Because of the Inward/Outward publishing process, I am writing this reflection before election day. I don’t know whether there will be results by the time you read this, whether you are filled with rage and grief, or relief and grief — or whether we are all still waiting, suspended in anxiety for God knows how much longer. What I do know is that no matter the outcome of this election, like the ten young women in today’s parable,* we are in the midst of a long, dark night.
“Be prepared,” the Bible tells us, “Jesus could return at any time!” The timeline for Jesus’ return is unknown – but as early Christians learned, unknown is not the same as soon. I’m sympathetic to their misunderstanding. Reading these admonitions from Jesus, not to mention similar warnings from Peter and Paul, I always feel a sense of urgency. All the more so these days, because if Jesus could show at any moment, surely it will be this moment, when we so desperately need saving.
You don’t need me to recount the ways in which 2020 has been a spectacularly awful year. Regardless of race, religion, or political leaning, I don’t think there is a person among us who isn’t hoping for some kind of deliverance, and quick. But as I read the parable, these are the words that jump out: “The bridegroom was a long time in coming.” Indeed, as the parable plays out, it becomes clear that preparation is necessary not because the arrival is coming so quickly, but because it’s going to happen so much later than hoped for.
Are we prepared to wait? I’m not sure what image would have come to me another time, but now that question conjures up photographs and videos of the voters who came ready to stay in line for hours – with comfortable shoes, food to share, reading material, music to buoy the waiting crowd. Taking care of our bodies, our spirits, together.
Like the ten young women, we wait in the darkness, exhausted, without any idea why the one we await has yet to show up. But if we are wise, we will do what is ours to do. And in our readiness, we can keep hope that one day, we will be invited in to the biggest celebration of love the world has ever seen.
–Erica Lloyd, Seekers Church
Questions for reflection:
- What feelings rise up in you when you read “The bridegroom was a long time in coming”?
- What might “being prepared to wait” look like for you?
