Staying Alive

Text: Matthew 25:1-13

Focus: Perseverance

Function: To help foster an environment in the church of love and support for each other.

Form: GOK (God only knows)

Intro: “Okay, I'll go there...”

Give me oil in my lamp (SING WITH ME).

Then we sang: “Give me gas in my Ford... and my favorite one was “Put some wax on my board, keep me surfing for the Lord... ...or I'll wipe out on the judgment day.”

And at times, I gotta question that last verse.

“What if I wipe out on judgment day?”

“What if I don't have enough oil in my lamp”

“What if the Bridegroom comes and I am late to the party because of poor planning and I am forever locked outside?”

“What if I am the foolish young woman?”

Angst and fear all of a sudden rises up with these thoughts.

But 1 John 4:17-18 tells us this: ¹⁷(God's) Love is made perfect in us in order that we may have courage on the Judgment Day; and we will have it because our life in this world is the same as Christ's. ¹⁸There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment.

Did Jesus tell us this parable to cause us to fear?

No!

Well what about parables?

Can we stretch every point of every parable?

No.

My hermeneutics professor was very clear, “Parables are meant to teach one point, and if you press all the points, then God ends up being a Chicken!”

Not that God is a coward, but Jesus said: “I would gather you as a hen gathers her chicks.”

That is not a parable, but it is a metaphor, however, you get the point.

The point of today's parable is Jesus' admonition for us to be prepared for the long haul.

We are to be prepared to persevere.

I love the statement made by Alexander Mack, the founder of the Church of the Brethren when he said, before anyone was baptized: “Count well, the cost.”

We are in it for the long haul.

We are in it until the end.

We are here until Jesus returns.

And He will never leave us.

Be prepared may be the way to state it.

We are preparing ourselves for God's family to appear as an healing agent in the places of human misery.

And, congratulate yourselves, by being here this morning, you are filling your lamps with more oil. You are.

You haven't given up.

But we can't press all the points of the parable.

Isn't the idea that five would not help the other five sort of selfish?

Is it a “we all strive together, or we all die together?”

My commitment to the Church is to work together in spite of foolishness. I hope yours is for me as well.

A friend of mine, the long time pastor of the Indian Creek Church in Harleysville, PA told me that when his brother was hired as a pastor into a house church network in Chicago, they told him: “As much as it depends on us, you will not fail.”

I love that idea of love and support. It extends not only to the preachers, but to the congregates as well. It is the idea that we are not perfect, but on a journey and on this journey, we will help and support each other.

I have had occasion during my years as pastor to hire additional staff, youth pastors, music directors and etc. And I have made that same commitment to my own staff. As much as it is up to me, you will not fail. God placed you here. You do not have to be like me. You are uniquely gifted to be the person God has called you to be. If I, or anyone else, ever tries to force you into my or their mold, remind me of the commitment just made to you.

And then we go to the idea of sharing. Does Jesus teach in this parable that it is not a good idea to share?

Of course not. Isaiah 55:1, O let all who Thirst, let them come to the Water. Come buy wine and milk without money without price.

Or Revelation 22:15: The Spirit and the Bride say “Come” get the living water without cost.

Or my favorite from Exodus 16, talking about gathering manna in the desert:¹⁸When they measured it, those who gathered much did not have too much, and those who gathered less did not have too little. Each had gathered just what he needed.

Somehow, God helped those to weak to gather a lot. And somehow God lessened those who were greedy.

Beloved. This is not a parable about being stingy. That is not the point.

The point is perseverance.

Be prepared for the long haul.

Do not give up hope.

So, let me refer us to two scriptures that give us advice about doing good without wearying of the task:

Galatians 6:9 ⁹So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.

The song, “This is my Father's world has a line in it: And though the wrong seems oft(en) so strong, God is the ruler yet.”

We cannot imagine the purpose of the power of God.

So, no matter what, Jesus is saying, Don't give up.

And secondly, to get hope for the journey, keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Look here: Hebrews 12:3 ³Think of what He went through; how He put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up.

I believe that Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from our sins.

But at the same time, they killed Him because His message confronted their selfish lifestyles.

And even though they killed Him for His message, He didn't stop preaching it.

As Christians, we too need to be reminded to live simply so that others can simply live.

Jesus' life, ministry and preaching should and does confront and inform the way we live.

This has been some kind of week for me.

It started out on a spiritual high. We had a great worship service last weekend. And then, Kathy and I got to go on retreat together to Traverse City.

I got some significant work done at my house.

And then events unfolded Friday that brought me to tears and the brink of despair.

I won't go into them.

And I wondered how I could stand up here and say: “Don't give up” when I sort of felt that way myself.

And I realize something. Although I have preached that you can't press the individual points of a parable lest you lose the meaning or the focus.

There is one other point we can press. The oil. Throughout the scriptures, oil is used symbolically. And many times, the symbolism is the Holy Spirit.

It is used for anointing. It is used for commissioning. It is a symbol of empowerment and healing

And it is always a gift from God.

You can't make it up.

You can't muster up the energy to get more of it.

If I told you that somehow you have to muster the courage to never lose hope, I would be shaming you.

I would be doing a dis-service.

God is the One who strengthens and empowers us.

Through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said: “out of the bellies of believers rivers of life-giving water will flow.” (John 7:38)

Can we share it?

Yes! Out of our bellies life giving water will flow.

When we allow God to move in our midst, when we take the time to stop and listen to God, when we spend time in prayer and study, when we dedicate ourselves to fellowship and especially, when we dedicate ourselves to service, the Holy Spirit flows in us. God renews us. He keeps the oil in our lamps.

I took the Suburban youth to the inner city rescue mission to feed a meal twice a month for years.

But the best experience of it was the first time.

I told the youth, “look every client in the eye as if you were serving Jesus Himself. Even though they have little choice for the food, ask them if they want it, and always call them `ma-am' or `sir.'”

And the kids were so excited when they were done.

For some of them, for the first time they felt the power and moving of the Holy Spirit inside of them as they were serving others.

God gives us oil in our lamps. We just have to show up for it and let it work in us.