PASTOR’S CORNER: Imitate me

There is a cry being made this morning. And there is a cry coming. One that we all need to be ready for. It is coming as sure as I’m writing this column.

We all know about a cry, especially in a loud voice. It catches everybody’s attention; that’s the purpose of a cry in a loud voice. It is to let somebody know that something is about to happen. The worst or best time to hear a loud cry is at midnight. Why at midnight? Because at midnight it is the quietest time of the 24-hour period.

Most folk are in bed at midnight. Things slow down to a crawl. Some people’s minds are at ease at midnight. Nature takes a turn, the earth keeps right on rotating, the sun, though it is still shining, is hidden from human eyes and the moon overshadows the earth. Certain animals leave their habitat. They venture out into domestic areas. Roosters go to sleep and hens sit on their eggs. Everything quiets down. We lay down to sleep, and we pray to the Lord our soul to keep. Midnight is the time when the hoot owl hoots along with newborn babies who wake up crying.

They are the few that are up at midnight. You don’t hear birds singing at midnight. Choirs don’t rehearse at midnight. You don’t have Sunday School at midnight or even have church at midnight. No one wants to go out and park in the graveyard at midnight. In fact, it is the one place you do not want to be at midnight. It is the time when the unexpected can happen. It is the perfect time for an enemy attack; when the phone rings at midnight, our heart skips a beat. What is wrong?

We ought to thank God this morning because it is at midnight that we are the most vulnerable. I hope we thank him when we wake up in the morning and say our prayers. Most folk are sleep and we are in a comatose state in the very image of death. Anything could happen to us. We are at a disadvantage to our enemies at midnight. To some, the midnight hour is the scariest hour of the 24 hours. There’s something about when the clock strikes 12. No wonder our Lord uses this period to speak to all of us about “a midnight cry” for it is the time when we least expect something to happen.

Today we are talking about the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Five of them were wise, and five of them were foolish. The parable makes it known that they all took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. They that were foolish took their lamps but took no oil with them to light the lamp with. However, the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom delayed his arrival, they all slumbered and slept.

At midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom comes; go out now to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish virgins said unto the wise, give us some of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered and said, “Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you too: but go to them that sell and buy some for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, verily I say to you, I know you not.”

A wedding in that day had two parts. First, the bridegroom and his friends would go from his house to claim the bride from her parents. Then the bride and groom would return to the groom’s house for the marriage feast. When the bridegroom and bride appeared, half of the bridesmaids were unable to light their lamps because they had no oil. “Our lamps are going out!” they cried. But whose fault was that? All they had to do was buy some oil and keep it available. The bridesmaids who had oil were able to light their lamps and keep them shining bright. It was they who entered into the wedding feast and not the foolish girls who had no oil.

Community, the five foolish girls didn’t know when the bridegroom was coming, but they knew he WAS coming! They came with no oil to light the way at midnight. Who does that? One who is careless and unconcerned. One who has fallen asleep on their post. One who has allowed the world to contaminate them. One who has backslidden and wandered away from God and those who have been watered down by Satan. That’s why they are called foolish.

This parable applies to the church today. We don’t know when Jesus is coming. He is the bridegroom, and we, the Christians, are the bride. We KNOW that he is coming and there will be another midnight cry. Friends, that cry could be today!

But it also tells us something else, too. It tells us that everybody who says that they are saved is not saved. Everybody who says they are on their way to heaven is not going. The five foolish girls represent them. Community, let us check our oil. If Jesus came today, would we be ready to meet him at the midnight cry?