Last Sunday of the Church Year November 25, 2018 The Sunday of the Ten Virgins

Last Sunday of the Church Year
Matthew 25:1-13
November 25, 2018

“I’m Ready”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Jesus tells a number of these parables, including the one today about the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom, that very simply tell you and me to “be ready”. We’re to be ready at any time for the Last Day when Jesus comes again or our own last day when we die.

There are many other things in life that we wait for and we get ready for. Winter is fast approaching this year. Maybe you’d say it’s already here. At any rate, we all know to get ready for winter. We never know exactly when it’s going to come but we get ready. We clean up the yard, rake the leaves, bring things inside, check the furnace, buy coats, hats, and gloves, winterize certain things. Some have generators ready to go if we lose power. We know winter’s coming.

Or flu season. Many of you are ready. You’ve gotten your flu shot. Or insurance. We’re ready with insurance if we get in a car accident, or someone steals our identity, our something happens to our home. Or retirement. You get ready for retirement your whole life by saving money in an IRA. We get ready for all sorts of things.

So Jesus also says to be ready for His return. In other words, be ready for this life to end and the heavenly life to begin. At any moment Jesus can come again or we can die and go to Him.

There’s a group called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ, OAFC, that’s still around in the LCMS. I wonder if any of you ever did one of their OAFC weekends. It’s basically a youth retreat that teaches about witnessing. And the big thing of the weekend is going door to door and talking to people in the neighborhood. And they train you beforehand how to do this. How to talk to the people at their door. But there is one simple question that’s always the big climax or punch line of your whole conversation. You were always to ask, “If you were to die today, do you know where you’re going?”

If they didn’t have a church home and didn’t know where they were going when they died, then you told them about Jesus and about the local church. Then the church would follow up and make sure they were invited to come and join them. But it all centered around that crucial question, “If you were to die today, do you know? Are you ready?”

And Jesus wants all of us to be able to say confidently, “I’m ready.” If I were to die today, I know exactly where I’m going. I’m going to heaven to be with Jesus Christ. And if He were to come today for the Last Day, I know exactly where I’m going. I’m ready. I’m going to be with Jesus in paradise. This is how Jesus wants every Christian to live their lives—“I’m ready.”

Sadly, though, we sinners have a crucial problem that keeps us from being ready for things. It’s this little thing called procrastination. The word procrastination is two words put together in Latin—forward + tomorrow. So pushing forward to tomorrow what should be done today. How many of you are procrastinators? You all are. Maybe not at some things. But there are always areas of life that we all procrastinate. And in some areas, that’s okay. But not in this area of faith in Jesus Christ. In this area of being ready for Jesus Christ our Savior, there’s no room for procrastination. There’s no room for saying, “Eh, I’ll get some oil for my lamp whenever He comes.” Then it’s too late.

Wells Fargo bank had an advertising campaign they did probably about ten years ago that I remember because I thought it was so well done. They had all kinds pictures of people holding posters saying, “Someday I’ll…do x, y, and z.” So for instance, “Someday I’ll start saving for retirement.” Or “Someday I’ll take that big trip.” Or “Someday I’ll move out of my parents” or whatever. “Someday is Today” they called it. All those somedays that we procrastinate can be worked on today.

Now, of course, that’s fine advice for life and a fine way to advertise, but here in this parable Jesus is talking about life and death. And Jesus is telling you and I that someday is today. As a Christian, there should never be a “someday” that we’re going to be ready for Jesus to return or ready to die. We should never be saying, “Someday I’ll care more about faith” or “someday I’ll start going to church” or “someday I’ll pray more” or “someday I’ll try to do something about that sin”. Someday is today.

And it’s not like it’s some big hard thing Jesus is asking you to do. It’s not like you have to read the Bible cover to cover or confess every single sin you’ve ever committed, or do 500 hours of service at church, or go on ten mission trips. Jesus is only and simply telling you to have oil ready for your lamp. Which is to say, Jesus is telling you to live in repentance and faith. To be sorry for your sins and believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness. If you believe that you’re a sinner and that Jesus Christ died for your sins to give you eternal life—then you’re ready. You’re ready for Him. At any time. Today. Tomorrow. The next day. You’re ready.

Such a simple thing. Yet something that so many people procrastinate. A thing that so many people say they’ll look into someday. Imagine for a minute that you and I saw as many advertisements about going to church as we saw about investing for retirement. Can you imagine that? Every ad from Merrill Lynch, Prudential, TD Ameritrade, Fidelity and countless others all telling us they can help us save for a glorious retirement where all will be wonderful bliss and we’ll never have another care in the world—for every one of those ads about preparing for retirement what if we saw ad about preparing for eternal life by going to church. Which is more crucial? Retirement or eternity? I’ll pick eternity every time.

Or imagine that instead of every single ad we see for insurance, we saw an ad for Baptism? Every ad from State Farm, Allstate, Geico, and every other company that apparently wants us to switch our insurance about every fifteen days and all apparently will save us hundreds of dollars if we just make a simple phone call—what if for every one of those ads about preparing for an accident or disaster we instead saw an ad about the joy of Baptism. That it makes us a child of God, that it washes away our sin, that it gives us new life, that gives the Holy Spirit, and that it seals us for the Last Day? Which is more crucial? Insuring against accidents or insuring against death and hell?

Or how about this one? Imagine that every time someone asks you, “Have you had your flu shot?”, instead you were asked, “Have you been to Communion?” I have been blown away how many people this year have asked me if I’ve had my flu shot or if I want one. Apparently the government has told everybody that has any business anywhere to offer flu shots or there must be really good money in flu shots—because just about everybody wants you to have one. Pretty soon you’ll pull into the drive thru at McDonalds and they’ll have a flu shot for you.

What if we took Holy Communion as seriously as we take a flu shot? Which is stronger? Which offers more protection? Which makes you more prepared? Holy Communion is preparation for the Last Day. Every time you walk from this altar with the body and blood of Christ in your body and soul you say, “I’m ready.”

Now here’s part of the problem. We think that Jesus is the procrastinator. He’s the one who keeps pushing off the Last Day. He’s the One who keeps saying, “Someday, someday, someday…” And so we start to act like He’s never going to come. We start to act like retirement and flu shots and insurance are all much more important than church, confession, Baptism, Communion, and prayer.

But Jesus is not a procrastinator. He is coming. And the Father knows the exact day when He will return. Likewise, the Father knows the exact day and hour when you will be brought into the heavenly kingdom. There’s no procrastination here. Only mercy. And when that glorious day comes when the bridegroom comes down from heaven to receive His bride, Jesus wants to find you ready with your lamp burning and plenty of oil to spare.

He wants to find you standing and saying, “I’m ready, Jesus.” If you were to die today, do you know where you’re going? Yes, you are sorry for your sins and you believe in Jesus Christ. Yes, you are baptized into Jesus and are a child of God. Yes, you have received the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion and are at peace with God. Yes, you have spoken to God often and always in prayer. “Yes, I’m ready. Yes, I know where I’m going.”

That’s the confidence of faith. The confidence we have in a Savior who doesn’t disappoint us. He has put everything in order for us. We’re ready for heaven more than we’re ready for this snowstorm tonight. We’re ready for paradise more than we’re ready for retirement or flu season. We’re ready for the groom and the reception. Ready with the oil of faith. Ready with our lamps of faith burning.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.