Making choices

 Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Matthew 25:1-13

Today, we are learning that it can cost us to make certain choices.

Joshua tells us today that we have to make choices about following God. We have reached the end of the sequential telling of Hebrew Testament stories for this year. We started early in Genesis, meeting Abram and Sarai, who made the choice to go where God told them to go. We followed their adventures as they made more choices, sometimes to be patient, sometimes to take matters into their own hands. And we followed their children and grandchildren, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and his wives and children.

We heard the stories of Moses and Aaron as they confronted Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s choices. We learned that the people who left Egypt grumbled, not always trusting Moses and God to provide for them. The lectionary has skipped over the stories of what Jews call the Conquest, as they entered the land and took it over from the Canaanites. They believe God gave them this land, that it is theirs to occupy and possess and develop.

At this moment, the fighting for control is over, the tribes are going to settle into the portions of land given to each family group. But, before they do, Joshua wants a recommitment to serve God. It’s rather like us reaffirming our baptism each year – we agree to follow God and God agrees to be present with us. Joshua reminds the folks to get rid of any foreign idols and stop worshiping them. Remember which God brought you here, and worship only that God!

He uses the famous line: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” And he wants everyone else to make the same commitment. Through the centuries, we have made this same promise, to follow this God and no other.

… Bridesmaids in the Gospel reading have been forced to make choices, too. It’s a parable, so we know there will be a surprise ending when Jesus tells the story.

Here is the situation: the groom travels from his home to the home of the bride, where the bridesmaids are to be waiting and watching for him to arrive. He asks to see the bride, lifts her veil, and the wedding celebration begins.

Waiting for the groom can be long. He may be partying along the way, celebrating already. It makes me wonder if that was the origin of the stag party in more modern times. (I didn’t research that.) All the girls grow tired and go to sleep. In the meanwhile, they have continued to burn their lamps, because that’s how to keep light in the house. They want to be ready to welcome the groom with a lighted pathway when he arrives.

Unfortunately, half of them have failed to pack extra oil for the lamps, so their lamps are out of oil. The other bridesmaids refuse to share, so the 5 run off to the all-night oil store. By the time they get back, the groom has arrived. The 5 bridesmaids knock on the door, but the groom says, “Hey, I don’t know you. You can’t come in here!”

Some folks interpret this story by saying the bridesmaids should have chosen to bring extra oil. Some folks say the other 5 bridesmaids should have chosen to share their oil. And still others say the oil is a side issue. The point Jesus is making is that they should all have chosen to wait and been ready to greet him, whether or not they had any oil.

… Do you say: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord?” Being faithful to God requires making choices, because there are lots of other gods in our lives: money, power, the acquisition of stuff, our families, fear, and so forth.

Remaining faithful means trusting God to be there, to provide what we need. Trusting God doesn’t mean we won’t get sick, that we won’t die. But it does mean choosing to trust God, to wait for God’s answers even if they are a long time coming. Trusting God means choosing to wait for God to provide the best “whatever we are waiting for”.

… I watch CBS News most mornings and saw this story about making choices. Roberta was a correctional officer at a correctional institution for women in Louisiana. She is raising 5 of her grandchildren but it was no trouble to add another baby to the family.

Katie had two months to go on her sentence, but her baby would be born soon. Katie had no family to take in the baby so she asked Roberta if she would take care of her until Katie was released. Roberta agreed and then advised her supervisor, who said doing so was a conflict of interest and Roberta would be terminated if she persisted.

Roberta chose to get the baby from the hospital anyway. She cared for the baby for two months until Katie was released, caring for him as one of her own grandbabies. Katie has some work to do to be ready to have the baby home with her, so for now he is in foster care. And Roberta is working in a factory, and making plans to open a home for women in transition. She doesn’t regret making the choices she did, to care for another woman’s baby for a while.

News of her plan to open a shelter has gone out, and donations are coming in to help, as well as calls from other moms in similar situations.

… This week, I invite you to think about the choices you are making, or need to make. I pray that you are talking with God about your plans, to see if they allow you to trust God and wait for God’s promises to be realized in your life, or if they take you farther away from God. Amen