Celebration and Solemnity

Matthew 25:1 – “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids taking their lamps and going out to greet the groom.”

“Then.” I had never noticed this innocent word sitting here before, but it does a lot of work. We’ve been talking about how we don’t know when Christ, the master, will return. We’ve been discussing what to do while we wait for that day. The first word in this verse announces that the time has come. Then, when the master comes back, when Jesus returns.

When the master returns, the kin-dom of heaven will be like ten joyful bridesmaids taking their lamps to light the bridegroom’s way to the house of the bride. It’s a celebration, but underneath is a serious undertaking. Marriage is not a commitment to be made lightly. Both my mom and I have wedding pictures showing us thinking about that seriousness. Even in this age of easy divorce, marriage is serious business. I think the older the bride and groom are the more difficult. Someone who has been on their own and used to their own space, like me, may find it difficult to adjust, or have a spouse who may not recognize the need to adjust. Adjusting isn’t always easy. Things definitely change when we make that commitment. Our life centers around our spouse in a new way; different from friends, different from boy/girlfriends, way different from dating.

Communication becomes important, decisions are no longer as simple as whether we want to do something, finances become fraught, balancing time together with time apart or time with friends, who’s gonna cook dinner tonight. Even the laundry needs to be discussed occasionally. When we get married, the work begins. Everything changes, everything becomes more intimate, which is why in the Old Testament and here in Matthew, marriage is a symbol of our relationship with God – Jesus. God wants to be that intimate with us, which again requires our participation. 

When we give our lives to Christ, everything changes. Communication, decisions, finances, time, food, laundry, and even sex are seen in new ways. Remember John 21:5 – See, I am making all things new. All things become changed, infused with the sacred. And following Christ requires our work and our participation as well. Just as marriage complicates our lives in a good way, so following Christ complicates our lives in a good way. Giving our lives to Christ is not a decision to make lightly.

Then, when the master returns, all things will be celebration and solemnity combined, just as in a marriage feast.

While we wait, let’s prepare for the celebration as well as the solemnity.

B