Wingham United Church

November 8, 2026

Give Me Oil in My Lamp

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Matthew 25:1-13

 

          The whole point of a parable is to take something that is common and familiar to people and draw comparisons between that and some aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven. A problem occurs, however, when the story includes something that was common and familiar to Jesus’ listeners but is totally foreign to those of us contemplating his teaching 2000 years later. Weddings in the first century near east bore little resemblance to any wedding ceremony I have ever officiated or attended.

          One striking difference is that weddings today are almost totally centered on the bride. Regardless of the time indicated on wedding invitations, the ceremony doesn’t start until the bride is ready. Typically, the minister, groom, and groomsmen stand around awkwardly awaiting a signal from the bridesmaids that it is time to begin, then the men take their places and wait, again, somewhat awkwardly, for the big moment when the bridesmaids begin to process up the aisle.

          In biblical times, very little centered around the woman on any occasion, and certainly not the wedding ceremony. The wedding Jesus uses as a base for his parable followed the customs of his time and place. The bride, bridesmaids, and all of their guests would gather at the home of the bride’s parents. There, they would prepare themselves and await the arrival of the groom, which usually happened just after sunset. Then, the wedding party and their guests would process in a lamp and torchlit parade to the home of the groom’s parents, where the wedding and subsequent wedding feast would take place, sometimes lasting over several days. To be invited to the wedding feast was a big deal, the social event of the year. No one would want to be left out.

          Jesus describes a situation in which the groom is delayed. For some reason, he doesn’t show up until hours after he is expected. You can imagine the wedding guests, and especially the bride, wondering what was taking so long. Did something happen to him? Did he get cold feet? Despite their anxiety, however, after their long day of preparation, the bridesmaids, and probably many of the guests, get drowsy and drift off to sleep. Finally, hours after his anticipated arrival, someone shouts, “Look, the bridegroom is coming!”

          Everyone quickly arises, prepares their lamps or light their torches for the parade. Some, however, including half of the bridesmaids, no longer have enough oil to light the way to the wedding venue. By the time they find a 24-hour 7/11 that sells lamp oil, they’re too late. The doors are shut and the party has begun. They’ve missed their chance.

          It’s not their fault, really. They were all set to go if the groom had arrived when they expected him. The other five bridesmaids, however, had prepared for the unexpected. I always say that it is better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. The wise bridesmaids agreed. They brought extra oil for their lamps just in case things didn’t go as expected.

          Jesus doesn’t tell this story to the masses as he has many other parables. This one is part of what some refer to as the second Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus went up the mountain with only his disciples. His time is drawing near, and he has things he needs to share just with them, things the general public are perhaps not ready to hear.

          Jesus has been hinting at what is to come. Several times, he has mentioned that he must suffer, will be taken from them, but also that he will return. In fact, he has stated that the current generation will not pass from the earth before he comes back. Now, however, he is letting them know that he might not return as soon as they expect, so it is critical that they keep watch and remain prepared for the day that occurs.

          Today, we are only three weeks away from the beginning of the season of Advent. We think of Advent as the four weeks leading up to Christmas, a time of waiting and anticipation of the arrival of the Christ Child in Bethlehem. In truth, however, we always live in advent time. Ever since that first Easter, Christians have been living in a time of waiting and anticipation of Christ’s arrival – his return.

          The people of the church in Thessalonica had some questions about that, as, I think, all Christians do. They had believed that Christ would return in their lifetimes and that they would be swept up to eternal life without ever having to die. Now that Jesus hasn’t arrived according to their schedule, they are worried about those who have already died, and no doubt concerned about what would happen if they, too, died before Jesus came back. Would they have missed their chance?

          Paul’s answer is one of the greatest reassurances we will find in scripture. Don’t worry about those who have died. They have already joined Jesus, and when He returns for the rest of us, they will come with Him. So, don’t worry about when He will come, just be ready when He does.

          Well, what does that mean, exactly? How do we keep our lamps lit? What is the proverbial extra oil we need to have on hand?

          For an answer to that, perhaps we need to look back even further in our history as people of faith. In the time following the Israelites long-awaited arrival in the Promise Land, they drifted away from God once again. Many began following the beliefs and customs of the pagan peoples who had inhabited the land before them, including worshipping idols. Most did not abandon their worship of the God completely, but they started to mix and match the various beliefs. They divided their allegiances, treating religion like an open buffet, taking the parts they liked from each and leaving the bits they weren’t so fond of.

          I imagine we have all eaten at such a buffet. Most of us tend to load up on the things we like and leave the ones we don’t like or aren’t familiar with. I remember a recent conversation in which someone commented that all the kids wanted to eat at such a buffet was chicken balls and Jello. Restaurants that offer such buffets rarely run out of vegetables. We tend to do the same thing with our faith. There are parts we like and other parts we would rather ignore. We pick a little of this and a little of that and, in a way, create a religion of our own. Joshua tells the Israelites that they must make a choice. This is an either/or situation, not a both/and. Choose God or don’t. There is no third option.

          “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The people respond with an enthusiastic “Amen!” God brought them out of slavery in Egypt and brought them to this Promised Land. Of course, they choose God. Joshua, however, is not convinced that they are even able to follow through on their commitment.

We all know how these things go. In the heat of the moment, when emotion run high, we make a commitment. Perhaps we commit to eat better, cut out the salty snacks, or get more exercise. We start out with the very best of intentions, and for days, maybe weeks, we stick to it. Then temptation creeps in, and we start to fall back into our old habits. Just a wee cheat at first. What will one little potato chip hurt? But, as the commercial says, you can’t eat just one. Before long, we are back to where we started, perhaps feeling guilty, but still doing what we said we wouldn’t or not doing what we said we would. I’m sure we can all relate to the pattern if we think of commitments we have made to diet or exercise. I know I sure can.

          The same pattern often emerges in our faith. So, Joshua told the people they had to destroy their idols, remove the temptation to slip back into the old ways of being. Like the alcoholic who pours the bottle of liquor down the drain or the smoker who throws his last half-full pack of cigarettes in the trash. We need to remove the things from our lives that tempt us to slip into old habits.

          That’s what keeps our lamps lit – making the commitment every day so that we don’t slide into old habits. Living every day, every moment as committed to following Jesus as we were when we first believed, or when that last great moment of inspiration struck. We live every day as though Jesus is standing beside us watching everything we do – because He is.

          Your lamp might be burning brightly today as you worship and praise God, but will it burn as brightly tomorrow when someone does something that irritates you, or you see someone in need and choose to turn away. Despite their best intentions, Joshua didn’t believe the Israelites were capable of following through on their commitment. My experience suggests that we aren’t either, if we try to do it on our own. We need help. So, every morning when we rise, I think we should pray the words to that old song we learned in Sunday School:

          “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning.

          Give me oil in my lamp, I pray.

          Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning –

          keep me burning ‘til the break of day.”

Rev. Colin Snyder, MDiv