Rivka.
Wedding Day.
Laila?
What are you doing, Laila?
Today is our daughter's wedding
and there is still so much left to do.
Ah, and others to do it.
Come back to bed and get some rest.
I will rest tomorrow.
Ah!
Foolish woman.
Ha, ha, look at us.
We are quite a pair.
You always find something to laugh about.
Better to laugh than to cry.
I remember our wedding day.
Did you laugh on that day too?
Ha, ha, ha, ha, laugh?
I was scared to death.
We were only children.
And now look at us.
We are old, sick,
blind.
We were not children,
we were young adults.
I was frightened.
But I respected you
and my father respected your family.
My how the years have flown by.
We've grown up together, Moussa.
I couldn't have asked for a better wife to grow up with.
Nor I a better husband.
Today we marry off our daughter.
May God bless her in her new life.
It's almost time for your wedding to begin.
Are you scared?
Me? Scared?
No.
Terrified.
But I keep trying not to think about it.
Well, I'm here to remind you.
You and everyone else!
Mother,
you've worked too hard today.
You should go and rest.
No, no, no, little one.
I do not want to miss any part of this day.
I do wish your brother would be here.
But,
Mother, didn't I tell you?
Dawud found Yacoub in the fields.
He told Yacoub he was coming to the wedding.
Dawud?
You spoke to Yacoub this week?
No, of course not, Mother.
Yacoub told Ayoub, and Ayoub told Sara.
But, Mother,
Dawud is coming.
Aren't you happy?
Ah,
I am glad.
I hope he will be careful, though.
If the Romans find him….
It's my wedding, Mother.
Everything will be wonderful.
Your wedding.
How quickly you've grown up.
It's getting late.
You should start dressing soon.
Welcome Aunties. Thank you so much for coming!
Of course we came.
You shouldn't have.
Auntie thank you.
Thank you.
Such a wonderful day! Ha, ha.
Well, isn't it time for you to get dressed?
You are right.
Come little sister. Let's get you dressed.
Daliyah, come and join us.
You are a beautiful bride, Mariam.
I am so nervous.
We were all nervous on our wedding day.
Ah!
Oh these stiff old fingers.
I think I will leave this work for you younger women.
Will you share a few words of wisdom with my youngest daughter on her wedding day, Noura?
Just last week
you told me Jesus' story of the wedding.
Remember, Laila, the one with the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom?.
They all had their lamps,
and five of the virgins had brought along extra oil to refill their lamps,
and five did not.
The groom was late in coming.
Oh, I hope Yacoub isn't late.
I might think he'd changed his mind.
Oh, I'm sure your friends will bring along extra oil just in case he is late.
It would spoil the party if everyone's lamp burned out.
I don't want to celebrate my wedding in the dark.
Well in this story
when the neighbors came to announce that the groom was on his way,
the virgins who did not have oil begged those who did to share.
But if they had shared,
they would not have had enough oil in the lamps to burn through the wedding feast.
So the five foolish virgins ran out to try to find someone who could sell them some oil.
And the market had long since closed.
Of course it had.
By the time the five foolish virgins had returned,
everybody had already left for the wedding feast and they were left behind.
I don't understand dear Auntie.
This story is about the guests, not me.
I don't think Jesus was really talking about weddings.
I think he was talking about our life.
We are all waiting for Jesus' return.
And some of us may die before He comes back, but we need to be prepared to greet Him every day.
Our hearts
need to be full of His Holy Spirit and focused on Him.
No one can do that for us.
The virgins could not lend each other their oil.
Your husband
can not lend you his heart for God.
You have to seek God yourself.
I love to think about Jesus' words all day.
And I sing.
and I pray.
You should do that too Mariam.
Always seek Him. Always ask Him to teach you wisdom.
Every day is an opportunity for you to "buy more oil" for your lamp.
What a wonderful way to remember that.
Thank you Auntie.
You are very welcome.
Rivka, dear,
do you have something you would like to share with my youngest daughter on her wedding day?
You look so beautiful today, Mariam.
And we are going to be very sure your hair is perfect, aren't we?
Looking at you with your
eyes sparkling, and your face glowing,
I find myself remembering the words of the Apostle Peter,
who said that
braiding your hair doesn't make you beautiful.
And wearing gold jewelry and fine clothes doesn't make you beautiful.
Your true beauty comes from inside you.
And that is a beauty that does not fade.
God places great value on it.
Remember that,
today and always.
Your true beauty comes from within.
Thank you, Auntie Rivka.
Sara,
do you have something to share with your sister?
Well,
you know I'm just starting to learn what it means to be a good wife.
And in a couple of months I'll start to learn what it means to be a good mother.
But
I remember that story Auntie Rivka told us about Mary and Martha. Do you remember?
You mean when Jesus came to them?
Yes.
That was the time when he and the disciples... were traveling around the countryside teaching
and they came to the village where Martha lived with her sister Mary.
Martha was the eldest and
she was distracted by all the preparations
that needed to be made in order to feed that many people.
But
Mary,
the younger sister like you, Mariam,
was happy just to sit at the Lord's feet and listen to what he had to say.
Martha was upset that Mary wasn't helping her, and she complained to Jesus about her, but
Jesus replied,
"But Mary has chosen what is better,
and it will not be taken away from her."
I guess
I am like Martha.
It's
easy for me to get distracted and worry about the future and all the work I need to do.
But
I think the secret to being a good wife, a good woman, is,
is to spend time praying and meditating on the Scriptures,
and thinking about Jesus' words every day.
And when I spend time, and quiet my heart, and
ask God to really speak to me, and I listen to His voice,
then I am living more like Mary,
and less like Martha.
Thank you Sara.
Sara is right.
Life comes to us one day at a time.
And every day we need to make our relationship with the Lord our first priority.
That is what gives us joy.
Enjoy your life with your husband,
Mariam.
The Prophet Nehemiah said that "The joy of the Lord is our strength."
Find joy
in the little things.
And be thankful.
And every day bring all your... needs and requests to the Heavenly Father in Jesus' name.
That is the way to live whether you have a husband or not.
You and I know that, don't we, Daliyah?
I suppose so.
Of course we do.
God loves us just as we are dear.
The Apostle Paul even wrote that he thought it was better to be single than to be married.
Really?
Yes. He said that people who are not married can concentrate completely on pleasing God.
He made being single sound like a special kind of blessing.
But don't tell Mariam that.
God is good in every season
and condition in our life.
And He loves us,
not because we are married or not, or have children or not,
but because He created us to have a special relationship with Him.
He delights in each one of us!
We just need to learn how to receive His love through Jesus.
Oh, Mother,
I love you so much.
Thank you for everything.
I will always love you,
and I will pray for you every day, child.
They've come.
The bridegroom is here!
Behold the bridegroom!
It is time! Come, come.
He's here!
She's coming!
Any minute now!
She's coming! I see her! Yes!
Dawud!
You came!
Of course I came little sister.
It's your wedding day.
Here she is Father.
We have come for the bride.
How beautiful!
You have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
Stand aside!
What is the meaning of this?
Out of the way! Where is he? Where is he?
Please, not here!
I found him!
There he is!
Secure him! Secure him!
Bring him up!
No!
Let's go! Turn around!
Move
Take him out!
No!
Dawud!
Mother!
Mother!
How is this wedding like or unlike weddings you have attended?
What does Noura’s story of the ten virgins tell us about our life?
Do you resemble Mary or Martha in Sara’s story? In what ways?
How are Noura and Sara’s stories similar?
What can you do to make your walk with God your highest priority?
