Sunday, November 9, 2008
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25, Psalm 78:1-2, I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13
Last Tuesday, when we went to the polls, we had to choose who we wanted to be our next President. Voting involves choosing.
Each time we go to the store we have to choose…what will be buy and what will we decide not to buy.
Every day God gives each of us 24 hours and we have to choose how we will use the gift of time.
We all have relationships with people. Every day we choose how we will spend time with people, what we will talk about, what attitude we will bring to the conversations.
Every day we have to make hundreds of choices…and very honestly, most of us get exhausted from the number of choices we have to make. Sometimes we don’t make wise choices because we are simply too tired from having to make so many choices. Yet, every choice we make is significant before God. That is an awesome reality for us every day.
In today’s first reading, as Joshua spoke to the people of Israel, he kept telling them that they had to choose what God they would serve. Every day you and I choose what god’s we will serve.
I’ve had people who have been addicted to drugs or alcohol tell me that when they were drugging or drinking, the primary focus of their thoughts every day was how they would get their next fix or drink. They clearly served the gods of drugs and alcohol.
I’ve known people who served the god of their job. Their whole life revolved around being successful in their work… and their family, their health, their friends, their church, even the God who created them had to take second place to their work.
I’ve known people who served the god of golf…or some other hobby. I’ve known people who centered their lives around the Red Sox or the Patriots, around what they eat, around their bank account or the stock market, around their car or their home or their clothes. Every day advertisers entice us to serve the American gods of consumerism, pleasure, and comfort. We are all tempted to make ourselves the center of our lives instead of God.
Who are your idols? Who or what do you choose to serve? What, other than God, do you allow to be the controlling center of your life?
We are living in a time of economic decline. We’ve all lived through economic declines before, but this time seems to be different. It is a global economic crisis, not just an American crisis. Even the experts don’t completely understand either the complexity of the problem or the best way to bring us out of it.
As we face this time of economic limitations, we will have choices. Will we choose to focus on our economic problems and live with fear and anxiety every day? Or will we choose to place our trust even more deeply in God? Will we complain about how difficult our financial situation is…or will we be more aware of the poor who live around us and around the world…and give thanks every day for all the blessing God has given us?
We choose what we focus on each day…whether on the gifts God has given us…or on what we don’t have. We can choose to focus on our own comforts and say that we can’t give to help others. Or we can choose to intentionally live on less so that we can share more with others who live in greater need than we do.
Joshua said, choose this day whom you will serve. Every morning of our lives, if we are listening, God says these same words to us: choose today whom you will serve.
This coming week…I invite you to be still for a few moments every morning and listen to what God is saying to you…”Choose this day whom you will serve”. Before you rush into the day, ask God to help you make God centered choices, choices which reflect your love of God and our neighbor as well as yourself.
If this is the way you and I begin every day of this economic downturn…God can use all of our financial challenges to deepen our relationship with God and to expand our ministry with our neighbors in need. God can bring spiritual deepening to our nation and to each of us personally, through this financially challenging time…if we choose every day, with God’s help, who we will serve and what our priorities will be.
In today’s gospel, Jesus also talks about the importance of the choices we make. Jesus tells a story about 10 bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom to come. The 5 wise ones chose to take extra oil for their lamps. The 5 foolish ones chose not to take any extra oil.
The bridegroom was late in arriving, so the bridesmaids all got drowsy and fell asleep. When the bridegroom finally showed up at midnight, the bridesmaids woke up and reached for their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise ones, “Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.” The wise ones said, “NO! There won’t be enough for you and for us; go buy some oil for yourselves from the dealers.” When the foolish ones finally got their oil and came to the wedding, they knocked at the door. The bridegroom said, “I don’t know you; you can’t come in.”
What’s Jesus trying to say to us in this very uncomfortable parable?
I believe this story contains crucial wisdom for us in our frenetically busy society. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the presence of God who animates, guides and enlightens our lives from within. We are wise if, every day, we nurture our intimate relationship with God through prayer and pondering the Scriptures, through conversation with others and attentiveness to God’s presence in each moment.
As we live in continual conversation and communion with God, God will guide and shape our lives. We will pour out all the deep feelings and struggles of our lives to God and God will meet us where we really are and guide us. Our intimate relationship with Christ will sustain us through all that life brings.
You see, the truth is, we can’t give others our oil. We can’t give others our faith, our relationship with the living God. Over the years there have been many times when I listened to another person tell me their struggles. I have wanted with all my heart to help them experience the joy and peace and hope which God gives me every day…but I can’t give another person my oil, my relationship with God.
I can tell them how God nourishes and guides me. I can encourage them to take time to develop their relationship with God. But I can’t give another person the lamp oil of my faith. Each one of us has to develop our own relationship with God. As we are wise enough to take time every day to develop our relationship of trust and intimacy with God, then when the surprise crises come, when problems crash in upon us, the lamp oil of our relationship with God will sustain us through all that comes.
We all know from experience, that in our busy lives, one of the first things we are tempted to neglect is taking daily time to pray and ponder the Scripture, to meditate and reflect on our daily joys and struggles in conversation with God. We can get so busy that we foolishly think we have no time to talk with other Christians about the joys and struggles of our life with God. If we neglect to nurture our relationship with God we are foolish. When the next challenge comes to us, we may not have the depth of intimate relationship with Christ we need to sustain us when we most need it.
Let’s take a few moments to close our eyes and be still in the presence of God. First be aware of Christ’s presence here…be aware of Christ looking at you with eyes of caring love, just as you are, with all your struggles and imperfections. Let God surround you with life!
Listen to what Jesus is saying to you. Choose today whom you will serve. Ask Jesus to help you be aware of the other gods, the fears and desires…that tend to take over control of your life. What do you need to let go of so that the true God can be the controlling and guiding center of your life?
During this time of economic limitations, will you choose to live with gratitude for what God has given you...or with anxiety and resentment about what you don’t have?
Jesus reminded us this morning that every day, wise people take time to replenish the oil of their relationship with God…and foolish people rush through life relying on their human energy alone. How might God be inviting you to become more intentional about nurturing your intimate relationship with God every day?
O God of love and mercy, fill each of us again with the fresh oil of your Holy Spirit. Help each of us to choose you as the guiding center of our lives each day. All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.