The Last Sunday of the Church Year – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. Matthew 25:1-13 “Your Lamp is Trimmed with Gracious Oil”
November 23, 2025 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Lord God, heavenly Father, make us watchful and heedful in awaiting the coming of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that when He shall stand at the door and knock, He may find us not sleeping in carelessness and sin, but awake and rejoicing in His appearance; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 165)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 25th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
[Jesus said:] “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who as the perfect husband, comes to His perfect bride, and lays down His life for her, for you, dear fellow redeemed:
With the cool weather, there is nothing better when family or friends can gather around a bonfire. Big or small, it is nice to enjoy the warmth of the flames. As we sit and visit, we watch the flames dance around in red, orange, yellow, blue, and green hues. The sound of the crackling is sweet to the ears, and the smell of fresh burning wood is great in the nose. I don’t know what it is about fire, but the conversations are always great, and they will typically last long into the night or even morning hours without a single complaint. The fires that we enjoy at any time of the year are a great image of the fire we enjoy every day of our lives. We have lamps that are burning bright with flame, and this flame keeps us warm with its light as well as leading the way for others. If anything, or anyone tries to snuff out this flame, the lamp is trimmed with gracious oil, given to await the arrival of the Bridegroom, and light the way to the forever feast.
And as the light burns brightly and we want it to burn brightly, the darkness tries to reveal itself as all consuming. As we have already looked at how scary the darkness can be, we also know the darkness is a place where we find rest as we do every night. Now there is a good kind of rest in the darkness, and as we see in our text, a second reason for being in the darkness. In the evening, of our text, we see the wait for something special. A great wedding has taken place. We have heard over the last few weeks how exciting the feast is and there is an array of guests who receive the invite. In this parable, these are very close guests. They all know who the bridegroom is and when He comes, they will get to go with Him into the feast. While everyone will clamor that this feast should be easy to attend, and most likely people thought this in Jesus’ day, He teaches that “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” Even with those who are close to one of the most important people in the wedding party, with weddings, there can be drama.
So, who is to blame for this drama? Some will want to point fingers at the bridegroom, because He is the one who is taking forever to arrive. It is getting dark outside. It would make it easy if the problem would just be with the the bride and groom, but this is not the typical wedding that took place. This is a perfect wedding, so the only problem is going to be with the guests and their reaction to the perfect wedding. Some are ready for this perfect celebration, and some are not. “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.” Now it looks like they all have abandoned their lights, but that is not the case. Of course, the light is important, it is needed, but in this parable, there is an emphasis on the fuel for the lamps. What is that fuel? For the people in Jesus’ day, He says the fuel is that “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29). Now this fuel was to get them to the bridegroom’s first coming. As we wait for the second coming and just as it was for the first coming, the wait could be longer than expected.
Is it truly worth the wait? Knowing the joy that is found at a wedding celebration, wouldn’t it be fun to be able to participate in a perfect one? So, the problem isn’t because we must wait for this event and we don’t know when it will come. The problem is we have a great light and to sustain this great light, it will constantly need fuel. As we hear in the parable, the fuel can be bought. Isaiah prophesies about the cost. “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). If there is no price, no cost, then it can’t be earned. Which means, it’s free, it’s given. One only needs to go to the right place to get this fuel for the lamp. While many will think they have enough, Jesus is preaching there will come a time where we can’t go out and get anymore, so we better be well stocked.
“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ “But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” We don’t know the day or the hour. And while it is okay to rest in the night hours, our light, our faith, needs to be constantly sustained. We hear, learn, and take in the means of grace weekly, we learn God’s Word in Bible study, we read His Word in our homes. With all of this, we know because of our failings, we must keep going. We are never and will never be in it as perfectly as we are supposed to. Our many distractions and temptations can convince us that because the oil reveals our weaknesses, can’t we gamble and think we have enough. God’s grace is vast in its extent, but it has its limits. There will be a time as we have heard when we can’t go and get anymore. For the lamp to burn, we must have the fuel, and to know that we have it, we go to the One who is it, who gives it graciously, and gives it in abundance.
“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’” The substance of the lamp arrived. His ministry revealed to the people God’s gracious gift of salvation. His cry is heard throughout the streets, even though it is so late at night. With love, He calls out to those who are close to Him. Those who heard and listened to Moses and the Prophets. It looked as though they would have to wait forever. Yet, the time arrives, and the bridegroom arrives. It is comforting. It brings great rejoicing. The people in Jesus’ day would experience a great procession like this. The procession where the bridegroom would go into Jerusalem to the cross. With perfect strength, the perfect husband would lay down His life for His perfect bride, the church. He then sustains her with His oil and burns brightly as her light. The people were ready for this, and when He completed His mission, as our text says, “the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast.”
This marriage feast is completely worth the wait. It is hard when the darkness swirls around you. It makes the wait long and distractions come that can cause you to lose fuel. To get through it all, the bridegroom has already provided you with the fuel and the light. And as He shines brightly as the conqueror of death, He says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.” You are close to Him because of His great and perfect wedding to save you. He then provides you with the fuel. Through Him you nourish your faith by regularly receiving the Gospel in Word and sacraments. The Means of Grace where you get a glimpse of the heavenly feast. This will get you through the wait.
This wait though it will feel long, Scripture gives you encouragement. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11). The temptations will always be there to just sleep and not worry about the oil needed for the lamp. There will be many who will say you can be ready all on your own. Jesus teaches that none of this can be your own. He supplies the oil as a gift. He burns as your light. It will always be Him who nourishes your faith by you regularly receiving the Gospel in Word and sacraments. As He lastly says, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour,” this may look like there is no hope, yet you find all your hope in your Savior who has done it all for you. He counts you as being close to Him because of the oil and He trims your lamp with this gracious oil. Having all that you need, this wait won’t be long, and He will come and call you to be with Him at His and your wedding feast. The feast will last in Heaven forever. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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