Sermon Ruth 1:1-22 May 10, 2020 Mother’s Day
The Best of Times
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
This opening paragraph from Charles Dickens A Tale of Two
Cities is remarkable. As we listen to these words from the paragraph we wonder
at what age of the world they were written. We wonder at what age of the world
was it and is it still applicable.
When we enter into the story of Ruth and Naomi it becomes
clear that it too is a tale by which we wonder if it is a season of light or
darkness, a spring of hope, or winter of despair.
Now I know you’re looking at me
and saying, “Look, it’s Mother’s Day, you’re supposed to say sappy, happy,
things, so we can all feel good about the women in our lives and then go eat a
yummy lunch.”
We’ll get to that part. But, for now, this is a
remarkable tale of stubbornness, loss, suffering, courage, commitment, triumph,
grace, and redemption.
Life in Bethlehem of Judah had become the worst of times, full
of famine, suffering, loss, and death. Naomi and her husband chose to leave in
the hopes of life being better somewhere else. As famine would have it, it also
occurred in the new country. There was no escape from suffering and loss and it
found its way into the life of Naomi. She witnessed her husband die and her two
sons. She lost everything. She was at a loss. She had no idea what to do next
except to go back home and beg for survival.
Perhaps,
that’s the hard part,
witnessing
the devastation
and
then
being
the one experiencing it as well.
When
tragedy hits home somehow everything changes.
All
the suffering surrounding the family has become their suffering as and they are
overwhelmed.
Joy
has no place in this moment.
Laughter
was long gone.
Peace does not exist.
And
in this moment Naomi feels completely abandoned.
How
could a God of love allow this to happen in her life. Her faith seemed as
though it wasn’t enough to keep her family alive.
She
is mad.
She
is sad.
She
is bitter.
Worse,
her misery has left her unrecognizable by her people.
It’s here where we come in with our judgment lens and say, “If
she had faith she would be able to thank God for her situation.”
The
truth of the tale is that Naomi did have faith. And so did Orpah
and Ruth.
It
is their strength of faith that guided them.
It
is their strength of faith that gave them the courage to be truthful.
It is their strength of faith that moved them all forward on the path to redemption.
We
have this idea that one of these women was faithful and the others weren’t.
But, faith shows itself in many ways and is acted upon in many ways, and when guided by the Spirit is manifested in many ways.
We’ve chastised Naomi in our commentaries for being a bitter
woman. But, I appreciate her truth. Her name means sweet. And when she
returns to her home she tells everyone to call her Mara which means bitter. She
lets everyone around her know exactly how she feels. Wouldn’t that be great
if we could be honest enough to share our real feelings?
God wants us to own up to our truths.
If
we feel really bad about our situations then let’s share that. When we can be
honest about how devastated we are in loss, or how miserable it feels to suffer
then we can be surrounded by compassion.
If
we pretend things are fine, we lose out on the chance to receive comfort.
If we hold back our tears or cries of pain, those around us aren’t able to learn how to express their pain and loss.
These three women are wonderful women of faith. They express the faith of truth, the faith of obedience, and the faith of stubbornness. All these expression are who God calls us to be in various times of our life.
Orpah is left out of the story
near the beginning and we really have neglected the power of her presence in
the scene. She was a faithful daughter in law willing to go anywhere with her
mother in law including returning to a homeland that was not hers. Yet, at the
insistence of Naomi to return to find comfort within her own family, she obeys.
Orpah loves Naomi dearly. Orpah wants to be faithful to the requests of the one
she loves. And the path she is sent on is the one back home. Sometimes that’s
exactly what God wants us to do. Naomi offers both women an act of grace
which is to go home and start again.
God knows us better than we know ourselves and we all have capabilities
and capacities and we also all have limits. Orpah’s faithful obedience to
return home has a story of grace that we are not privy to. She is to be
honored.
Ruth on the other hand clings to Naomi and declares her faith.
It’s
a stubborn faith.
It’s
an unwillingness to be obedient.
It’s a hands on her hips, defiant, determined and audacious faith.
In the face of Naomi’s truth to want to be left alone to return to her country, Ruth recognizes a call of God to hold fast, to stay the course, to remain rooted in place with Naomi.
Its almost as if she says something like this, “Hey, I’ve been with you, your son, your God who is mine and now you want me to abandon it all…no way. You can’t make me go back. You’re stuck with me.”
Ruth
has clearly been called by God to assert herself and her faith upon Naomi.
They
have lived together and worshiped together for ten years and Ruth is not
willing to give any of that up.
We
do not know how unhappy or how pleased Naomi is with Ruth’s decision.
But,
we do know she could not shake her and so they went together to Bethlehem of
Judah.
There are times in our life that God calls us to have the faith of Ruth.
It’s
not always easy to live this faith.
When
the one you love just wants you to go away
or
to disappear or to stop bothering them,
it
can be difficult to remain at their side.
Sometimes though its in these very moments that we need someone to refuse to listen to us because we need them more than we know.
When Jesus says I will never leave you or forsake you, it is a stubborn faith. Peter denied him and Jesus stayed by him. Jesus does not leave us. Even when we turn our backs his love pursues us. And stays the course with us.
Ruth
saw Naomi’s needs and she was able to be practical.
She was able to guide Naomi through her grief to help her find her way again to restoration and renewal and reconciliation with God.
In the end the beauty is the birth of son named Obed became the ancestor of Jesus. and so they could say it was the best of times, a spring of hope, a season of light.
Today
reach out to the women in your life who have been the truth tellers,
the
obedient ones,
the
stubborn ones
and
thank them.
Thank you for believing in us.
Thank
them for being women of faith.
Thank
them for showing you the way to live life fully.
Thank
them for their beauty.
Thank
them for their courage.
Thank
them for their tirelessness to serve.
Thank them for just being who they are.
And
with our thanks, we will rise up and call them blessed. Amen.
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