Oil for Your Lamps

It's not every day that two members of this Cathedral are on the front page of the Florida Times Union. Congratulations to John Corse and Ed Graves, two of the four swimmers whose collective ages total 362 years, which means that their average age is 90. They recently won 14 events in the Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic in Orlando. As John said, there are not many in their age bracket. They seem to win mostly by outlasting the competition. They have been swimming together three times a week for many years and continue to compete. What an example for us all. They keep moving and acting as if they are young, and lo and behold, they are still carrying the torch. They are incredible!

How do we keep our light shining? How do we keep young and fit, and not just physically but spiritually? How can we make it through the struggles and challenges of this life and not get beaten down and still find joy?

The season of Advent is rapidly approaching and already we are hearing echoes of Christ's coming in Scripture. Already, we are told to wait, to keep our lights burning, our lamps lit. Jesus tells us to be ready, for when he comes, we want to recognize him.

Jesus tells us a story this morning about a wedding banquet. When it comes to alluding to heaven, Jesus often talks about parties or banquets. There was no better comparison for heaven itself than a great party, full of joy and celebration. And in Jesus' day, there was no greater party than a wedding banquet.

Scholars have not been entirely able to piece together the events of a New Testament wedding at the time of Jesus. We don't know the exact order of events but we do know that the wedding was a whole series of parties and banquets, often lasting up to one week. We also know that it was the single greatest celebration in that culture, for a man was about to leave his father and mother and make new life with a woman. It was a celebration of procreation itself, of the miracle of childbirth and the continuation of the family line. And much of the ceremony had to do with moving the bride from her parents house to the home of the bridegroom.

A number of bridesmaids would gather at the home of the bride in the evening. They would be carrying lamps, lit with oil. We don't know if these lamps were simply pieces of wood, wrapped in material that was dipped in oil or if they actually were some kind of enclosed fire. The gospel mentions trimming their wicks, so the old parts of the lamp that had burned would be trimmed back and more oil had to be added in some way if they were to last a long time.

Once their lamps were lit, the bridesmaids would then escort the bride to the home of the bridegroom, where the bride would enter and become his wife. One theory is that once the marriage was consummated, the bridegroom would open the doors of his home and invite the bridesmaids inside to a great banquet, a great feast, where all his friends and relatives would be gathered. And everyone would eat and dance and celebrate love and life itself.

In this parable, there are ten bridesmaids, five are wise and five are careless. They walk to the home of the groom and wait outside for the party. This waiting takes awhile and they all go to sleep, as it is late at night. But only the five wise bridesmaids bring extra oil. Only the wise have a reserve. When the bridegroom opens the door to let them in, they must have their lamps lit so that he can see them. When the five foolish bridesmaids realize that their lamps have burnt out, they ask for oil from the wise bridesmaids but the wise ones tell them that they do not have enough and the foolish are forced to go and buy more. By the time that the foolish bridesmaids return, the bridegroom has shut the door. So the foolish bridesmaids knock and the bridegroom opens the door but does not recognize them and will not let them in. Presumably, many others have knocked and tried to enter as well and the bridegroom does not know that these ones are bridesmaids. Their chance is lost because they did not bring enough reserve.

Did you know that you can store up love and joy in your heart? Did you know that gratefulness actually multiplies but so does despair? Just like John and Ed swim three times a week and build up strength in their bodies, so we can practice thanksgiving and joy in an effort to wait for God.

Most of us have already experienced both great joy and great pain in this life. Your identity, your knowledge of your self and the way that you picture your life will come from these experiences. You can choose who you are and what you store up for yourself. Do you hold onto grudges and unfair circumstances? There are plenty to pack away in baggage that you can carry everywhere, you know. Or are you able to forgive the past mistakes that you and others have made? Can you hold onto the memories of happiness that you have, moments of insight, time spent with loved ones, inexplicable glimpses of beauty? What do you hold in your reserves?

The oil that the wise bridesmaids carried with them was fuel for burning, for making light. It illumined who they were so that the bridegroom could see them and invite them in. When Christ comes again, will you be lit up with thanksgiving, or will your life be shrouded in the grey matter of worry and doubt and despair? Love burns brightly. Gratitude burns brightly. And every one of us has something that we can be thankful for.

In 2011 a Canadian rabbi named Ronnie Cahana had a stroke. He was 57. He lost his ability to move any part of his body. He was paralyzed from the neck down, had to be on a ventilator. When his daughter came to him in the ICU, she began to speak aloud the alphabet. He would blink when she came to the correct letter. Slowly, she wrote down his first communication. "Kitra, my beauty, don't cry. This is a blessing." He would later go on to tell her that there are no dead ends, only doors to move through. He would remain grateful for his life, and become an inspiration to many.

As you begin to think of the coming of Christmas, think of the true gifts that God has already given you. Know that Jesus wants you to come inside his kingdom, his banquet, but he will not recognize you if you have covered yourself up with fear and resentment. Who is it that you chose to be? A child of the light or a child of the darkness? What is in your reserve? What do you practice? Resentment or Thankgiving? Fear or hope? Self-pity or awareness? What is in your reserve?

John and Ed get into that cold water three times a week to praise life, even when it hurts. They keep their lamps lit even as they age. Keeping joyful is not easy. It is work. It is choosing, every day, to see the good, to give thanks for the gift of life, even when it hurts. Keep your lamps lit with joy for the greatest joy awaits you and Christ always recognizes a grateful heart.

- The Very Rev. Kate Moorehead