Matthew 25:1-13
Today is a Remembrance Sunday to remember!
In a normal year, there seem to be boxes of poppies in every
shop you go into. Not this year. In fact, I really struggled to buy a
poppy this year. Normally we’re falling over poppy sellers but this year…
I haven’t seen one.
But this is not a normal
year and coronavirus has put paid to much of what we have taken for granted in
the past. This year, instead of selling poppies, the British Legion have
suggested that we should show our support by using a digital poppy on social
media sites or by donating online and downloading a picture of a poppy to display
in our windows.
In a normal year, the
crowds would be gathering in Whitehall, along with royalty, military, veterans
and dignitaries, waiting for the Remembrance parade and the laying of wreaths
at the cenotaph. The Queen will be at a closed ceremony at the
cenotaph and the crowds will have to watch on TV later. For us, instead of
attending a civic ceremony, we are being encouraged to stand for the two
minutes’ silence on our own doorsteps at 11am.
In a normal
year, this church would be packed on Remembrance Sunday. The Settle and Giggleswick
brass band, along with our organist Graham, would be leading us in rousing hymn
singing. There would be representatives from the local council, scout groups
and St John’s Ambulance. Input into the service would be had from other church
leaders and the local church school. Then, at the end of the service
we would process to the cenotaph, helped along by the local police to control
the traffic.
Instead…in Week
One of Lockdown Two, I am leading our Remembrance service from a
very quiet Holy Ascension Church that is closed for public worship. When I
leave here this morning, I will be making my way to the cenotaph to lead a
short Act of Remembrance. There will be no long streams of crowds, or police needed
to control traffic and the cordoned off area where the service will
take place will be attended by approx. 12 people, all of whom will be socially
distanced.
Definitely not
a normal year! The problem we’ve got is that we don’t know whether this might
be the new normal. Will normal ever be normal again…if you know what I mean. We
are in uncharted territory.
This morning we
have heard the parable about the foolish bridesmaids. Jesus told stories about
real life. Weddings, being real community affairs were familiar territory to
the people Jesus was speaking to. They knew how weddings worked and the tale he
told would have meant something to them. Our parable tells us about ten
bridesmaids who were waiting for the bridegroom and the wedding celebration
that would follow. As the waiting begins there is no difference between the ten
bridesmaids.
The five wise
bridesmaids take out their extra oil and trim their lamps. The foolish
bridesmaids have no oil and so they are caught unprepared and have to try and
get some oil quickly. They are then turned away by the bridegroom and not
allowed to join the celebration. It wasn't that the foolish bridesmaids didn't
want to be a part of the wedding celebrations or that they did not care for the
bridegroom, they just thought that they would have enough time to get the oil
they needed or that the procession to the banquet would be during daylight
hours.
Are you one of those people who plan for every
eventuality? Many of us are often unprepared for what life throws at us,
despite doing our best to prepare for the future. We’re probably all in favour
of having a few savings, life insurance and probably
even a will as none of us wants to be a burden on anyone in the future. We are
part of a culture that likes planning and preparation. We do what needs to be
done, we put it to the back of our minds and we then get on with our lives.
What we don’t
plan for is the unexpected…illness…pandemic…war. It catches us out and it is so
easy to let things get on top of us and to look on the black side. The reading
from Matthew reminds us that as Christians we live in a world where we
draw life and strength from God. God’s grace is a renewable source …a bit like
our oil lamp being topped up with new oil and having our wick trimmed so that
we can give off more light.
On this
Remembrance Sunday, in the midst of a second lockdown and separated from many
of our family and friends, we think about all those who not only
left loved ones behind but who fought in wars so that we could live in peace. Regardless
of their sacrifice, we are living through a time where there is a delicate
balance between life and death. Where a sudden loss of our sense of smell
or a tickly cough fills us with trepidation. On top of that, even a pandemic
doesn’t seem to stop war or terrorism and only this week, the Home Secretary
Priti Patel raised the UK terrorism level to severe, after the shooting in
Vienna.
Now…before we
start to feel depressed, the message from Matthew is not bad
news. It talks of the wedding feast…a time of great celebration that
awaits those who are ready. Each one of us have been called to live in
readiness, to live lives of faithfulness and as people of remembrance. We are
called to be people of God whose oil is regularly topped up and whose wicks are
trimmed so that we can help light up the way, not just so that we
can see the way but so that we can help light up the way for others too.
You may be
worshipping with us today on your own…but you are not alone. All over the
world, we are in communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ …and not
only that but Jesus is with us too…every step of the way…supporting us, guiding
us and loving us.
This is a
normal day…a normal Remembrance Sunday
…a Remembrance
Sunday to remember.
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