In Matthew 25:1–13, the Gospel reading for November 8, Jesus tells the story of the ten bridesmaids who are to go out to meet the bridegroom.
A duet of longing and comfort unfolds as the soul calls for the Lord and the Lord responds with reassurance.
Carrying their lamps, five of them are wise and bring along oil to light them. Five are foolish and bring none, forcing them to go buy some. While they are away, the bridegroom arrives, and only the five who have lit their lamps may accompany him to the wedding feast.
The point of the story, as we approach Advent in a few weeks, is to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord.
At the Offertory on Sunday, November 8, Joy Meade, Brennan Shelby, and Kate Walter performed a movement from Bach’s cantata “Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme” (Awake! Cries the Voice to Us) that depicts one of the bridesmaids calling in the darkness to her Lord.
Watch the performance from Sunday’s 10:30 service below.
The violin’s running lines give us the impression that this is a frantic, breathless longing. To the question “When are you coming, my Savior?” the baritone responds, “I come, my portion!”
A duet of longing and comfort unfolds as the soul calls for the Lord and the Lord responds with reassurance, all woven together by the virtuosic running of the violin.
