Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My
daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with
you. 2 Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have
been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3
Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to
the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has
finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, observe the place
where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you
what to do.” 5 She said to her, “All that you tell me I will do.”
413 So Boaz took
Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a
son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day
without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He
shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your
daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne
him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and
became his nurse. 17 The women of the neighborhood gave him a name,
saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed; he became the
father of Jesse, the father of David.
Year B
November 6-12
November 8, 2015
Cross~Wind
June 2, 1991
Plainfield UMC
Title: Ordinary Discipleship
Going deeper
The story of Ruth
is a very simple, ordinary love story.
And yet, to read the story of Ruth is to see God at work.
The
story occurs in a time when relationships within Israel were falling
apart. In chapter eighteen of Judges,
the tribe of Dan attacked the peaceful town of Laish. In chapter nineteen, a priest cuts up his
wife into twelve parts. He sent one part
to each tribe in Israel in order to deliver a message. In chapter twenty, the other eleven tribes
attack the tribe of Benjamin. They
almost destroy the entire tribe. They
feel sorry about it afterwards. They
give the few remaining men of the tribe of Benjamin the right to rape some of
the women from another city. The book
ends with the phrase: "In those days there was no king in Israel; all the
people did what was right in their own eyes."
Something
was happening in their society.
Relationships of hospitality, of caring for one another, of being in
connection with one another, were falling apart. In some ways, I am sure that last phrase
represents a sadness in the heart of God.
People simply doing what they please.
People acting with little sense of responsibility toward one
another.
The
story of Ruth takes place in this type of society. Just an ordinary family with
rather ordinary people involved. Naomi
and her husband moved to a foreign land.
While there, her husband died, and her two sons died without having
children through their wives. She
determines to leave the country and return to Israel. She tells Orpah and Ruth to return to their
own families. That is what would make
sense. Orpah would do so. Ruth, on the other hand, was determined to
stay with Naomi. There was no law that
would force her to do this. She freely
chose to remain in a committed relationship with Naomi. Could it be that in that kind of free choice,
we will find God?
They
arrive in Israel at just the right time.
It was time for the harvest.
Naomi sends Ruth to the fields to glean some food for themselves. The field she goes to is that of Boaz. He does what is right, and just a little bit
more. It was his responsibility to allow
the poor to take some food for themselves.
However, he instructed the workers to make sure that Ruth would get just
a bit more than others would. As Ruth
returns to Naomi, she discovers that Boaz is a relative of Naomi.
Chapter 3 opens with a new dramatic
element of mystery, secrecy, and privacy that becomes an essential part of the
story. The characters have choices to make. The call to righteous living is
dominate even here, in a provocative setting. God is present where there are
responsible and faithful human beings.
In Ruth 3:1-5, Naomi tells Ruth
that she is seeking some security for her, “so that it may be well” with her.
She notes that a relative, Boaz, has young women working in the field in which
Ruth is working. In fact, Boaz is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.
She is to wash and anoint herself, put on her best clothes, and go to Boaz.
Such preparations are as if Ruth is the bride of Boaz. However, she is not to
make herself known to Boaz until he has finished his eating and drinking. When
he lies down, she is to observe the place, uncover his feet, and lie down. The
narrator is intentionally provocative as to how much of his legs she would
uncover. The narrator wants the reader to deal with the possibility of sexual
intercourse between Ruth and Boaz. Boaz will tell her what to do. In essence,
Naomi is setting up a provocative set of circumstances.
In 4:13-17,
Boaz takes Ruth for his wife. The Lord made her conceive. She bore a son. This
is in striking contrast to ten years of being without child in Moab. The women
told Naomi that praise is due to the Lord, who has not left her without a
descendant. We should note that she thought the hand of the Lord was against
her in Chapter 1, suggesting the Lord was her enemy. They offer the blessing or
prayer that his name will be renowned in Israel. He shall be to her a restorer
of life and nourish her in her old age. Ruth, who loves Naomi, and has been
more than seven sons to her, has borne this grandchild for her. Naomi laid the
child on her bosom and became his nurse. Naomi has received new children. While
the text does not fully answer the complaint of Naomi, she receives new tasks.
The name of
the child was Obed. The neighbors seem to have a part to play in the naming of
the child, as we also see in Luke 1:59. He became the father of Jesse, while
Jesse became the father of David. Thus,
through a series of events, she marries Boaz.
There will be a son. In a strange
sense, everything works out in the end.
Naomi does not get her sons or husband back. Nevertheless, Boaz is there. And a grandson. And of course, there is Ruth. One who was faithful in her relationships
throughout the story. Could we find God
there?
How
ordinary can you get? People choosing to
live responsibly, righteously, and faithfully.
People choosing lovingly committed relationships. Yes, God is there.
Introduction
One lady told her
pastor, "I don't want to get too close to God. I just want to get over in a corner and sneak
into heaven quietly. I don't want to be
a saint. I just don't want to go to
hell." She then used this
analogy. "When I started the ninth
grade I set my heart on finishing high school with straight C's. And I did.
You see, if you fail you have to repeat, and I wanted out. But if you start making A's people begin to
expect things of you." She
continued, "It's exactly like that with God. If you're too bad you'll go to hell, and I
don't want that. But if you're too good,
you will be sent to India, and I don't want that either."[2]
The
church in America is getting past this phase. The category of “none” is growing
when it comes to “religious preference.” Culturally, people find it is no
longer detrimental to their politics or business to be “none” or to have
another religion as their “preference.” This is not a bad thing. Part of what
it will mean is that those who choose to identify with Christ and the church
are at least somewhat “serious” about their faith. They really want to grow
into being a disciple of Jesus.
I
think some people believe true Christianity is reserved only for the superstars
of the faith. It may mean some
extraordinary act of commitment is necessary before one is proved to be truly
faithful. Maybe even some miracle must
be present in order for faith to be there.
Or maybe it means being able to get up and preach a sermon. Yet, I must confess that this is very
contrary to my own experience.
What
we might call the ordinary life of faithfully and daily living the Christian
life is actually quite impressive. An assistant coach prays after a game and is
in trouble. A youth points his pointer-finger in the air to offer glory to God,
and receives a suspension. These are admittedly small things in comparison to
the persecuted church around the world. ISIS and other radical Islamic groups
are raping and slaughtering Christians in the Middle East, the birthplace of
Christianity. 80% of the religious persecution in the world is against
Christians. Imprisonment, intimidation, rape, and death can all come simply
because one seeks to be faithful to Jesus. Yes, ordinary Christians can do
extraordinary things simply by remaining faithful to Jesus and to each other.
We have the
blessing of religious liberty. In spite of the fact that secularity is becoming
increasingly aggressive in pushing Christianity out of the public square,
thereby making it invisible and intimidating into silence, we have the right
and responsibility to share our faith.
Application
I
find this to be very true to how I experience the reality of God in my own
life. When I became a Christian as an
early teenager, there were no bolts of lightning. Rather, what I was so fortunate to have was a
pastor who cared about me and prayed with me.
When I committed myself to become a minister, there were no
visions. Nevertheless, there was an
inner call of God to which I responded.
When I changed denominations from the Wesleyan Church to the United
Methodist Church, there was no opening in the skies. However, there was a sense of God leading
through my connections with people and with my own growth as a believer.
I
do not find God's activity in my life to be of the dramatic, miraculous
sort. I do find God to be very much with
me in daily life. Sometimes, daily life
is not all that exciting. Indeed, it can
be boring. And it can be very
challenging. There are experiences of
pain and suffering which any of us can experience at any time. And yet, God is there too.
Conclusion
November 11 will
be Veterans Day. I have a story from World War II I would like to share with
you.
Philip Hailie
wrote a book entitled, Lest Innocent Blood be Shed. During World War II, there was a village
called Le Chambon in France. Unlike
other towns, this one did not allow the Nazis to take the Jewish people from
their midst. Rather, they hid them. Mr. Haile went to the village, wondering what
sort of courageous, ethical heroes who risked their lives like this could live
in this village. They must be extraordinary
people. And yet, as he interviewed
people, he was overwhelmed by how ordinary they were. They were not especially insightful or
daring. The one experience that united
them was there attendance on Sunday morning at the little church where pastor
Trochme preached. He believed that over
time, the people came to know what was right, and then they did it. When the Nazis came into town, they quietly
did what was right. One lady said:
"Pastor always taught us that there comes a time in every life when a
person is asked to do something for Jesus.
When our time came, we knew what to do." (Leadership, Fall 1989, 50). See also
the account at http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007518
Maybe
that is what it is like to be a Christian.
Knowing what to do today to live faithfully and lovingly in the presence
of God.
One day, St.
Francis of Assisi said to several of his followers: "Let us go to the
village over the way and preach."
As they went, they met someone loaded down with a personal burden. Francis was in no hurry. He sat down and listened. When they arrived in the village, Francis
talked with the shopkeepers, spent time with the farmers as they were selling
their fruits, and played with the children.
On the way back, they met a farmer with a load of hay, and Francis spent
time with him. The morning now gone,
they reached the monastery from where they had set out in the early
morning. One of the followers was disappointed. "Brother Francis, you said you were
going to preach. The morning is spent
and no sermon has been given."
Francis replied, "But we have been preaching all the
way." (Encyclopedia of 7700
Illustrations, #3104).
Maybe
this is true Christian living. Simply
knowing what to do today to live faithfully in the presence of God. Maybe we do preach a sermon in our families,
at work, at play, with our neighbors.
Are you ready to leave here, ready to preach your own sermon?
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