Bridesmaids Devotional

 March 19th, 2023

Devotional

“Bridesmaids” - Matthew 25: 1-13

Monday: “Foolish vs. Wise” - Matthew 25: 1-4

Jesus is, once again, telling a parable that incorporated that which people could understand in order to reveal a truth about the Kingdom of God. This parable’s truth seems to be that you need to make sure that you are prepared. 

This point came across by comparing and contrasting two groups in the stories - the wise and the foolish bridesmaids. In many ways these two groups are similar, with one striking difference - the wise bridesmaids brought extra oil along with them for their lamps, as they did not know how long they would be waiting for the bridegroom. 

Some people seem to be good at being prepared for some things, but no one can be prepared for everything. Jesus is inviting us to ask the powerful question to examine our hearts - are you truly prepared for the Kingdom of God?

Which group of the bridesmaids do you identify with the most and why?

Prayer: Loving God, we confess that we like to think that we are a people who are prepared, but we do not always live as such. Forgive us, O Lord, we pray, and lead us on the path of truth that leads us to be prepared for you and your Kingdom. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Delayed” - Matthew 25: 5-6

  We can pretend that we don’t identify with either the prepared or unprepared bridesmaids, but it is hard to pretend that we do not react the word “delayed.” We understand what it means to be delayed in the world we live in. Maybe your heart begins to beat a little faster every time you think of being delayed at the bank, grocery store, or doctors. 

I once had a congregation member in her 90s who told her doctor in no uncertain terms that she needed to be called when she should arrive at the doctors because she did not have enough time to just sit there and wait when the doctor was delayed. She had life to live.

We, too, have life to live. Yet, if we see the bridegroom as being Jesus in this parable, we realize that a delay is not actually a delay. Instead, it is Christ coming again in his perfect timing. And as we wait upon him, he intercedes to God on our behalf. There is a holy purpose in his timing. 

How do you wait for Jesus’s perfect timing in your life?

Prayer:  Lord, we thank you that your ways are not our ways. We confess that, if it was up to us, we would like the world to move as quickly as possible in order to be convient to us. But your return is not about convince, O Lord, but about creating the new heaven and new earth. Let us wait upon your perfect and holy timing. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Trimmed Their Lamps” - Matthew 25: 7-9

When the bridegroom did return from whatever had delayed him, all of the bridesmaids found themselves asleep. All of them. So unlike Paul’s writings that focus on being awake when Christ comes again, we instead find that isn’t the issue Jesus is lifting up in this parable. Instead, it is not the fact that bridesmaids that were asleep that proves problematic, but the fact that half of them were unprepared. They did not have enough oil to trim their lamps to greet the bridegroom’s arrival. 

Of course, those who were unprepared wanted to take some of the oil from those who had it - but even those who were prepared only had enough for themselves and not to sustain others. As much as I wish that this parable would have been about the wise bridesmaids being able to help out the foolish ones, the turret is that we can only be accountable for our own preparedness at the time of Christ’s return.

Now, does that mean that we dismiss or forget about other people? By no means. We are still called to be attentive to proclaiming the Kingdom of God until Christ comes again - but when that day comes, we cannot be accountable for other people’s spiritual state of preparedness. 

How do you feel called to be prepared for the Kingdom of God?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for you call to attentively care for others as we wait while reminding us that that their relationship with you comes not through us but through the working of the Holy Spirit. Teach us how to hold this truth in tension as we wait for you to come again. Amen. 

Thursday: “Bridegroom Came” - Matthew 25: 10-11

This left the foolish bridegrooms with only one option - what they should have done in the first place - go and buy more oil for their lamps. But while they were out (I wonder how far they had to travel to find someone to sell them oil?) the bridegroom came. The celebration began. And the door was shut. 

We do not know if this was the tradition of wedding celebrations of the time, especially celebrations that last for days on end, but we do know that Jesus was clear in his telling - the bridesmaids who left were not getting in after the door was shut. 

This can seem harsh to us, much like the parable we heard proclaimed last week, because we do not like to think about the judgment of the Lord. Yet, we are told that when he comes again he will judge as he sees fit.

How do you react to the door being closed in this parable?

Prayer: Lord, you give us opportunity after opportunity to come to you and find your saving love. And after you give us the gift of life that comes through accepting your salvation, you offer us opportunity after opportunity to be obedient. May we learn how to respond to you for the sake of your Kingdom. Amen. 

Friday: “Know Neither” - Matthew 25: 12-13

Since the days of the early church, people have been impatient for the coming again of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Sometimes this impatience has expressed itself in trying to guess or predict the day and the time of his coming. Yet, Christ clearly tells us at the end of this parable, and other places in the Gospels, that that is not ours to know. We do not know the day nor the hour, so live each as if you were living for Christ and waiting for him.

Which leads to the question of what such living looks like? What does it mean to live in anticipation while waiting? Or to act for God in the present while waiting for the future to come? This is the call of the parable to us as well. For those who are prepared, are you living into that preparedness in such a way that it reflects the light of the Kingdom of God to others and helps you grow closer to your Lord?

  What does waiting on the Lord look like for you?

Prayer: God, help us to wait in eager anticipation that calls us to action to make your name known. Amen.