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The Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence
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Filling Stations

Matthew 25:1-13

November 04, 2007

The Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence (PCUSA)

This is one of those moments when I am saying, "Thank you, Jesus, this is not the only parable about the Kingdom of Heaven." There are other ways to describe it that do not involve bridesmaids and oil reserves and doors that lock half of us out, just because we were a little late. Maybe if we can fix our eyes on the sower and those mustard seeds, other parables about the kingdom of heaven, we can manage to get down one parable that hinges on not sharing what you have. I have to acknowledge to you at the outset that I think this is a text that makes church people look bad. Is this really how we define a wise person, as someone who only takes care of herself? Is this the kind of story we want people to identify with us? "Well, you know, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, the Methodists: they're the ones that hoard all their oil. They preach the wisdom of stockpiling, because they believe that if people are in need, it's their own darn fault." As a friend of mine said, when I asked him to read the text with me and tell me what he thought about it (he is relatively un-churched), he said, "Is that in the Bible? Well, it's not right."

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