Sermon Tone Analysis

In the name of Jesus.

Amen.

The five foolish virgins had one problem.

They were “morons.”

That’s literally the word Jesus uses – μωρός.

So that’s how I’ll refer to them; if you have a problem with me calling them morons, you can take it up with Jesus.

Being morons was their only problem.

The fact that they had lamps but no oil is problematic, but their problem is that they are morons.

Having an oil lamp but no oil is silly.

Wicks without oil can only burn for a few seconds before disappearing in a choking mess of smoke.

We might think that the wise virgins not sharing their oil with the morons is a problem.

It doesn’t seem very charitable.

Why don’t the wise just offer to let the morons walk in the light of their lamps?

Well, we don’t know enough about the customs of Jesus’ day to know why each girl needed to have her own lamp.

And who knows?

Maybe that arrangement would have been acceptable.

But notice what the morons did.

When the call rings out, “Here is the bridegroom!

Come out to meet him,” they moronically wander away from the banquet hall to try and buy some “midnight oil.”

What shop would be open at that hour?

While the morons are gone on their hopeless shopping trip, the bridegroom arrives.

The five wise virgins go in to the marriage feast, and the door is shut.

When the five morons finally return begging to be allowed in to the feast, they are met with the horrifying reply, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

Jesus tells this parable as a warning for us to be ready for His return.

The moral of the parable is, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”Jesus

will return to judge the living and the dead.

But Jesus didn’t tell us whenHe would return.

So, He commands us to watch and be ready.

Wake up from your sleep today.

Wake up now.

When the feast begins, Jesus wants you there.

Have oil.

Don’t be left outside.

But now, we have a problem.

Jesus doesn’t tell us what the oil is.

Is it the Bible, faith, grace, the Holy Spirit, or the Sacraments?

Jesus doesn’t say.

But the Scriptures would indicate that it can be and is all of those.

I’m open to other suggestions that you might have, but my guess is that Jesus doesn’t tell us what the oil is so that we seek after all those things because each of them – Bible, faith, grace, absolution, and the Sacraments – are kingdom of heaven things.

And Christ tells us to, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt.

6:33).

That is why you are here today.

God has gathered you here around His Word and Sacrament.

This is where you need to be and where you belong.

In this place, you hear God’s Word, are absolved of your sins, and receive Christ’s risen Body and Blood.

In this place, you are supported by your brothers and sisters in Christ, and your presence ministers to them.

Here, you unite in prayer making intercessions for yourselves and others, for our nation and this world.

This is how faith is given, sustained, and strengthened.

The Church is the well-fortified barracks where you are fitted with the whole armor of God (Eph.

6:11).

And, here, you help others prepare for the battle.

But you don’t get to stay here.

You will return to the battlefield of the world.

It is necessary, and it is, in fact, what God has called you to do.

You are called by God to go into the world and deal with lazy coworkers and incompetent supervisors and bosses.

You will have to endure your children’s temper tantrums, your spouse’s failures and shortcomings, the loneliness of a widowed house, and your relatives’ problems.

You will go back to school and classes with boring teachers, pointless homework, and bullies.

God calls you to face all of that even while you struggle with your own sins of anger, lust, gossip, and envy.

In each of those places, each of those callings and vocations, the devil has laid all sorts of traps and snares for you; he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour you (1 Pet.

5:8).

Satan attacks you in those arenas because everywhere you go, you carry God’s light to a darkened world.

Christian, every relationship you have is a holy, divine calling.

And because you are God’s child, everything you do has spiritual value.

How you handle work, school, chores, laundry, dishes, and whatever else has both temporal and eternal consequences.

That is why you come to church and get what is necessary for your salvation.

But what happens here must extend to the rest of your week.

Don’t be a moron thinking that a couple hours at church each week (or two to three times each month) is enough to prepare you for what you will face out there.

You need more.

And parents, listen up.

Your children can’t share your oil and can’t walk in the light of your lamp.

Each one needs his or her own lit lamp.

So, if it hasn’t been your family’s practice in the past, start today.

Make the reading of Scripture, prayer, and fellowship around God’s Word together as a family your top priority each day.

Fathers, God calls you to take the lead on this.

Wives, if he doesn’t do it on his own, pester and nag him until he does.

Family time in the Bible doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy.

Start simple.

Start with the Gospel of John and read one paragraph each day.

After you read, pray for your friends and family.

It can be as simple as, “Bless grandma and help Phil.

Amen.”

Then, pray the Lord’s Prayer.

That will take five minutes.

You can do that.

You have the time to do that.

And if you don’t have enough time, rip something out of your schedule.

If your job makes it impossible, quit.

Find a new one – even if it means a pay cut and you have to buy a smaller, cheaper house.

This is eternally serious.

Your salvation and the salvation of your children depends on it.

If you miss a day, don’t give up.

Start again the next.

Make it a habit for you and your kids to pray together on the way to school or practice or wherever.

All of this will help to begin to make God’s Word part of your regular conversations as you watch and remain ready for His return.

Ok.

That was the Law part of the sermon.

And, I hope was a bucket of ice water to awaken you from slumber.

Now, we need the Gospel.

And there is one more problem to address: Now, be honest.

Does this parable strike fear into you?

Honestly, if you summarize the parable, it is a story of ten silly girls who fall asleep waiting for a party.

Five are able to light a lamp and get to go into the party.

Five can’t, so they have to go away.