If the cable company tells us that their technician will be at our home between 9 and 11 am, we expect that to happen.

When we get a message from Amazon advising us that the product we ordered will be delivered the following morning, we look forward to seeing it on our doorstep before noon.

If our employer tells us that there will be a senior staff meeting at 3 pm on Monday afternoon, we make certain to show up on time and be prepared.

But imagine rather than being given a specific time for a service call, a delivery, or meeting, we were given an indefinite hour.

We were told instead that the cable specialist would arrive sometime during the week, the Amazon delivery would come any day now, and the staff meeting would happen some afternoon in the next day or two.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 25:1-13), we hear about ten virgins who had the responsibility of welcoming the bridegroom when he arrived to meet his bride.

Following the custom of the day, there was no scheduled time for the celebration; it occurred when the groom came to meet his bride. In the parable, this did not happen until midnight. That meant the ten virgins in the parable may have waited the entire day or even longer. Grooms arrived whenever they wanted.

As we learn from the parable, five of the virgins were wise. They anticipated they might wait a long time, and they brought extra oil for their lamps. The other virgins foolishly thought the groom would arrive soon, and they brought no extra oil.

When the groom arrived, the wise virgins whose lamps were lighting his way were welcomed into the wedding feast. The foolish virgins who had gone to buy oil for their dimming lamps never made it past the locked door. As the groom told them, “I do not know you.”

This Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 25:1-13) warns us to be sure that we have oil in our lamps, in other words, that our lives are shinning with goodness when the Lord arrives.

Just as importantly, that parable can remind us that the Lord’s arrival is not scheduled for a precise time. The Lord, who took on flesh and entered this world 2,000 years ago, will come again in glory sometime between today and the dawning of eternity.

The Lord does not publish a schedule announcing the time of his arrival, but he does tell us he will come sometime. Sunday’s Gospel reminds us to be like the wise virgins: always ready for his coming.

© 2026 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski