Just Trying To Make It Through The Night

Rev. Dr. Daran Mitchell

3/26/20254 min read

Poem:

A Journey by Nikki Giovanni

It’s a journey . . . that I propose . . . I am not the guide . . . nor technical assistant . . . I will be your fellow passenger . . .

Though the rail has been ridden . . . winter clouds cover . . . autumn’s exuberant quilt . . . we must provide our own guide-posts . . .

I have heard . . . from previous visitors . . . the road washes out sometimes . . . and passengers are compelled . . . to continue groping . . . or turn back . . . I am not afraid . . .

I am not afraid . . . of rough spots . . . or lonely times . . . I don’t fear . . . the success of this endeavor . . . I am Ra . . . in a space . . . not to be discovered . . . but invented . . .

I promise you nothing . . . I accept your promise . . . of the same we are simply riding . . . a wave . . . that may carry . . . or crash . . .

It’s a journey . . . and I want . . . to go . . .

Song: “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” Arr. by Andre Thomas

Meditation:

Jesus’ counsel to his petulant followers reaches a higher octave as he moves to further clarify the necessity of facing the challenges of a new age. Jesus has laid before them sobering realities that accompany a return that has yet to occur. He is preparing for Calvary, yet they have not embraced the fullness of his mission among them. With cryptic and ominous overtones, he unfolds a very bleak and dreary future in which the believing community and generations following must “stay woke” and be prepared for events that would culminate in the advent of the eschaton—the return of Christ.

Can we have a serious conversation with this text? Can we sit in the aura and orbit of this narrative and not try to lead the conversation, but to sit with these unsuspecting characters that fill the pages of this ancient yet relevant story? Can we talk?

I want to confess that I’ve been searching for the essential meaning and to be honest it’s not been as easy as it looks.

10 bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom...

5 wise, 5 foolish...

All 10 have oil, but only 5 brought extra!

The bridegroom is late for the wedding...

He comes at midnight...

Where’s the bride?

The 5 with extra oil trimmed their lamps and kept it moving...

The 5 with no reserves make a pitch to their comrades but to no avail. Instead, they advise them to go and buy oil (which meant they had money and means).

They come back and the caravan has entered the reception and they entreat the host to grant them access...DENIED!

They were not allowed to join in the festivities.

These words uttered by Jesus are quite appropriate when you look at our tattered and torn nation. But beyond that, Jesus’ teaching is also for a beleaguered and stressed-out faith community who, like the early church, was asking the question: “Lord, how long?” Jesus has been crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. And we want to know when he is returning to ransom the church and judge “the quick and the dead”? Have you seen him? Where is he? Any word on the Lord’s return? It must be close, judging from the turmoil we’re experiencing right now.

Perhaps what this text is teaching us is that if we’re going to find purpose as we navigate this “night season”, there can be no “foolishness” among the people of faith. Jesus is teaching his followers that to be responsible representatives, you can’t be “in and out”; you must make a radical move that suggests that there is no turning back. Because the night is long, you and I must prepare for the long march forward. You may get sleepy (and I appreciated the fact that Jesus in this story says that all 10 went to sleep—I’m not a night person) like these bridesmaids but make sure you have enough to last you through the night because the delay may be deliberate; maybe the delay is to help us develop “staying power”.

We’re in for a long night.. Get your oil! We have miles to go before we sleep. Get your oil! We’re going to need the strength and witness of the church to make it through this long night. Get your oil! No time for foolishness! This is the lesson of this text. Keep your oil for your lamp! There’s a great shift occurring, and you must be prepared for the new world a-coming! Paul is right, don’t be caught sleeping. Evil may assail you and assault, but we have the assurance that even in the night season, our lights must shine.

Keep your lamp trimmed and burning

The time is drawing nigh!

Reflection Questions:

Read this parable with a critical eye. Can you apply this narrative to the contemporary church?
What are your thoughts about the wise and foolish behavior of the bridesmaids?
Why is accepting responsibility for one’s actions so difficult?

Prayerful Action:

In your time of silence and solitude, examine the actions we often take when we refuse to take responsibility for our nurture and self-care on the journey. List ways that you can balance the soul work of justice and jubilee with sabbath and shalom for your soul’s health and the soul life of the beloved community.

About the Author

Rev. Dr. Daran Mitchell (he/him) is the Bishop of the Midwest Episcopal District of the A.M.E Zion Church, and Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology at Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, North Carolina.

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These Black Lent devotionals were originally curated by IG: goodneighbormovement.

Image: Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad by Paul Collins