Gospel: Matthew 25:1–13

The holy gospel according to Matthew.   Glory to you, O Lord.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  ³When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;  ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.  ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’  ⁷Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.  ⁸The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  ⁹But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’  ¹⁰And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.  ¹¹Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’  ¹²But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’  ¹³Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The gospel of the Lord.  Praise to you, O Christ.

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Gospel: Matthew 22:1–14

The holy gospel according to Matthew

The audio file for this sermon is archived. Please contact the church for more information.

Glory to you, O Lord.

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:  ²“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.  ³He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.  ⁴Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’  ⁵But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business,  ⁶while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.  ⁷The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.  ⁸Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.  ⁹Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’  ¹⁰Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,  ¹²and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.  ¹³Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  ¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The gospel of the Lord.  Praise to you, O Christ.

The audio file for this sermon is archived. Please contact the church for more information.