There Are No Easy-Bake Easters

Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women 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 young women 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 young women 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

Lent takes forever. All this waiting around, and preparation, and praying, and fasting, and long, boring hymns. We want Easter, already!

Well… spoiler alert: Easter isn’t made in an Easy Bake Oven. The kingdom of God isn’t made in an Easy Bake Oven.

It’s not made in an Instapot, and it’s not made in a microwave.

The kingdom of God is made like a good smoked brisket. It’s trimmed and slathered in spices, before it sits overnight. Then it smokes. It takes from sunup to well past sundown, taking its time, almost taunting you with how slow its going, with the promise of a feast like none other. And then… hours after hours, it comes off the heat, to do nothing more than sit there in a cooler wrapped in towels. It rests more hours after hours.

The kingdom of God takes time. A lot of time.

Something as good as brisket—and something as good as the kingdom of God—can’t be rushed.

Today’s story is a story about people who thought Jesus was more of a microwave guy than a brisket guy. It’s about some people who expected joy and the kingdom of God on their own schedule; and it’s about other people who didn’t place their expectations on their own timetable.

After all, even though Jesus tells us to “keep awake,” we see that all of these bridesmaids fell asleep. So who were the wise bridesmaids? It was those who were prepared for the unexpected, those who were ready when the bridegroom was delayed.

And goodness, joy always seems to be delayed. The kingdom always seems to be delayed. Justice always seems to be delayed. Rescue always seems to be delayed.

Each and every day, there are new treatments for cancer, dementia, and chronic illness being researched and developed. But goodness, we need them now. They’re taking too long.

Or maybe our bank or retirement accounts are dwindling down, with money going out the door faster and faster than its coming in. We need that job interview or social security check to come in now. It’s taking too long.

Whether we look at our personal, daily lives, or the violence our leaders are injecting into the world, it feels like salvation is always delayed. But just because justice and joy are delayed doesn’t mean they’re not on the way. Though delayed, the kingdom is on the way. Though delayed, joy is on the way. Jesus is a brisket guy, not a microwave guy.

“The kingdom of God takes time. A lot of time. Something as good as brisket—and something as good as the kingdom of God—can’t be rushed.”

Jesus sees us in our unsettledness and hurriedness. Jesus knows we’re sick and tired of waiting for the joys of life: those joys of forgiveness, and love, and healing, and comfort, and that joy of things getting better instead of worse. What does Jesus say to us in the midst of those feelings? “Keep awake.”

Even though these bridesmaids have all fallen asleep, Jesus says keep awake! Keep awake — keep alert for the unexpected, because it will be unexpected when the bridegroom arrives. He’s still on the way, he’s still racing toward a party, and sooner or later, he is going to show up.

I think we’d be kidding ourselves if we didn’t admit we’re a bit like those foolish bridesmaids. How often do we assume that because healing is delayed, that it isn’t coming? Or that if justice is delayed, it’s not on the way.

…

In 1995, a firefighter in Buffalo, New York—whose name was Donny Herbert—was called to a fire. He had been in the department for nine years at this point, and while battling this blaze, he found himself in the attic. The fire was ferocious, consuming this building, and exhausting his fellow firefighters.

While this fire ravaged the structure, all of a sudden, a question started being called out, first curiously, but then growing into an anxious, fevered pitch: “Where’s Donny?” Seconds mattered, and the concern grew as the clock ticked. Nobody knew. The seconds turned into a minute. A minute turned into two.

But then, a full six minutes later, they found Donny. There he was, in the middle of this blaze. Sunken on the floor, trapped by a collapsed roof.

His wife, Linda, arrived to the hospital with his three toddler boys. Donny was unresponsive. His brain had been without oxygen for those six minutes, and the damage was beyond extensive.

Hours at the hospital turned to days. Days turned to weeks, then to months, then to years. Donny was in a coma-like state, and anyone but the Donny his family knew. Linda made the best decision she could, and was able to move him into a skilled nursing facility.

Nine years later, Linda received a phone call. “Lin, where are you? Come get me.”

It was Donny. That same Donny that Linda knew from nine years ago. Donny who was now able to play catch with his sons. After those grueling, long years—far too many years—Donny was fully awake.

…

For Donny’s family, hope and joy was like brisket. It didn’t show up when they wanted. It took way too long. It wasn’t fast enough, immediate enough, urgent enough. But though delayed—far too delayed—it had finally arrived.

It’s the same kind of brisket hope and brisket joy that we find as ministers of Jesus Christ. We care for one another, knowing that one another’s sufferings aren’t going to be fixed soon enough. We give our time to church ministries, knowing that they aren’t going to grow quick enough for our preferences. We show up to adult education and open our Bibles with each other, knowing that we won’t figure our Bibles out as fast as we want to.

But we know that like Donny experienced, the hope and joy of the kingdom of God is like brisket. Ministry is like brisket. Church is like brisket. None of it is like an Easy Bake Oven or an instapot; it’s always the long game.

We also know that some briskets never make it off the grill in this lifetime. Sometimes healing doesn’t show up on this side of heaven. Sometimes peace doesn’t show up on this side of heaven. Sometimes the delay is beyond our imagination. But we have a central hope and conviction, a central hope and conviction we’ll celebrate in a few weeks: even in the face of death and ultimate loss, rescue is still on the way.

“But we know that like Donny experienced, the hope and joy of the kingdom of God is like brisket. Ministry is like brisket. Church is like brisket. None of it is like an Easy Bake Oven or an instapot; it takes time.”

Throughout our lives of faith, we’ll be like the foolish bridesmaids sometimes, and at other times, we’ll be like the wise bridesmaids. That’s going to happen.

But to be like those wise bridesmaids, we’ll need to trust that though joy is delayed, it’s still on the way. We know that we are so eager for many different bridegrooms: for our neighbors to all be fed, for our children and youth to grow in faith, for the sick to be made whole, and so many others. But though those things are delayed—never showing up as fast as we want—we must trust they’re still on the way. God is still on the way. Joy is still on the way. A future is still on the way.

So get ready. Sweep the house. Polish the brass in the balcony. Preheat the ovens. Put tablecloths on the tables. They might be delayed, but there are briskets and bridegrooms on the way. Stay awake! The kingdom of justice and joy is right around the corner.