"Hope Delayed Is Not Hope Denied"
Rev. Emily Labrecque, Westmoreland UCC
November 8, 2026

Dissecting scripture most weeks is a bit like that parable about the elephant. You know the one. There are several blind people standing around an elephant feeling the different parts of its body and insisting what the elephant is like. The one who feels the leg suggests the elephant is like a tree. And the one who feels its side suggests the elephant is like a wall. And the one who feels its tail suggests they’ve been tricked and it’s just a rope. The story goes on. The idea is that you can look at something from various angles but never quite have the full picture.

This passage about the bridesmaids is full of entry points. And like with the elephant, your view of this passage will change based on the way you approach it. So as we prepare to explore this passage, as we prepare for the word preached, will you pray with me?

[Pray.]

This passage from the Gospel of Matthew comes in the midst of Jesus’ discourse on the end times. If we had read the preceding passages, we would have heard about the unexpected nature of the return of Jesus to earth as well as the reminder to be ready for it. If we are looking at this text through that specific lens, the bridegroom represents Jesus at the second coming, the bridesmaids stand for members of the church-writ-large, and the wedding banquet represents the fully realized Kin-dom of Heaven.

But wait, some bridesmaids were left out of the wedding, so given our propensity toward a progressive theology that says God does not exclude anyone, that God’s grace is big enough for all of us, how are we to make sense of this idea that some people will be excluded from the Peaceable Realm? And what does it mean that some of the bridesmaids are prepared with extra oil and some are not? And what does it mean that those who are prepared are considered wise while the others are considered foolish? And what does it mean that the bridegroom is SO late that the bridesmaids fall asleep waiting for him?

Of all the different parts of this elephant, so to speak, today I want us to pay attention to one particular feature: the groom's delay. Now, I’m known to run behind a few minutes here and there. But by and large, I seek to be on time. Especially for major events or if I have a ticket to a show or I know something will start right on time. Especially because I have FOMO, or the Fear Of Missing Out. Time, however, is a social and cultural construct. Cultures around the world view time differently. For some, to be early is to be on time and to be on time is to be late. For others, anywhere in the 5 minute window is acceptable, and others still, you can show up after 30-45 minutes and no one bats an eye.

So when I read this text through my particular lens, I found it disconcerting that the groom didn’t show up “on time.” But in many cultures time is not perceived as rigid and linear. It’s what sociologists call polychronic, meaning time is fluid, flexible, and integrated. Polychronic time often values relationships and interactions over schedules or deadlines. Reading this text through a polychronic lens, then, it makes sense that the wise bridesmaids came prepared with extra oil because they likely understood he wouldn’t show up “on time.” They knew he would come, they just didn’t know when.

Theologian NT Wright says that being hopeful requires asking two questions: (1) What are you waiting for? (2) What are you going to do about it while you wait?

The bridesmaids were waiting for the groom to arrive for the wedding. Just as we are waiting for the peaceable realm to arrive. So then, what are we to do while we wait?

Given Tuesdays election results, some of us are feeling hopeful about what the next few years might bring. And that hope is worth celebrating. But we have to remember that no election, no administration, no political victory is itself the Peaceable Realm. The work of building a world marked by justice, mercy, and wholeness doesn't end when the political winds shift. In fact, that's precisely when we need to keep showing up.

So then what can we learn from the bridesmaids in their waiting?

As we already heard, they were prepared. They came with a backup flask of oil. They anticipated the groom's unexpected arrival time and prepared accordingly. And then, what’s most interesting to me, as someone who lives with anxiety, is that they all fell asleep. There was no panicked running around, worrying, wondering what was going to happen if he didn’t arrive on time, what was going to happen to the food if it continued to sit out, what about the other guests and their arrival, was the bride already there? What would she think about all of this? No one panicked. No one complained. They knew he would arrive, they just didn’t know when.

Hope delayed is not hope denied.

God does not ask us to remain in a state of constant alertness. We are not being asked to maintain a state of hypervigilance that drives us to anxiety induced panic about the coming of the Peaceable Realm. Maybe keeping awake isn't about never closing our eyes. Again, every single bridesmaid fell asleep. Rather, it's about the kind of readiness that allows us to rest, because we have prepared ourselves for the waiting.0

But what does being prepared actually mean in this context?

Perhaps preparation isn't about knowing exactly when Jesus will return. Perhaps it's about cultivating the kind of faith that can sustain us, and sustain others, while we wait. Pastor John Buchanan writes, “The early Christians had to adjust to the reality that Jesus did not return as they fully expected, and that their mission was to wait expectantly and in the meantime live faithfully, courageously, hopefully ... At the heart of our faith is the certainty that human history has a purpose and a goal and that it is moving toward the eventual fulfillment and completion.” In other words, we know the Peaceable Realm will come and we continue to work toward it.

Hope delayed is not hope denied.

Near the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus instructs the disciples to “let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works: (Matt. 5:16). Just as the wise bridesmaids packed extra oil so their lamps could continue to burn bright, we are called to cultivate the practices of faithful discipleship that keep our lights shining. That includes acts of mercy, offering forgiveness, pursuing justice and peace, study and prayer, gathering in community. It means remaining hopeful in times of despair, showing up for others in times of challenge, and living in a state of abundance.

So what do we do while we wait? Like the wise bridesmaids, we gather with others, we bring extra, and we let our light shine.

We can’t waltz into the realm of God on the coattails of others who have done good works. We cannot depend on the good works of others while refusing to participate in the work ourselves. In Matthew 7 Jesus warns them that it is not enough to call out “Lord, Lord” in order to enter the kin-dom of God. You have to engage in acts of love and mercy, compassion and justice.

To answer NT Wright’s questions: We wait with expectant hope for the Peaceable Realm to come for we “know neither the day nor the hour.” And while we wait, we continue to follow Jesus through our actions.

Hope delayed is not hope denied.

The world will be restored to a sense of wholeness. All people will experience God’s love and justice. Everyone will have enough and then some. We just don’t know when.

May you rest in the peace of knowing that God is at work, even in the waiting. And may you be like the wise bridesmaids: gather with others, bring extra, and let your light shine.

Amen.