Matthew 25:1-9 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’”

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. When a potential natural disaster is threatening, most people have the good sense to take some precautions and prepare for trouble. You may know that northerners think it’s funny when southerners clean out the grocery stores at the first hint of snow. But they don’t know how limited the highway and street departments are in the South. It makes some sense to stock up with a few extras. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

The young women in our parable were attending a wedding. Sometimes weddings start late. I have attended or conducted weddings that started late because of bad traffic, issues with the tux rentals, or rings or marriage licenses forgotten at the hotel. Not showing up until the middle of the night may be an extreme case. But weddings don’t always start on time.

Five of the virgins were ready for the delay. They brought extra oil for their lamps. Five of them were not prepared. This, then, is what Jesus is picturing: He is the bridegroom, the wedding banquet is heaven, and the ten virgins are the people who have received Jesus’ invitation to faith and life. They are the members of the visible church, Christians (at least in name) who are waiting for Jesus’ return to take us to heaven.

The oil for the lamps is faith, Christian life within the heart. This makes it possible to see our Savior and receive his gifts. Five of these ladies took their need for faith seriously. They weren’t satisfied that at least they had some at the moment. They took steps to make sure their supply was full no matter how long it had to last.

The other five didn’t consider the possibility of running out of faith. No doubt they genuinely had some in the beginning. But they weren’t willing to pay the price, or put in the effort involved, with getting more and carrying it with them. So they ran out of faith before they fell asleep in death.

What is Jesus saying to us? It takes a lot of faith to get through life all the way to the end. We are constantly burning through our supply. We need to refill if we aren’t going to run out.

You might think, “I know good and well who Jesus is and what he did to save me. I will never forget that he died on a cross to pay for my sins and rose three days later to prove it.” As a matter of knowledge, that may all be true. You are not likely to forget these facts as long as you live.

But faith is not the same thing as knowledge. Faith is trust, the kind of trust that puts all our welfare in life and in death in God’s hands. Life has a way of gnawing at this kind of trust until it isn’t there anymore at all. It is full of things that whisper in our ears, “God doesn’t really care about you.” People die, plans fail, relationships crumble, guilt nags, powers fade, jobs disappoint, wealth disappears, and our bodies limp toward a miserable death.

On the other side, life is full of slick salesmen and carnival hawkers calling out, “Come over here! Have I got a deal for you! We have the secret to real happiness. What you need is a new car, a newer, bigger house, a bigger TV screen with more mind-numbing power than ever before.” Even our innocent interests and distractions have the potential to put us in violation of the very first commandment, “No other gods!” Without a constant attention given to the needs of our soul they have the power to drain our faith.

Now is the time to buy our oil! Now is the time to build our stock. It won’t wait until tomorrow, because tomorrow may not be given to us. Today the Gospel is here, and we can hear it, read it, sing it, and take it to heart. Today God wants his love to find its way into our hearts through his word, and each day he gives us until we sleep. Ready or not, here Christ comes. There are just two ways to prepare for that day. Only those who continue to fill themselves from God’s word will be able to maintain their faith.