Ready for the Arrival – November 13, 2026

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Read: Matthew 25:1-13

[Jesus said] At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them; but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps. Matthew 25:1-4 (EHV)

Ready for the Arrival

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

There are a lot of preparations parents have to make when they’re expecting a baby. Wise parents will stock up on things the baby will need. They’ll prepare their house for their new little arrival. The baby could come any day, so wise parents will always want to be prepared to drop everything on that day and get to the hospital. It would be foolish for the parents not to be prepared.

In Jesus’ parable, there are ten women waiting on a different kind of arrival. They’re waiting on the arrival of a bridegroom and bride as part of a big wedding celebration. It was their job to wait outside the bride’s house and lead the bridegroom and bride to the big wedding party at the groom’s house. But out of the ten women waiting, only five of them wisely made sure to be prepared with enough oil to light their lamps. The other five were foolish because they were not prepared.

What’s the meaning of the parable? We know the arrival of Jesus is coming soon. There will be a day when Jesus will come back, and he will take us to be with him in his heavenly home. And that moment could come any day. We don’t know when he will arrive.

So what would be the wise thing to do? Would it be wise to read the Bible often or not read the Bible? Would it be wise to go to church or not go to church? Would it be wise to receive forgiveness from your pastor or not care about receiving forgiveness? Clearly the wise things to do would be to read the Bible, go to church each week, and to receive the forgiveness of our sins often. It would be pretty foolish of us to not take care of our faith. That’d be like those five women who weren’t prepared to greet the bridegroom.

What a blessing it is, then, that we have a Savior who not only tells us to be ready but also prepares all that we need. He gives us many promises in his Word to keep our faith burning bright. He provides us with churches to worship him alongside others and to encourage each other to be prepared. And he provides us with the forgiveness of sins we need to always remember that we’re saved through faith in him alone. God helps us every day to be ready for the arrival of our returning Savior.

Prayer:

Savior Jesus, help me be prepared. Keep your promises in front of me each day and help me encourage my Christian brothers and sisters as we all await your arrival on the Last Day. In your grace I pray. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Why is it good to be prepared for important events?
• What can you do to prepare for Jesus’ return on the Last Day?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What are some things in life that prevent us from being prepared for Jesus’ return?
• Why is receiving forgiveness an important part of being prepared for that day?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• In the reading, the unwise women get turned away from the wedding party. What emotions would be going through a person’s heart if they were stopped from going into a wedding party? What about from going into heaven?
• In what ways is a joyous wedding celebration a good picture of what will happen on the Last Day for believers?

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