CORINTH

-Sermon Notes-

 

November 8, 2026 “Are You an Author?”

Psalm 78:1-7, Matthew 25:1-13

     My dear Dad was an author of college textbooks, especially in the area of writing, grammar and vocabulary.  Are you an author?  Yes, you are!  Each day you are writing your life script, based on choices you make.  How do we wish our stories to be written?

     Many times, Jesus speaks to us about the Kingdom of God through parables.  He invites us to participate in the Kingdom of God as we author our life’s story.  Today, we hear the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids.  As always, the elements in the parable are representative.  Weddings at the time were huge banquets requiring much preparation.  It was Jewish tradition to have bridesmaids waiting at the gate for the bridge groom with lamps, indicating that all was ready.  In this parable, the maids represent us, accepting the invitation to participate in the banquet, which represents the Kingdom of God.  Jesus represents the groom, the door represents a deadline-at some point the door will shut, which mean access to the banquet (Kingdom of God) will close.  Armed with this vision, what may we say about the Kingdom of God?  We are each invited to participate in the Kingdom of God; our lamps are symbols of our faith, which are lit by the enduring presence of the Holy Spirit.  We have free will, we can accept or reject this invitation.

     Our reading from Psalm 78 also extends an invitation.  This is a “Maskil” psalm written by Asaph.  Maskil is a Hebrew word associated with wisdom, Asap was a musician working for David in the temple.  So this is likely a hymn about wisdom sung in the temple. The psalm calls the people to pay attention to the teachings provided to them in the Torah (their scripture, part of our Old Testament.)  This wisdom should be embraced, taught to children and coming generations.  Why?  Because God’s word invites us to participate in the Kingdom.

     This is where my authorship, your authorship, our authorship comes in.  Friends, we are indeed writing our life’s story each day.  The choices we make will define our stories.  What do we want our story to look like?  Just as I am influenced by some of my favorite authors such as Doris Kearns Goodwin and C.S. Lewis, we will influence others as they read our stories. Each day, let us accept the invitation to be part of God’s kingdom work, so that our writing may not be done in vain.