The Gospel According to Bluey
NL Year 1 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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You know I am a pastor and a dad of young children when my theological insights about these really difficult parables come from my children’s TV shows. At the same time I think it is really helpful that we take a look at this parable from a different perspective because I am sure that just reading this has really confused or frustrated many of you. The reason it is so frustrating is that some of the things we hear in this parable just don’t seem very kind or loving. Things like: why don’t the wise bridesmaids share their oil with the foolish? And why does the bridegroom pretend not to know the foolish bridesmaids when they finally have the oil and have shown up at his house? Or, which isn’t mentioned in the story, why don’t any of them simply share the light? There should be enough light from the collective lamps to show the way for everyone. Perhaps there are more things that bothered you about this, and my short answer to all of it is one word that we have been using for weeks: parable. We’ll talk about that more later, but for the moment I want to get back to children’s TV shows. This time we hear the gospel according to Bluey.
Bluey is an Australian TV show where each episode is about 7 mins long, and is about a family of Blue Heeler dogs living out everyday life scenarios, that range from the ordinary to the ridiculous and even the profound. The particular episode that came to mind when I was trying to process this parable is called “The Pool”. The dad Bandit decides to take his two daughters Bluey and Bingo to their family members pool becuase he is out of town. Their mom Chili tells them to bring the bag of pool stuff, which dad and Bluey call boring and then get in the car and head for the pool. When they show up the kids have forgotten their sandals and dad has to carry them to the pool.
When they get to the pool they realize that they don’t have their rash guards, sunscreen or hats so they are confined to the small shady area of the pool. When Bingo, the younger daughter, is about to jump in they realize that they don’t have her floaties so she has to stay in the shallowest part of the pool. Next they realize that they also forgot their goggles and the chlorine is hurting their eyes. Let’s just suffice it to say that there were multiple more things they realize they forgot to bring becuase they didn’t bring the swim bag. Just as dad and the girls are about to give up, mom shows up with the swim bag and saves the pool day by bringing all the things they forgot. Then the mom, says, “So boring things are important sometimes, then?” To which her daughter Bluey emphatically responds, “yes!”, and they spend the afternoon enjoying the pool the way the pool should be enjoyed.
That is the gospel according to the kids TV show Bluey. I believe often times there are people who don’t want to put in the work and the effort to make the important or fun things happen in life. I want the end result of a big house and a fancy car, but I don’t want to put in the effort of getting a job that allows those things to happen. Why can’t I just have those things now? Or, why can’t I just say I have faith, or believe in God and then live my life as if God were not in it, but when the end comes I can enjoy all the rewards of everlasting life?
I remember a professor I had in seminary who loved to tell the story of a guy he knew who was a full blown Jesus Freak. He found out that this guy wasn’t going to church and hadn’t been for a while. When he asked ‘why’, his friend simply replied that, “church was boring”. He then said to the Jesus freak, “I know how much you love Jesus, would you die for him”? To which his friend responded, “absolutely”! My professor then said, “well if you are willing to die for Jesus, don’t you think you could be bored for Jesus for an hour once a week?” Or to quote the mom from Bluey, “So boring things are important sometimes, then?”.
In the next two chapters after this parable Jesus is going to be arrested and killed. The time of waiting that we hear about for the bridesmaids is about to be very real for the disciples of Jesus, and I’m not just talking about the 12. Jesus is impressing upon us the importance of persevering in our faith no matter what happens. It’s not about oil and it’s not about not sharing or being denied knowing who is at the door. The parable is about making sure that we are practicing and living out our faith at all times and in all places. Our oil, our faith, needs to be with us all the time. It shouldn’t be thought of as unimportant or boring and that we should only bring it with us when it is really important. We shouldn’t just bring our faith with us when we think we need to use it, or when it is beneficial for us to do that.
That’s why the other bridesmaids can’t share it. My faith isn’t and can’t be another’s faith. My faith won’t give another person instant belief in something they have ignored, neglected, and called boring for their whole life. I can share my faith story, but I can’t actually give my faith to someone to make them believe. Faith is as important as the clothes we wear, and the necessities of having a lit lamp at a wedding party. Faith should be a part of our mental checklist when we head out the door in the morning. Every time I leave the house I make sure I have my keys, wallet, phone, watch, and glasses. Sometimes it’s a verbal list where I physically make sure that those things are with me. Perhaps we should all add to our mental checklists each day to make sure to bring our faith with us. Today as I head out the door I want to make sure I have all those physical things, and I need to make sure that I have my faith with me, front and center so that I do not neglect it, so I am not putting it off for another day.
Last week I tied the other wedding parable to the story of Joshua, and this week I think another parallel exists with a story from the Old Testament we looked at in the fall. The prophet Habakkuk talks about several important things. He talks about standing at his watchpost and waiting for the Lord and then he goes on to say that even if important things like the harvest of fruit and figs don’t happen, and if the animals for food get lost he will still rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk reminds us that no matter what happens in our lives, we must live by faith and give praise to God in all circumstances.
So no, Jesus is not advocating we not share our resources, and he is not advocating ignoring people in our lives. Jesus is advocating for a life that is ever focused on our faith. A life that places our relationship with our Creator above all other things. Which is something we see all over the gospels. A life of faith that says that what we believe and what we do because of our belief is as important as the most vital things we should walk out the door with. And as Bluey’s mom says, sometimes things that may seem boring are actually important then? To which we, like Bluey, get the point, and enthusiastically respond, “Absolutely!” Amen.