Sunday
11/12/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Planning ahead!”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 78:1-7
New Testament
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel Lesson:
Matthew 25:1-13
My friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ, welcome once
again on this our Veterans Day Sunday worship, and this the 23rd
Sunday after Pentecost.
As most of us probably know, yesterday was Veterans Day. To
me, it is important to honor the men and women who have served in the military,
as police officers, fire fighters, EMT’s, and etc., not because we are
glorifying war or violence, but rather because we honoring all of those men and
women who have taken up the mantle to serve, protect, and to care for the
innocent.
Today, we honor those men and women who have bravely served
with valor, honor, distinction, and with great love.
For many who have served, part of what might have made
their service time more effective, was there training and preparation. Many of
us have heard the famous Boy Scouts of America’s motto, “Be Prepared!” (http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsoathlaw.asp).
When I was a kid, my dad in Illinois would often take a
full week off of work every summer. Since he was a construction worker, and
since the summer was their peak season, taking a whole week off over the summer
was no small thing. Many times during this week off, my dad, my brothers, my
grandfather, myself, and other extended family members, would go on a weeklong
fishing trip. We often would drive somewhere up in Canada, as my dad is a diehard
fisher. How diehard? Well he has various things hanging up in his house with
the idea on them that he would “rather be fishing”. One year in fact, dad got
an electric singing Large Mouth Bass for Christmas, and in general therefore, he
has always been a diehard fisher.
Dad is also a prepared fisher. In fact, he would begin the
planning for these week long fishing trips weeks in advance. He had lists, and
even sometimes charts. He would count the spools of fishing line, make sure the
poles and tackle boxes were ready. Dad would also pack various snacks, and
virtually every detail was taken care off. We would often leave for these
fishing trips at about 2:00 am – 3:00 am, and Dad had everything planned down
to the smallest detail. Did a monkey wrench or two always end up getting thrown
in somewhere? It sure did, but when it came to our family fishing trips, my dad
was prepared.
My sermon title for this morning, likewise is called
“Planning ahead!,” or as the Boy Scouts of America say, “Be prepared!” Now what
I have learned in my short life, is that you can never truly be prepared for
everything, but planning and preparing is often a good thing.
A friend of mine who is a pastor about hour from here told
me once, “Paul, in ministry you can either prepare or repair”. What this pastor
meant, was that while things will happen, and problems will arise, it is always
best to prepare and plan ahead.
To connect this to what I will specifically want to talk
about this morning, I want to introduce a big fancy seminary word to you. This
word is called “Eschatology”. Once again, the word is called “Eschatology”. You
might be thinking, “Well what does that mean”? Well, like with any term that
ends with suffix “ology,” “ology” means the study of. Examples of this are
biology, geology, zoology, and etc. The prefix, “Escha” in “Eschatology” translates
to the “last things,” or “last” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_eschatology).
As one source says of Christian Eschatology, or the
Christian study of the “last things,” it says this:
“Christian
eschatology is the study concerned with the ultimate destiny of the individual
soul and the entire created order, based primarily upon biblical texts within
the Old and New Testament. Christian eschatology looks to study and discuss
matters such as death and the afterlife, Heaven and Hell, the Second Coming
of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, the Rapture,
the Tribulation, Millennialism,
the end of the world, the Last Judgment,
and the New Heaven and New Earth in
the world to come” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_eschatology).
I give you
this fancy seminary word of “Eschatology,” or the study of the “last things” this
morning, because in this morning’s readings we hear “Eschatological” themes. We
hear themes about the end of days, about the second coming of Christ.
For example,
in the Apostle Paul’s first letter or epistle to the church in Thessalonica, or
the Thessalonians for this morning, he says in 4:16-17 speaking of Jesus
Christ:
“For the Lord himself,
with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s
trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then
we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with
them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever” (1
Thess. 4:16-17, NRSV).
If you are looking at this text in a literal way, then it
is of course speaking about the second coming of Christ, or the return to earth
of Jesus Christ. Some Christians might refer to this as the “rapture,” or they
might have some other idea about what this scripture is trying to say about
Christ’s triumphant return.
We can also see these Eschatological claims in the historic
creeds of the Christian Church, like the Nicene Creed and the Apostle’s Creed.
The Nicene Creed for example, ends with the words:
“We
look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.”
The
Apostle’s Creed ends for example, with the words:
“The
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen”
So
in scripture, in historical creeds of the church, and in many writings, there
are many claims about the end of days, Armageddon, heaven, the return of
Christ, and etc.
Where
this is all leading me to this morning, is our gospel of Matthew reading. In
this reading, as Jesus so often did, he communicated his ideas, truths, and
teachings, through a story or also called a parable.
The
parable we are given for this morning, is commonly known as the parable of the
ten bridesmaids, which by the way if you ask me, is a lot of bridesmaids!
In
this parable Jesus is comparing this story to the kingdom of heaven, as he
says:
“Then the kingdom
of heaven will be like this…” (Mt.
25:1a, NRSV).
Jesus
then says in this parable:
“Ten
bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five
of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps,
they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their
lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But
at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet
him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The
foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going
out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us;
you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they
went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him
into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other
bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he
replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you
know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt. 25:1b-13, NRSV).
When I first read this scripture for this morning, I thought
of the importance of “Planning ahead”. I thought of the Boy Scout Motto of “Be
prepared!”
I also thought, well is Jesus just speaking in genera herel,
or is he saying that he is the bridegroom in this story or parable? Is Jesus
saying that he will return to earth at any time? If this is true, do we need to
“plan ahead” or “be prepared” to meet him when he does come? Or is Jesus just
speaking in general? If Jesus is in fact making an Eschatological claim about
his second coming though, and if he is saying that he will return at some
point, then he is saying in this story that some will be prepared for him, and
some will not. Jesus is saying therefore, that having faith in him matters, and
is needed. Don’t wait, is what Jesus is saying. He is saying, repent of your
sins, accept and love him as your Lord and Savior, as he will return at any
point.
In fact, once again the last verse of this scripture says:
“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the
hour” (Mt. 25:1b-13, NRSV).
So is Jesus simply telling bridesmaids to be prepared for the
bridegroom, or is he using this analogy to tell us to be ready for when he
returns to this earth in glory?
The
reason then, that we have the field of study called “Eschatology” or the study
of the end of days, or the “last things,” is because these ideas are all
throughout scripture. They are in our historic Christian Creeds, and in
numerous other places.
So
what do you believe then? Do you believe that Jesus Christ after rising from
dead and ascending into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, will then
return to this earth one day in glory? Do you believe that the Book or
Revolution is talking about the Roman Emperor Nero, or do you believe that it
is talking about a literal set of events that will occur, whereby Christ’s
second coming or return to earth will happen?
What
is unavoidable, is the fact that these ideas, teachings, and claims are made
all throughout scripture. The real question is, what do we believe?
I
think that all of us can agree that it can be a good thing to “Be prepared,” or
to “Plan ahead,” but do we believe that Christ will one day return to this
earth in final victory?
If
you don’t, that is fine, but the scriptures, the historic creeds of the church,
and many other writings and teachings would seem to come together around the
belief that Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, will return one
day in glory.
In
the gospel of Matthew 24:44 Jesus says:
“Therefore you also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour”
(Mt. 24:44, NRSV).
Hymn number 701 in our United Methodist Hymnal is called
“When We All Get to Heaven”.
In the Hymn number 369 in our United Methodist Hymnal, called
“Blessed Assurance,” it says in verse two:
“visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of love”.
Have the vast majority of Christians believed from day one in
the second coming of Jesus Christ? Yes, most of them have. Do I? Yes, I do.
What do you believe? I now close this message with the ancient words that were
often said after a sermon or homily, at the end of the service, or at some
other time in the service, “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.
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