Zoom Wedding

(content warning: this is a little light-hearted and you may not want that now)

God, that story about ten wedding attendants,
(told probably a day before the arrest)
where half of the attendants ran out of oil

and the sad scene where they rush back
and the party is in lockdown
and five are left out of the happiness bubble?

I am pretty sure Jesus,
was saying many things, as parables do,
for that time, but also
was looking across the centuries to us,

saying something like, “Have the Zoom wedding,”
because no one should be left out.

Send the recipes out in advance,
then each guest can unmute and say,
“I made the chicken,”
“we made the tofu pad thai,”
“your wedding cake at my house was chocolate.”

And a church-full, but sitting in separate homes,
saw the flowers and procession,
and, of course, the kiss,
and there were a lot of toasts,

and after the couple twirled around the floor,
came the invitation, “let everyone dance —
couples, but also you single folks —
en pointe beautiful as a solo in the ballet,
and, you with the three kids —
swing with them hanging on your legs.”

Jesus meets our 2020 pandemic-tired eyes
and says, not just about weddings,
but also about everything else
(Easter Sunday anyone?)

“You’ve got enough oil —
now just go and light your lamps.”