From our Rector
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be…”
Matthew 25:1a
Regardless of our partisan affiliations, there are few of us who weren’t watching the polls this past week. For some reason, even though we know that polling is inaccurate and that most of us make our voting decisions when we actually vote, we look to political wonks to give us some forecast of where the electorate is heading. I also read reviews of films and plays in advance of seeing them, knowing full well that spoilers may give away the ending. It really doesn’t bother me to know how something will end; I’ve always been more interested in how we get there than where we end up.
Jesus is dealing with that same insatiable need of his followers to know what’s at the end of things – some things never change. The parables we’ve been hearing in our gospel readings are responding to the intense curiosity the disciples had about the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgement, the end of this world, and the creation of a new one – or, as we say in theology, the Eschaton.
Our Judaic roots are filled with a need to know how things would end up. From David’s descendant conquering enemies to Amos’ prediction (along with all of the major and minor prophets) of the fall of Israel to Daniel’s encouragement of the “Son of Man” coming in clouds to triumph over evil, there has been a constant hope (after much tribulation) in redemption and God’s final victory over evil. For Jesus, that same focus was both on a “consistent eschatology” of what the end of existence will be like, as well as a “realized eschatology” of what is already made new with the coming of the Messiah.
“The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids” is yet another allegory that invites us into reflection on a combination of what is and what will be. The bridegroom is Christ (who has both come and will come again); the bride is the Church; the bridesmaids are you and I, the disciples, who are to accompany the bride to the place of marriage with the groom. As many weddings at the time began at night (with a celebration that would last up to a week), it was important that lamps be filled and many guided the bridal party through dark streets on their way to the nuptial ceremony and consummation of the union. The “foolish” bridesmaids didn’t bother to fill their lamps, and their flames were going out, making them useless; the “wise” bridesmaids, thinking ahead, were able to anticipate that the groom could arrive anytime during the night, and so were able to keep their candles burning with no threat of them running out of oil – they were prepared.
In our own context, we are also bringing our Stewardship Season, “Plenty Good Room,” to an end. We’ve been praying about how God has gifted us with plenty, and how we can respond to the needs of our church and community from that abundance. Our pledging allows the church to avoid being “foolish” about how to budget for the coming year, not knowing what our estimated income from each of us might be; we are allowed to be “wise” in our planning because each of us have recognized that from God’s goodness, we do have plenty to share and can commit to our contributions to keep Saint Mark’s healthy and prepared for the coming year. Pledging is not committing to an exact amount – we have seen big swings in our own household budgets that are included in our expenses. However, pledging does enter our gift in response to God in our promise to affirm that our church will continue to have “Plenty Good Room” to share with others: in outreach, in children’s programming, in expressive celebration, and in anchoring our neighbors in a faith of love and charity.
In essence, our “Plenty Good Room” pledge helps our church to be less foolish and more wise – it allows us to be prepared to light the way of Christ in a world that desperately needs the grace that comes from our faith. Thank you for your commitment to our mission to love God, love our neighbors, and change our homes, our neighborhoods, our community, our nation, and the world.
Peace in our Generous God,
Father Shawn
