Proper 27 (A) — Job One: Repent!
Proper 27 (A) — Job One: Repent!
One of the things that I have observed is that the photographer is the keeper of customs. He will ask, “Do you want a shot of the groom removing the bride’s garter? How about a picture of the bride tossing her bouquet?”
One shot that is a wedding must-have is of the bride and groom cutting and eating a piece of the wedding cake, followed by a weird arm-lock and a sip of champagne. As important as these photo-ops appear (they will be studied by friends and grandchildren for years to come), does anyone know how and why the customs started?
About six weeks before Margaret and I were scheduled to be married, I offered up what I thought would be a helpful reminder. I said, “Have we arranged for a wedding cake?” I was told that the cake was baked and in the closet. After that, I dared not ask any more questions. Margaret’s mother was born in England and she wanted us to have a traditional “English” wedding cake. Do you know what kind of cake was ripening in the closet?
On the subject of customs and traditions, why do weddings have cake and champagne in the first place? It’s because the ancient traditional elements of the meal that followed the making of a covenant were bread and wine. The bread and wine have been upgraded to cake and champagne. As to the more recent (and silly) custom of smearing frosting on each other’s faces, I would be inclined to point to the photographer creating another “photo-op.” The locked arms allowed the participants to mix the fresh blood trickling from their covenant marks.
Just as we have wedding customs that are not fully understood, so in today’s Gospel we are introduced to a Jewish wedding custom which is very different from anything we know today.
According to William Barclay, one of the great things to do at your Jewish wedding in the time of Jesus was to catch the bridal party napping. So, the bridegroom would come unexpectedly and sometimes in the middle of the night. How, we wonder, did this custom come to pass?
A wedding was a great occasion. The whole village turned out to accompany the couple to their new home. Instead of taking a honeymoon, the couple would entertain their friends for up to a week following their wedding. To get to their new home, the groom would take the longest possible route there, in order to receive the glad good wishes of as many people as possible. (We now send invitations.)
One could only guess when this rather spontaneous collection of guests would arrive at the wedding location. In Walla Walla, if the wedding is scheduled for 3:00, then everyone will arrive at 2:55. Walla Walla residents know exactly how long it takes to drive from their house to St. Paul’s. It’s because of the “2:55 rush” that most weddings in Walla Walla start a little late.
I’m saying all this about wedding customs because the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids could have happened just the way that Jesus told it. When the wedding procession finally arrived, half of the wedding party found themselves in the dark. And, as a result, they missed out on a great party that brought the whole community together.
One of the members in our Tuesday Bible study wondered about the lack of compassion shown by the bridesmaids who had enough oil. For want of a little bit of oil, the consequences to the bridesmaids found without any oil seem a bit extreme. (I’m convinced that we will know we have arrived in Hell if most of the conversations around us start with the words, “If I had only…”)
If another pint of oil is all we’re talking about, there must be a point about compassion. But we all know that participation in God’s family goes deeper than that. There are some things that can’t be given, or shared, at the last minute.
Every student knows that praying for a passing grade a minute before that final exam is no substitute for systematic study. Wishing we could dance, or play a musical instrument, or participate in a sport is a silly notion without proper conditioning and diligent practice.
After the funeral of a good Christian soul, people have come up to me and said, “I want my funeral to be just like this one.” They can sense the difference. All I can say in response is, “Start working on it.” Characteristics like integrity, kindness, and faithfulness are not last-minute traits to be snatched off the shelf of human attributes.
I titled this sermon… “Job One.” I believe that if we carry this parable to its deepest Christian application, it would be this: Lord, wake us up, so we don’t miss your invitation to repentance and forgiveness. For the Christian, JOB ONE is repentance.
Why? Because if we continue living our lives in anger-darkness, or revenge-darkness, or resentment-darkness, or lifestyle-darkness, it is guaranteed that we will miss the gift of God’s joy. We are guaranteed to miss the party.
John the Baptist, preaching in Matthew 3:2, says, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” What he is really saying is… If you don’t want to miss the party, REPENT!
I remember having my own personal experience with resentment. After bringing this burden to a fellow priest in prayer, after receiving the sacrament of confession, he gave me a hug. He called it a mini-party.
Resentment is like taking poison and then waiting for the other person to die.
In Luke 24 we read, “The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations.” Repentance is the key to the party… it is the key to God’s joy. Repentance means to change one’s mind. Then to turn… to reorient one’s life toward a new ethical line of conduct. While at the same time having faith that God will see you through the scary parts.
Each of us has to ask, is there a darkness in my life that is calling for repentance? Then if there is… let us, with the love of Christ, and for the love of Christ, make our move — repent and return to the Lord. The divine party is in full swing and God doesn’t want us to be left out in the darkness of our own foolish pride.
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