From the Deacon’s Desk 11/8/2020

Dear Friends:

The Gospel for this Sunday is taken from Matthew 25:1-13. It’s one of those Gospels steeped in symbolism. In ancient times it was a custom for the bride to meet the bridegroom with her attendants to share in the wedding banquet. Some of the attendants were not prepared and were forced to wait and go buy extra oil for their lamps. While they were gone the bridegroom came and they missed their chance to be with him. They knocked and banged on the door but they were refused entry. They were not ready when the time came for them to be with the bridegroom.

This parable might be a little hard for us to understand as it is so far from the way we celebrate marriages today. However, the message remains the same. We all must be ready when Jesus, who is the bridegroom, comes for the second and last time. We should be spending our lives preparing for the coming of Jesus because, as it says in the Gospel today, we do not know when he will come. Actually, according to Jesus, no one knows except the Father himself.

I sure want to be ready when he comes! Don’t you? Now there is no need to get panicky or worry unnecessarily about getting ready for Jesus’ coming. What we should be doing is living lives that keep us ready all the time. We do that by being kind, gentle and generous. We learn to love each other the same way God loves us. That is to love without expecting anything in return. That is true love isn’t it? If we learn to love and learn to be kind, gentle and generous, we will be ready when Jesus comes! What better day to start than today.

Peace and All Good!

Deacon Jim

By the time we read this Gospel commentary we will have chosen a new president. My prayer as I write this is that God will give us a good president who will lead us to be a kinder gentler people. A people who will not tolerate senseless killing of any human being even a little baby! Won’t you join me in that prayer?