A bride asked ten of her friends to be bridesmaids. There were shopping trips, breakfasts at Starbucks, laughing, giggling and general fun. This was not to be an ordinary wedding. The groom had courted and wooed the bride for years. He wanted the world to know he was marrying the most wonderful women in the world. Being rich, money was no object in the planning of the event.
On the day of the wedding the bride would be waiting in a beautiful home nestled in a lush garden. The groom was going to come to her in a procession of white stallions with his groomsmen. The job of the bridesmaids was to wait at the garden gate and as soon as they heard the playing of trumpets and the cheering of the crowds, they were to run and tell the bride that the groom was coming.
The day arrived and the bridesmaids gathered early in the morning with hot Starbucks’ coffee and sweet roles. But the day wore on and the bridegroom did not come. At noon five of the bridesmaids opened lunch baskets but five didn’t come prepared for such a long wait. “We’ll be right back,” they said as they headed into town to buy a sandwich. But when they returned they found the gate locked. The guard would not allow them in and they missed the entire wedding.
Jesus said even if we have to wait a lifetime, we remain ready for his coming (Mt 25:1-13).
