The Shout at Midnight

Matthew 25:1-13, NIRV

The Story of Ten Bridesmaids

25 “Here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like at that time. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ² Five of them were foolish. Five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t take any olive oil with them. ⁴The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The groom did not come for a long time. So the bridesmaids all grew tired and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight someone cried out, ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’

⁹“ ‘No,’ they replied. ‘There may not be enough for all of us. Instead, go to those who sell oil. Buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“So they went to buy the oil. But while they were on their way, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding dinner. Then the door was shut.

¹¹“Later, the other bridesmaids also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

¹²“But he replied, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. I don’t know you.’

¹³“So keep watch. You do not know the day or the hour that the groom will come.

Props: cell phone, tablet, or device that needs charging, and a charging cable (these are visual props only).

Children’s Message

Today’s Scripture passage is a story that Jesus told about ten young women. Five were foolish and five were wise. All ten were waiting for the groom of a wedding to arrive, so that they could go to the wedding reception. Since most of you aren’t married, nor have you been to many weddings, let me retell the story with something that is familiar to all of you.

One night there was a very important person in the town who was going to have a late-night party. The party would be on a large piece of land. At the very back of the property sat a huge mansion. At the party there would be a lot of delicious food and great music with dancing. At the end of the party, everyone would be welcome to stay in the house for as long as they wanted. Everyone was given directions and told to write them down. They were told to be sure to have their phones fully charged, just in case they needed GPS, or the “Maps” app, to help with directions. The party guests were told to wait at the front of the property until the host could come to the entry of the long driveway and bring them in.

“Watch and wait,” he said. “You do not know the exact time that I will come for you.” There were two guests waiting for the host to return. While they waited, one was on her phone browsing the internet. The two waited for a long time; the one on her phone noticed that her battery percentage was just two percent. Her phone was about to die. She left to go back to her car to find a charging cable. The other had packed a cable in his pocket, and he plugged his phone into an outlet found by the driveway entrance while he waited for the host to arrive.

Suddenly, a shout was heard, “The host has arrived! Get ready and follow him to enter the house and the party.”

One of the two could use his phone’s flashlight to follow down the drive in the dark, take pictures of all the great food being served, and videos of all the dancing taking place at the party because his phone was fully charged. The other was foolish because she let her phone battery die and had to return to her car to find a cord to charge her phone. One followed the host. The other was left behind.

The story is about being ready—being ready to shine the light of Jesus’ love for all the world to see, no matter the time or location. Jesus tells this story to help us understand that shining God’s light is important.

How can we help one another have enough power in our electronic devices to shine a light for Christ? (Let children respond. Suggest/affirm responses such as, “When we pray for one another, read scripture, sing songs, and remember that we are children of God, then we show that light to others.”) Jesus calls us to be ready to follow him and to show others the love we have for him. With Jesus at the heart of who you are and with God’s love in your life, you too can shine God’s light and show others the love of Jesus.

Prayer: Today’s closing prayer will be a song. Together let’s sing, “This Little Light of Mine” to help us see that how we live is how we shine God’s light and God’s love to others.

Lyrics for “This Little Light of Mine”

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Kids hold up their index finger throughout the verse

Won't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine.
Won't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Kids blow on their finger when they sing "Won't let Satan blow it out..."

Let it shine til Jesus comes,
I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine til Jesus comes.
I'm gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Kids hold up their index finger throughout the verse

Hide it under a bushel - NO!
I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel - NO!
I'm gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Kids cover left index finger pointing up with palm of right hand. When they shout "NO!" they uncover their finger.

Let it shine over the whole wide world,
I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine over the whole wide world,
I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Kids hold up their index finger throughout the verse

A-men

Bible verses from the New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.