Original sermon given on the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, November 8, 2026 written and delivered by Pastor Jeff Leininger at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church.
Watch the sermon live.
“Who Are These?”
Matthew 25.1-13
Third-Last Sunday of the Church Year
Wise or Foolish?
In the name of the Living God and the Christ who is coming soon. Amen.
You’ve heard of “Bridezilla”, but have you ever heard of “Bridesmaid-zilla?” Ever met her? Ever been her?
As most of you might know, I’ve done a lot of weddings in my pastoral ministry. Over 150 at this point — more to come, hopefully! Pastor Henry Wunder, who was pastor at First Saint Paul’s for over 60 years back in the 1800s, did over 5,000 weddings. One of the things I’m going to do when I get to heaven is corner this guy, get a German beer in him (I’m sure we’ll have those heaven), and ask him to tell me his best/ worst wedding stories. I’m sure he’ll have some great ones, because of all those 5,000 weddings, something must have gone wrong at some point. And he must have encountered not only a Bridsezilla, perhaps also the occasional bridesmaid-zilla too.
You can do your own research online, but here are some of the broad themes for the maids-zilla. There’s the drama queen — somehow even her best friend’s wedding is supposed to be about her! There’s miss-mopey — dragging everyone down with all her problems, even though her job is to smile and look happy! There’s skanky/ flirtatious maid-zilla — more interested in getting with the groomsmen than being there for the bride. There’s the jealous maids-zilla — upset because she’s not the one getting married. There’s maids-zilla cheap-o — she’s the one who wants to do all this cool stuff for the bachelorette party but then complains about how expensive everything is and never pays up. Finally, there’s the constantly late and totally unprepared maid-zilla — pulls in an hour before and totally forgot to pick up the bouquets — girl, you had one job!
Those of you who are planning a wedding, am I making you stressed? The parable Jesus tells from Matthew 25 won’t be much help, I’m afraid. He doesn’t call them “maid-zillas,” but rather “foolish” because half the girls are unprepared, unaware, and inattentive to their role in the big party. Their negligence is inexcusable and even insulting because the one job they have to do in this celebration is to process into the great hall with lighted lamps. Um, you need oil to do that, and the groom is going to arrive at any moment, so be ready. Be prepared. Think ahead. They’re foolish not because they’re tired or impious or immoral, they’re foolish because they knew he would return, but lived like it didn’t matter — like only they mattered, and only those things they could see immediately in front of them were important.
The cultural and historic context of this wedding story seems so far removed from us, but the message hits home. We don’t use lighted oils lamps often in weddings — the Fire Marshall would have something to say about that. We’ve got Apple watches which tell us the exact time — you can even sync them with an atomic clock in Ft. Collins, Colorado if you really want to start your wedding on time. We can text the bridal party and tell them we’re running late — or better yet, share our location. We’ve got 24-hour Walgreens to buy last minute items — or Amazon Prime to deliver right to the church. We don’t have great halls with great doors that are slammed shut with great bolted locks. But we all know that Christ our Lord will return one day. We all know this world is fleeting and passing away. We all know there will be a great accounting one day for each of us. And we all know that ultimately, heaven is our home.
To live foolishly is to live or act like none of this is true, even though Jesus himself has told us and warned us. To live foolishly is to live an un-readied life, asleep at the sacred switch, focused only on the here and now and not the eternal here-after.
To live wisely is to live a life of preparedness — waiting, ready, longing even for Christ’s return. To live wisely is to believe that though the time of Christ’s return is unknown, it should not be unexpected.
So, some practical advice… or, how not to be a “maid-zilla.”
Be wise by being in God’s word and sacraments. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matt. 24.35). The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40.8). Christian wisdom is to crave the eternal things which give true life and strength — his word in Holy Scripture; his “wet word” of Holy Baptism which engrafts us into him forever; his embodied an em-blooded word in Holy Communion. Our Lord has promised to work through these “Means of Grace,” and it would be foolish to neglect them. Fill your lamps with this “holy oil.”
Be wise by being in service to your neighbor. Live a life no longer curved in on self but expanded outward like the arms of Jesus on the cross. In his final parable about the Last Times, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these…you did for me.” Maids-zilla are always about themselves. The wise Christian life is poured out in the life of others. Fill your lamps with the oil of love and service to others, according to the vocations God has given.
Be wise by being in Christ by faith. Trust his promises for you. Cling to his mercy. Know his gospel for you. He is the sole bridegroom of the Church and has united himself to us by his sacrificial love. His cross reconciles us with God and one another. His blood poured out for us cleanses us and remakes us. His resurrection brings life to us and to all. Having “oil in your lamp” means faith burns in recognition of who Jesus is and what he has done. No other oil is necessary. No other message more important. No other wisdom to be sought after.
Our Lord’s wedding story calls us to wisdom. May we live lives of expectation, always praying, “Come soon, Lord Jesus.”
Amen.
Image Source: Schadow, Friedrich Wilhelm von, 1789-1862. Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, detail, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://act.library.vanderbilt.edu/artworks/54277 [retrieved November 9, 2026]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schadow,FW-Die_klugen_und_t%C3%B6richten_Jungfrauen-2.JPG.
