02:03.300 --> 00:02:05.600 A little bit later the foolish virgins 36 00:02:05.600 --> 00:02:09.100 they return now with their jars of extra oil and they pound on the 37 00:02:09.100 --> 00:02:10.699 door and they say Lord let us in. 38 00:02:11.700 --> 00:02:16.000 But what is the bridegroom say? He says, truly I say to you 39 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:17.800 I do not know you. 40 00:02:19.700 --> 00:02:23.700 These foolish virgins they didn't have time to get ready. 41 00:02:23.700 --> 00:02:27.200 They needed to be ready, already. 42 00:02:28.600 --> 00:02:30.500 In the bridegroom's words here. 43 00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:36.200 They they show that these foolish virgins failed to prepare for him 44 00:02:36.200 --> 00:02:37.000 rightly. 45 00:02:38.600 --> 00:02:41.800 And then Jesus wraps up this Parable with these words. 46 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:47.600 He says watch therefore for you know, neither the day nor the hour. 47 00:02:49.100 --> 00:02:57.800 Watch be ready, be prepared, you know neither the day nor the hour. 48 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:01.200 And each and every one of us here 49 00:03:01.200 --> 00:03:03.600 we are a part of that you. 50 00:03:04.900 --> 00:03:08.700 We know neither the day nor the hour. 51 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:15.400 But instead of preparing and getting ready we get distracted, don't we. 52 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:18.900 Life is busy our oil runs out. 53 00:03:18.900 --> 00:03:22.200 You might be thinking prepare get ready. 54 00:03:22.200 --> 00:03:24.700 I'm just trying to make it through each day. 55 00:03:24.700 --> 00:03:25.800 I'm just trying to keep up. 56 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:30.300 You wake up and you rush to get ready for the day before heading out 57 00:03:30.300 --> 00:03:36.200 the door. School is busy work is stressful bills need paid kids need 58 00:03:36.200 --> 00:03:40.000 taken care of you worried about catching the coronavirus. Your frustrated 59 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:43.800 that you have to wear a mask because of the coronavirus. Then when you 60 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:48.900 finally do have time to think you're too tired too. And that's before 61 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:53.400 things like cooking dinner, exercising, maybe doing some cleaning or 62 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:53.900 just relaxing. 63 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:56.300 I get it. 64 00:03:56.300 --> 00:03:57.600 I've been there. 65 00:03:57.600 --> 00:04:00.400 In fact I am there. 66 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:04.700 There are days where I don't think about preparing for the return of 67 00:04:04.700 --> 00:04:06.400 Jesus at all. 68 00:04:07.700 --> 00:04:09.000 You might think prepare. 69 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:10.400 It's been two thousand years. 70 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:13.100 I don't think there's any rush for us to prepare. 71 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:19.200 Watch be ready be prepared. 72 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:23.000 You know neither the day nor the hour. 73 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:30.200 When the time of the the bridegroom's arrival comes there's no time to 74 00:04:30.200 --> 00:04:30.800 get ready. 75 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:34.200 You need to be ready already. 76 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:36.800 Otherwise, it's too late. 77 00:04:38.700 --> 00:04:43.900 That's the urging of this Parable. And this Parable might sound like 78 00:04:43.900 --> 00:04:48.100 it's all about us and about us getting ready, but it's just as much if 79 00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:52.300 not more so about the bridegroom Jesus. 80 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:58.100 It's about honoring Jesus and treating him the way he deserves and 81 00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:00.300 being prepared for him. 82 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:07.300 Why, because Jesus prepared for us. He was prepared for us that night as 83 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:12.000 he heard the footsteps of the Roman soldiers coming to arrest him. 84 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:16.200 He was prepared for us as he hung there on the cross with arms 85 00:05:16.200 --> 00:05:20.300 outstretched and as blood came out of his hands and his feet and 86 00:05:20.300 --> 00:05:20.400 his side. 87 00:05:20.400 --> 00:05:23.800 It was like oil pouring out of a jar. 88 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:28.400 He was prepared for us that first Easter morning as the sun rose 89 00:05:28.400 --> 00:05:31.600 and the seal of the tomb was broken. 90 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:37.000 And he was prepared for us as he ascended into heaven disappearing 91 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:38.100 into the clouds. 92 00:05:38.100 --> 00:05:39.200 Why? 93 00:05:40.200 --> 00:05:42.800 To prepare a place for us. 94 00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:48.500 We need to be ready to we need to to be prepared for him. 95 00:05:48.500 --> 00:05:51.700 What if Jesus came at midnight while you're sleeping. 96 00:05:51.700 --> 00:05:54.100 There's no time to get ready. 97 00:05:55.500 --> 00:05:56.800 That could be terrifying. 98 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:00.000 That could be a nightmare. 99 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:04.400 So what does it mean to be ready? 100 00:06:05.700 --> 00:06:09.300 It might just mean something like a daily confession and repentance 101 00:06:09.300 --> 00:06:10.900 just one on one with God. 102 00:06:12.400 --> 00:06:17.800 Or in this political and social climate that were in and everything 103 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:23.900 going on it it might mean having the strength and the perseverance to 104 00:06:23.900 --> 00:06:27.200 find peace and joy when no one else can. 105 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:37.100 Whatever it takes this Parable urges us to desire those things. Some of 106 00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:39.900 you may already do this, but it may even be as simple as every night 107 00:06:39.900 --> 00:06:40.300 before bed 108 00:06:40.300 --> 00:06:45.000 bowing your head and in folding your hands together and saying 109 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:47.500 these simple yet familiar words. 110 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:53.800 I thank you my heavenly Father through Jesus Christ your dear Son that 111 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:58.100 you have graciously kept me this day. And I pray that you would forgive 112 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:02.700 me all my sins where I have done wrong and graciously keep me this 113 00:07:02.700 --> 00:07:05.300 night. For into your hands 114 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:11.200 I commend myself my body and soul and all things. Let your Holy Angel 115 00:07:11.200 --> 00:07:15.700 be with me that the evil foe may have no power over me. 116 00:07:16.900 --> 00:07:19.300 Did you catch those words forgive me 117 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:24.500 all my sins where I have done wrong. Into your hands 118 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:30.200 I commend myself my body and soul and all things let your Holy Angel 119 00:07:30.200 --> 00:07:31.100 be with me. 120 00:07:32.100 --> 00:07:33.900 That's one way to be prepared. 121 00:07:33.900 --> 00:07:37.900 That's one way to be ready to show the bridegroom 122 00:07:37.900 --> 00:07:43.100 Jesus the honor that he deserves. And when you're ready, you don't 123 00:07:43.100 --> 00:07:47.000 have to worry about if Jesus comes at midnight or if he comes when 124 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.900 you're not expecting it because you're ready and when you're ready to 125 00:07:50.900 --> 00:07:57.200 accompany Jesus into that ultimate marriage-feast, you can can look 126 00:07:57.200 --> 00:08:02.100 forward to it and enjoy it. Because that marriage feast is better than 127 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:05.900 we can even imagine that that marriage feast in joining Jesus as we 128 00:08:05.900 --> 00:08:10.300 enter into it is better than even our wildest dreams. 129 00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:11.800 Amen.