Watch
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Since the fall
into sin, we are corrupt, defiled, and wicked. The ways of men are betrayal, greed,
and violence. Our thoughts and secret desires are nothing short of shameful.
Our most natural speech is full of lies, gossip, and slander. We are
comfortable in our sin, and we are quick with excuses and blame. Oh, we can
pretend to be good, to be nice. When it comes to spirituality, we are capable
of putting on a dazzling show. We can feign any virtue: compassion,
righteousness, patience, faith. And if our fragile masks hold together, we can
fool men into thinking that we are honorable and decent. If we are willing to
lie to ourselves—and we most certainly are—we might even fool ourselves. But with
even a cursory glance, we will be discovered. None of us has a pure heart.
And God sees into our
hearts. He demands perfection, and we have failed. He doesn’t care how much you
give, how many hours you volunteer, or who your parents are. It doesn’t matter
what hardships and obstacles you’ve had to deal with, what pressures and
troubles you’ve suffered. Your excuses and bragging must disappear when
confronted with the truth. God has written the Law into the hearts of man. That
Law is indisputably good. It is what we know we should obey. But it is not what
we have done. It does not describe who we are. We have broken it. We have
behaved with cruel selfishness. All those born of women stand guilty, condemned
by the Law, without any excuse.
Repent, for you
know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man comes. You cannot stand
on your own works, by your own earnestness or sincerity. You cannot excuse away
your failures and weaknesses. Be wise with the wisdom that expects the return
of the Christ.
In the Gospel, all
the virgins, wise and foolish alike, slept. They were all weak. They all failed
to keep a perfect vigil. Measured by thoughts, words, and deeds, all had the
outward righteousness of virginity, but all were equally foolish in their
inability to keep alert with lamps burning. But there was a distinction between
them—not of righteousness, not of intent, but of faith. For despite their
weakness, five of them, by grace, even in the midst of their sleepiness, clung
to the hope that the Bridegroom would return. This didn’t make them better than
their sisters. It just made them believers. And in the end, that is what makes
the difference.
God in the flesh,
who wed Himself to humanity, will return. The judgment will be decided by the
condition of the heart, not on tainted works. And the only way to have a pure
heart, to face this judgment eagerly and with confidence, is to have a heart
that has been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism, a heart that abides in
forgiveness through the cross of Jesus Christ. Trust in Jesus. Expect His
return and praise His Name. You will be with Him forever. He has taken up your
sins and crucified them. In Him you are perfect, chaste, and without guilt. He
accepts you and welcomes you into the Wedding Hall. Rest confident and eager in
Him.
What a glorious
future you have! What joy awaits you! Be eager in Christ, for the end is
drawing near. He beckons you to the communion of saints. Watch in prayer. Watch
with His holy Word ringing in your ears. Watch with His precious body and blood
upon your lips. Stand innocent in His death, full of repentant joy and
expectation. For the Lord is coming soon. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly. In
the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment