Veni, Vidi, Fiesta
Matthew 25:1-7
The saying, ―If it bleeds, it leads‖ has long been the mantra that helps describe the
fact that the more gory, gruesome, or grizzly a new story is, the better chance it has of
grabbing our attention and keeping us tuned in. Bad news, dour predictions, impending
disaster, keep us riveted.
So its little wonder that we have all sorts of ―disaster preparedness‖ plans—personal, community, state, and national.
We get flu shots.
We get pneumonia shots.
We make a family ―escape plan‖ for getting out of the house if it catches fire.
We keep an emergency roadside kit in the trunk of our car.
We participate in ―fire drills‖ and ―emergency evacuations,‖ and put blue circled
road signs up to tell us what the hurricane emergency routes out of town are.
Some of us are ―prepared‖ enough to stockpile bottled water, canned foods,
prescriptions medications, batteries and blankets. If you live up north you buy snow
boots, jackets and gloves for the kids before the first snowfall. You chop another cord of
wood and make sure the snow blower is tuned up and ready to do its job.
During the height of the Cold War, people built underground nuclear bomb bunkers
and stocked them with enough supplies for a decade of living an underground
existence.
Preparing for disaster is… well… something we are prepared for. Trouble is, we
only seem to prepare for the bad things.
What about being prepared for . . . . joy?
What about being prepared for . . . . pleasure?
What about being prepared for . . . . blessings?
We Christians are called to ―be prepared‖ not just for the ―trials and tribulations‖ of
life that grab the headlines, but for the good times that we enjoy along the way.
Today’s gospel text tells us in parable form how Jesus wants us to be ―prepared,‖ so
that we can . . . are you ready? …party with Jesus!
Preparing to party with Jesus is not the usual vision painted by the church across the
centuries. In every generation of the faithful, it seems, there have been those whose
mission has been to spread the message of approaching doom and gloom.
The end of the world.
The final judgment.
The apocalypse.
Armageddon.
Today’s gospel text is not about judgment based upon personal failures, infidelities,
or faithlessness. The five ―foolish‖ bridesmaids are ―foolish‖ only because they don’t
think forward enough. They’re not wicked or self-absorbed or mean-spirited. But their
eyes were not fully focused on the ―prize‖-—the wedding celebration.
The whole reason they’d been ―called‖ as bridesmaids in the first place was to help
usher the bridegroom into his new space and place. It’s the bridegroom’s party, not
theirs. Their mission was to be looking forward to a new and wonderful time of joy. Their
mission was to join His party.
Veni, Vidi, Fiesta: I came, I saw, I partied.
Throughout church history there have been bands of ―bridesmaids,‖ self-appointed
lamp-lighters, who proudly predict the impending arrival of judgment, not joy. To escape
being identified with the ―foolish,‖ these ―faithful‖ got busy. They sold all they owned and
waited. Or they moved into communal societies (the utopian communities of the Amana,
Oneida, Shakers).
Some even don white robes and perch in tree tops waiting for ―the end‖, breathlessly
anticipating the momentary appearance of Christ. They were all separating themselves
from the rest of the world.
So much of our faith’s focus has been planning for the end. Why don’t we more
often than not celebrate the beginning? Why don’t we revel in the present?
All those ―end-time‖ eagle eyes zero in on everything that’s happening in our world
that smacks of error and evil, disaster and despair. Yet the five ―wise bridesmaids‖ in
today’s text were ―wise‖ because they were looking ahead for a party they didn’t want to
miss.
They eagerly anticipated being the lamps that lit the way to a joyous banquet, an
outpouring of blessings, a fulfillment of hopes and dreams. They weren’t looking to
spotlight some deep, dark black hole of despair. They stored up extra fuel so that they
could be energized and on the lookout for something wonderful, something good,
something longed for, something anxiously anticipated.
We Christians need to stop focusing on the bad news. The world does that expertly
without our help. Let them worry and fret about the impending disasters and destruction,
the doom and the gloom.
Let us be the people who ―look out‖ for God’s unexpected, unpredictable
appearance in our midst. Let us be the people who ―look out‖ for good news, for all
those unexpected gifts from God that explode like popcorn in our lives. Let us be the
people who are on the ―look out‖ for a good party.
What if instead of ―disaster preparedness,‖ followers of Jesus, those anxiously
anticipating Christ’s rule and reign, would practice pre-party planning? We could call this
―blessing preparedness.‖ Our pre-party planning could demonstrate that we anticipate
with joy and hope the presence of Christ in our lives and in our faith communities.
Instead of stoically stockpiling cans of food and bottles of water, what if Christians
were known for planting gardens, new seeds for the new future?
Instead of storing blankets and tuning up generators, what if Christians were known
for bringing blankets to those who are shivering and planting trees to shelter the next
generation of children to help them breathe?
Instead of hunkering in a bunker fearing the onslaught of evil, what if Christians were
known for taking whatever light we have within us and going and looking for something
good?
What if we took seriously our mission to bear the light, and left it to Jesus to be the
light?
Instead of not knowing what to do with punchbowls, what if Christians were less
known for dumping out punchbowls than for spiking them?
Instead of always looking to make sure we ―get what we paid for,‖ and get what we
deserve, what if Christians were known for lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap) – that’s a
Creole word that means ―extra benefit‖ or ―unexpected gift‖.
like when you get a 13th donut thrown in, that’s a lagniappe.
when you get a few peaches thrown in when you buy a basket of apples,
when you get a little surprise gift when you purchase an item.
What if Christians were known for lagniappe (lan-yap), for always adding something
unexpected, something extra?
One of the greatest missionaries of the 20th century, E. Stanley Jones, began every
day at what he called his ―Listening Post.‖ This was how he talked about his prayer time
with God. It was a ―listening post‖ where he would sit in silence and listen to God speak
to him.
One day E. Stanley Jones said God said these words to him when he was at his
―listening post:‖ ―You are mine. Life is yours.‖
What a powerful, simple statement. ―You are mine. Life is yours.‖ Dwell on the reality
of those words for a moment.
God declares, ―You are mine,‖ - how can we possibly ―lose‖?
God decrees, ―Life is yours,‖ we have been given the gift of life by God.
―You are mine.‖ Rest in the assurance that you are protected and provided for.
―Life is yours.‖ Enjoy this journey. While it’s the Bridegoom’s party, you’re invited to
it!
God’s first command in the Bible, in Genesis 2:16, is ―Eat Freely‖.
God’s last command in the Bible in the Revelation of John 22:17 is ―Drink Freely‖.
Everything in between is a banquet table on which a feast is spread.
Not a snack, something to tide you over until the real meal comes along.
Not a smorgasbord, where you can pick and choose what you like and leave what
you don’t.
It’s a messianic banquet on a table large enough for all with food for a life time of joy,
service, singing, and rejoicing.
We feast on Him - the Bread of Life, the Cup of our Salvation- with thanksgiving in
our hearts.
It’s the Bridegrooms party, and we’re invited
Come. Enjoy the feast.
Veni, Vidi, Fiesta!