Pay attention to the Main Thing

 The story we have from Joshua today serves as a wrap-up of the history of the Israelite people from Abraham to this moment in their life together as God’s people. They have wandered with Moses for 40 years and are now ready to enter the land that was promised to Abraham hundreds of years before.

Before they enter the land, Joshua wants to be sure they know what they are doing, which deity they will serve and obey. He declares, “You can chose to follow whoever you want to, but I and my household will serve the deity we call The Lord.”

I have seen framed images of this verse in lots of houses, and it’s one of my favorite verses. I choose to follow this God and no other god. I choose to have a relationship with this God, and I try to not let things become my gods in place of the Lord.

 The trouble is that while I claim to worship and obey and follow this God, I don’t always remember to do so. It’s so easy to go about my day and say, “Good morning, God,” and then not remember God for the rest of the day. I don’t always pay attention to the things that matter. I am not always present with God.

Which leads us to the story Jesus tells about a group of bridesmaids. Weddings in the ancient world lasted for days, with parties happening in all the wedding family households. On the night Jesus describes, the groom comes with his family and friends to join the bride for the marriage itself. The tradition is that the groom is welcomed by the bridesmaids holding their lamps to light the way to the house.

 

Whenever people travel, delays can happen. And the groom doesn’t arrive when they expect him to. The wait is so long, they all fall asleep. Apparently, they left their lamps burning during their nap, and now some of the girls’ lamps are out of oil with no extra oil in their bags. It would be like forgetting to take an extra battery for your flashlight, or a spare power pack for your cell phone. Some of the girls weren’t paying attention to the basics.

I think it’s unfair that the girls with extra oil refused to share what they had so they could all have their lamps lit, if only for a shorter time. However, that isn’t the way Jesus tells the story. Jesus says the bridesmaids went to the oil store, but by the time they returned, the party was on and the doors were locked. The girls were not permitted to enter the house. The warning Jesus issues is that we need to be paying attention to the main things so we don’t miss out on them. The main thing at this party was to be with the bride and groom, even if they didn’t have enough oil to light the way to the party. The main thing was to be present, to be part of the celebration.

All summer long, we have talked about how Abraham and Sarah and their descendants were called by God, blessed by God, to be a blessing to others. This would seem to be the main thing, then. We bless others by noticing them and being present with them.

Here is a story that illustrates this.

Mary was waiting in line to pay for groceries while maintaining a 6ft distance. As she watched, a man cut in line without realizing what he’d done. Mary didn't say anything, just maintained the proper distance. When it was time for the man to pay, he reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small note pad and realized he’d forgotten his wallet. He looked a bit disappointed and embarrassed.

Mary stepped up and told the cashier she’d pay for the man’s groceries, which only consisted of milk and chocolate chip cookies. He was more than grateful, and he kindly thanked Mary and left the store. When Mary reached the register, the cashier asked: "He cut in line ahead of you and you paid for his groceries. Why??"

Mary calmly replied with a smile: “I hope that if one day my Dad forgets his wallet, someone will step up and buy his milk and cookies.”

How will we step in and buy the milk and cookies for someone like this man? How will we choose to serve the Lord? How will we pass on the blessings we have received? We’ll do it by paying attention to the main things around us. Here are some suggestions.

·         We can pay for the meal of the family in the junker car behind us at the drive-through.

·         We can smile first. Smiles are contagious, and don’t cost anything.

·         We can clean out our closets and donate what someone else can use to a helping organization.

·         We can offer to dog- or cat-sit for our neighbors.

·         We can make dinner for a neighbor or family who is going through a rough time.

And this. This last year of election politics and matters related to the virus has been a rough one on all of us. We all are in need of healing and tender loving care. Let’s pay attention to each other’s hearts and reach out to our sisters and brothers as members of the same family, even if they voted and adamantly supported the other candidate.

When we choose to serve this Lord, we also choose to trust in that same Lord to ultimately be in charge. Let’s trust God to see us into the future, blessing us the same way God has blessed God’s people through thousands of years in the past. Amen