Show Up, Be Present, Be Yourself, Let Go

Matthew’s parable of the ten bridesmaids calls believers to be prepared in faith for the coming of Jesus. The king is coming again. All ten bridesmaids arrive, all bring lamps, and all expect a celebration. But “just showing up doesn’t get the job done.” The bridegroom is delayed, the evening changes, and every one of them falls asleep. Human weakness belongs to the whole company, not just the foolish half.

Faithful Christian life takes shape through four simple calls: showing up, being present, being the person God created, and letting go. Showing up means engaging a particular moment in history. Wars, political divisions, suspicion, and bullying make the present world a hard place to inhabit. Yet Jesus does not call believers to live faithfully in a world of their choosing. He calls them into the world they have been given.

Being present means more than occupying the right seat while the mind wanders elsewhere. Jesus lived with “all thereness,” fully present from the temple to the cross. That same attention opens the way for believers and congregations to offer their actual gifts rather than wishing for somebody else’s abilities or yesterday’s church. “Diversity doesn’t subtract. Diversity adds.” A congregation’s gifts do not disappear when circumstances change; they may need rediscovering and using in new ways.

Letting go releases the demand to control what happens next. The bridesmaids’ preparation leads toward a party, and the coming Savior brings excitement rather than a tightly managed program. Saint Andrew’s new chapter calls for trust, room for different gifts, and freedom from demands that incoming leadership or the congregation become something they are not. The future rests on the promise that Jesus Christ will never cease to be Lord. The bridegroom comes, brings life, and the party begins.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Faithfulness Begins In The Given World. Jesus calls believers into the world that actually exists, not the world they hoped history would produce. War, division, and suspicion do not cancel that calling or make withdrawal the faithful choice. Showing up means engaging the present moment as the place where Christian faith must take flesh. [37:34]
• 2. Presence Requires More Than A Seat. All ten bridesmaids fall asleep, and their shared tiredness exposes a weakness that belongs to everyone. Physical attendance alone cannot supply the attention that faithful participation requires. Jesus’ “all thereness” offers a concrete picture of life lived fully in the moment, rather than with the mind somewhere else. [39:16]
• 3. Different Gifts Add To Church Life. Comparison can leave a congregation longing for another church’s opportunities or its own life fifty years earlier. God calls forth the particular gifts already entrusted to these people in this place and time. Diversity adds rather than subtracts, and changed circumstances may invite old gifts to find new uses. [44:50]
• 4. Letting Go Releases The Need To Control. Careful preparation is not the same as controlling every outcome. The coming bridegroom brings a celebration, and the Holy Spirit may bring something good that never appeared in the bulletin. Trust does not promise a life without surprises; it frees believers from the fear that everything depends on keeping those surprises under control. [48:46]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [26:22] - Prepared for the Coming King
• [28:16] - John Wayne and Showing Up
• [29:57] - Ten Bridesmaids and Shared Weakness
• [31:50] - Eight Words for Christian Life
• [34:51] - Showing Up in the Given World
• [38:14] - Being Fully Present
• [40:16] - Becoming Who God Created
• [43:27] - Diversity Adds, Not Subtracts
• [45:45] - Letting Go for the Celebration
• [49:20] - A New Chapter for Saint Andrew’s
• [51:16] - The Bridegroom Brings Life

Bible Reading

Matthew 25:1-13
“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.’ 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. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” [26:18]

John 16:33
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” [37:34]

1 Corinthians 12:4-6
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” [44:50]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 25:1–13, what do all ten bridesmaids have in common, and what preparation sets the wise apart from the foolish? [30:06]
2. How does the bridegroom’s delay change the evening the bridesmaids expected? What happens to both the wise and the foolish while they wait? [30:44]
3. What four calls describe a faithful Christian life, and how does “being present” go beyond simply showing up? [32:03]
4. In 1 Corinthians 12:4–6, what differences does Paul describe among believers, and what do those different gifts and activities have in common?

Interpretation questions

1. Since both the wise and foolish bridesmaids fall asleep, what does readiness for Jesus’ coming involve beyond staying physically awake? How does this help distinguish human weakness from a lack of preparation? [39:01]
2. How does Jesus’ promise in John 16:33 help believers engage a world marked by conflict and suspicion without either withdrawing or pretending that nothing is wrong? [37:42]
3. In light of 1 Corinthians 12:4–6, how might a congregation’s longing to resemble another church—or its own past—keep it from recognizing the gifts God has already provided? [44:45]
4. The wise bridesmaids prepare carefully, yet they cannot determine when the bridegroom will arrive. What is the difference between faithful preparation and trying to control the future? [46:02]

Application questions

1. Jesus calls us to live faithfully in the world we have been given. Where do you feel tempted to withdraw because things are not as you hoped they would be? What might one manageable step toward faithful engagement look like this week? [37:42]
2. Think of a recent conversation, worship service, or family gathering when you were physically there but your attention was elsewhere. What was pulling you away, and what could help you offer fuller attention next time? [38:52]
3. God has given you gifts to offer in this place and time. Is there an ability or strength you tend to dismiss because it seems less impressive than someone else’s? How might you use it to serve a particular person or need? [42:18]
4. Different gifts add to the life of the church. When has someone whose background, personality, or approach differs from yours helped your faith grow? Whose gifts could you make more room for now? [43:40]
5. As church life changes, what part of the past do you especially treasure? How could you honor that gift while remaining open to its being used in a new way? [44:45]
6. Our future rests on Jesus Christ remaining Lord, not on our ability to manage everything. What outcome in your family, work, or church are you finding hard to release? What would responsible preparation and trust in God look like side by side in that situation? [51:19]