Rector's Sermon - Sunday, November 10, 2002

First Reading	Psalm	Epistle	Gospel
Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16	78:1-7	1 Thessalonians 4:13-18	Matthew 25:1-13

      This past summer at choir camp, members of our youth choir learned a cantata about Noah and the great flood. I would like to think that they and all the rest of us occasionally look up at the ceiling and see the hull of a great ship, an ark that saves us from drowning in the angry sea of the world's chaos.

      Noah is one of those persons who straddled between two eras. He was born in the era of myths of giants and demigods and sailed into the era of sagas of ancient ancestors told around the campfire. Yet even more importantly, Noah was born in the era when God was generally viewed as fierce and to be feared. Noah was the one who discovered that God was benevolent and could be trusted. In one sense, humanity's history begins after Noah.

      There is no indication that Noah was the best builder or the wisest sage in his society. Noah seems more of a prodder than the sharpest tack among his tribe. Yet Noah was willing to trust God and live his life preparing for what God might do. Noah was open to change, and took a great chance on God's integrity. Noah was undoubtedly teased and ridiculed unmercifully for building a large ship on high ground far from any known flood plain. The years went by, Noah persisted to craft a giant boat, and still there was no reason for it. To be sure Noah sensed things were changing, but had no knowledge of the moment or circumstances when the flood would commence. Many rainstorms came and yet at the end, the water disappeared into the ground. The ark did not budge one centimeter. The earth was as dry and cracked around the ark as it had been before. Then, without real notice, it happened. The flood arrived. The gates of the clouds opened and it poured with no reprieve. Noah was prepared to save humanity and offer it safe passage into the new era.

      Jesus used parables to make a focused point and not to explain the whole Gospel. That is why the attempt to find hidden meanings in all the details of a particular parable is usually a foolish endeavor. The parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids is a good example. This is obviously not a parable about virtue of sharing or stewardship. Jesus is not saying that those who are most likely to enter the kingdom of God are those who in the end have the most oil in their possession. The parable is framed to make the point that people of faith need to be prepared. There are times when God seems a long way off. Moreover no one will be awake and vigilant 24 hours a day. There will be times when all of us we be caught asleep. Nonetheless those who on waking, are prepared and eager to discover signs of God working in the world are much more likely to perceive them. In one sense people of faith remain expectant. They are willing to wait it out. Hence they are open to being surprised when the opportunity comes. The foolish bridesmaids are like those who if things do not turn out exactly as they anticipated and at the right time, get so upset that they go off track and all to pieces.

      The five wise bridesmaids were not necessarily wiser or prettier than the others. Rather they trusted in the certain arrival of the bridegroom. They knew despite the delay he could arrive at any moment, and there no time to abandon their post. People of faith are often mocked for their hope and anticipation. Coming here to give thanks for God' s promise to work in our lives and among those around us is seen as a fruitless enterprise by many in the world. They insist that our time could be better utilized elsewhere. "Why wait for Godot?", they tease.

      Noah must have had a very patient and calm disposition. Perhaps it clothed his great strength and lasting persistence. I wonder if that is why when I come here and look up, I often regain a sense of calmness and a more balanced, long-term perspective on things. Perhaps the bridesmaids who were wise remembered the example of Noah when they took plenty of oil for their lamps.

      And I offer this to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen