Loving God, you continue to provide for your people, inviting us into prayer and trust and openness to your Spirit.  Help us to be able to recognize where you are at work, and to welcome others as you have welcomed us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

           The fact that there is actually a book of the Bible named after a Moabite woman is truly an amazing thing.  It is amazing both because she is a Moabite andbecause she is a woman.  I am curious how much you happen to know about Moabites. Did you learn anything about them last week?... 

         In Genesis, Moab is described as a product of incest.  He is a grandson of Lot (Abraham’s nephew), and the Moabite people are his descendants (Gen. 19:30-38).  One of Moab’s other claims to fame is the refusal to allow the people of Israel to pass through the land of Moab on their way to the land of Canaan (Judg. 11:17-18). And finally, it was Balak, king of Moab, who tried to get Balaam to curse Israel for him (Num. 22-24).  For all of these reasons (and maybe more), those who were Israelites did not look particularly kindly on anybody who came from Moab.  

And so when Ruth ends up in Bethlehem with Naomi, this is the kind of prejudice that she is up against.  This is also the kind of prejudice that could have been displayed by Boaz, but wasn’t. Instead, he chooses to practice love for the stranger and reflects God’s mercy and generosity in his treatment of Ruth. In fact, this whole chapter in Ruth that we have heard today gives us a real glimpse into how God works sometimes.

Naomi and Ruth both had every reason to be down in the dumps.  Naomi had lost her husband and her two sons.  Ruth had lost her husband and had left behind her own land and people.  And neither one of them had any real means of supporting themselves other than perhaps prostitution or begging.  Another option was for a male relative of Naomi’s to look after them.

Ruth, however, who seeks some more dignified means of support, goes out to glean in the fields at the time of the barley harvest. As some of you might know, part of the Jewish Law told people to leave at least a little bit at the edges of their fields for the poor and the refugee (Lev. 19:9-10).  And so Ruth would have followed behind the reapers and picked up whatever they left behind.  However, as is implied in the story, women who did this risked being molested by some of the young men who were working in the fields.

In Ruth’s case, however, lo and behold she happens to end up in a field that belongs to Boaz, a relative of her father-in-law.  Coincidence?... Or did God somehow lead her to that particular field?... The result is that Ruth is allowed to glean unmolested, is given food and drink, and goes home with a large amount of barley rather than just a pittance.

Boaz, as it turns out, is not just a relative, but a God-fearing man.  He practices justice and mercy, which Jesus named as some of the “weightier matters of the law” (Mt. 23:23).  He has also heard of how faithful Ruth has been in caring for her mother-in-law, and he wants to see God reward her for her selflessness.  In this case, God ends up working through Boaz in order to look after Ruth and Naomi.

The thing for us to remember as we reflect on this story is that all of these people are people of faith.  Ruth, even though her own people worshiped many gods, has said to Naomi, your God will be my God (1:16).  Boaz, too, recognizes that Ruth has sought refuge under God’s wings (2:12).  And Naomi immediately recognizes God at work when she sees how much barley Ruth brings home with her.

The thing is that God has never stopped providing for God’s people.  In spite of the number of people in our world who continue to be in need, those who put their trust in God through Jesus Christ discover that God provides.  I have never met anybody who truly trusted in Jesus and didn’t have the basics that they need.  Even those who have very little by our standards will tell you how God has provided their daily bread.  Many of these people are quick to share with others what little they have, and they have discovered the truth of the gospel verse that says, “give, and it will be given to you” (Lk. 6:38).

At the same time, Ruth reminds us of what it is like to be an outsider, and how amazing it is to actually become part of a community.  Ruth is beyond grateful for Boaz’s kindness, and is thankful simply to be able to work alongside of his servants.  Today, of course, it is not the Moabites who are on the outside looking in, but many other people who feel as though they simply do not belong.

Some of the greatest uproars in response to Jesus’ ministry had to do with how he welcomed those who were on the outside looking in.  They practically threw him off a cliff when he simply pointed out how God had ministered to Gentiles in the past (Lk. 4:16-30) – something that was already right there in the Hebrew Scriptures.  They complained constantly about how much time he spent with tax collectors and sinners.  His disciples even tried to keep certain people away from him – including children and certain Gentile women.

As people now who are part of the body of Christ, we are called to live out that same kind of inclusion that Jesus practiced, welcoming those who have always felt unwelcome, and remaining open to those who might be different from us.  For, we never know what God might have in mind for them or for us, just as Ruth probably never dreamed that she would be an ancestor of God’s Messiah.

Today, then, we are invited to continue to pray, always looking to God for our daily bread and all that is needed.  We are also invited to be open to the Spirit, ready to welcome those whom God might send to us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pentecost 10 (NL summer)                                    Ruth 2:1-23

July 29, 2018                                                            Luke 6:36-38

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2018 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved