November 12, 2023

Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK

• First reading and Psalm
  • Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
  • Psalm 78:1-7
• Alternate First reading and Psalm
  • Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 or Amos 5:18-24
  • Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20 or Psalm 70
• Second reading
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
• Gospel
  • Matthew 25:1-13

The second reading from 1 Thessalonians:
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.

For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The gospel from Matthew:
Jesus said “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.

But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’

And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Sermon:
This is the year for our gospel readings to come from Matthew. Today’s reading is important, in saying that the Master will soon depart. There are three of Jesus’ parables in Matthew. They are about mortality and our relations with God. People may not be ready to deal with this. They may think they can “plea bargain.” The scripture says that Jesus may come in the “dead of night.” Paul writes to the Thessalonians and tells them to have hope and to encourage one another. Do not despair. God has chosen us. Pastor Stevenson continues about what are we to do now ………

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