New Life

While the women in the congregation have stated-we've heard so much about Ruth in all our women's Bible studies, the men have shared they know very little about the story of Ruth. It seems women's studies have done overkill on Ruth-poor Ruth. Conclusion-there is an imbalance in our men and women Bible studies. What do you think? Here is the last in this year's sermon series on Ruth. Enjoy.

Sermon Ruth 4:7-17 July 23, 2017 4 of 4 in Ruth series.

New Life

I’m ridiculously happy (I love this story) about sharing the final chapter of the story of Ruth with you today. It is a story that represents the abundance of joy that comes through salvation. It’s a story that describes salvation-or I should probably say redemption, because that is the word used throughout this tale-as an occurrence not just for an individual but for an entire people.

The gospel of John, in the New Testament, begins with the fullness of God’s love for us. We are told that nothing came into being without God in Jesus Christ. In him was life and the life was the light of all people. ..and..16-from his fullness we have received grace upon grace.

It is in the light of my New Testament lenses that I look back to this fourth chapter of Ruth. New life through the fullness of grace upon grace represents the abundance of love.

In this final chapter of Ruth all this abundance of grace, of love, of new life and restoration, renewal, redemption, salvation become a reality. In this story we discover the nature of God’s love in the relationship of Ruth to Naomi. No matter how far Naomi pushed Ruth away, Ruth was unrelenting in her love and faithfulness to Naomi. No matter how often in our lives that we reject God-we can be sure that God is ever faithful to stick with us no matter how we treat him. We will continue to receive God’s unmerited love for us no matter what. We will continue to be surrounded by others who reach out to us on God’s behalf-whether they know it or not-to extend a hand of grace.

We have this funny idea that our salvation, our redemption, is some kind of reward for those people who are faithful to God. Ruth was faithful to Naomi and committed to obey and follow her advice. So, we assume in response to ‘how good’ Ruth was, God rewarded her and restored her life. We could read that into the story with that kind of a lens. But, I’d like to suggest that the authors of this story clearly did not have this interpretation in mind.

Let’s look at what has happened-briefly.

Boaz gathers at the gate with elders-which is a way of saying he convened court. The ‘other’ relative to whom he engages is not named. He is ‘so-and-so’ because as it turns out in the story he is unwilling to completely fulfil his legal obligation. The purpose of the court is to put a contract on the property-buy the property-restore the clan/family.

Side bar-women could inherit, own, sell and buy property. But, since Naomi left during the famine it probably fell into the hands of so-and-so and she has to reclaim it. Boaz tells so-and-so that he has to buck up and do his legal duty. He shames him by telling him he can’t have the land without the lady. Worse he tells so-and-so that even if he doesn’t do his duty, he-Boaz, will step in, marry Ruth, present an heir to Elimelech and take the land back anyway. If that happens so-and-so will be out land and lose the money he used to buy it.

Business transaction were sealed with a sandal. Taking off the shoe meant you were giving up your rights to redeem and the obligation passed on to the next of kin in line.

Here is where I find the intertwining of the power of God’s grace in the actions of people remarkable.

It’s not that what we do earns us anything.

But, it is what we do that God uses to shape a people for good.

Boaz didn’t have to do anything.

He didn’t have to offer kindness,

or even go to the extent of being an instrument of redemption.

But, God used him and his actions are glorified in print.

In the power of the willingness of a person to act,

the power of God’s grace breaks through.

Boaz follows through on his promise to name the child to Naomi’s husband. By doing this Naomi is now legally, figuratively, and faithfully restored.

His actions make possible the new life for the family.

New life is restored to Naomi not through the literal resurrection of her husband, but through the resurrection of his inheritance in the newborn child. Our lives are probably better reflected in the life of Naomi than the one of Ruth.

Naomi was a woman who had it all and then lost it all. She became bitter in her grief and bitter toward God. As events unfold and choices are made, gracious circumstances occur in ‘happenstance’ sort of ways. In these moments, we witness the beginning of healing in the faith of Naomi. As she heals, she hopes, as she hopes, she blesses, and as she blesses, she recognizes her life turning around-she witnesses the face of a new direction.

Now Ruth is not to be diminished for her role in all of this. Yes, her life was one of faith and commitment. We do want to try to be faithful to God and people.

But, let us also be reminded of God’s action of salvation through the people we least expect.

-if our eyes are to be opened to newness

-if our eyes are to be opened to restoration

-is our eyes are to be opened to fulfillment, sustenance, and nourishment-and all of what God has to offer;

Then we have to be willing to let those ‘others’ into our lives and into our churches, and into our villages with a full embrace and an extension of true love.

Because we never know when God will use a Moabite, or a Ninevite, or a stranger, or a foreigner, or a ‘not like us’, or an ‘other’ to be the vessel of our salvation.

The women of the village are the undergirding of the impact of God’s wonderful, abundant grace. If it wasn’t for the words of these villagers, this story would just be about a nice guy who goes to court and makes good things happen for a family.

But these women announce the absolute joy that has transpired for Naomi.

She has completely turned around.

They bless her fullness of spirit-her soul has been restored.

Redemption isn’t about stuff.

Redemption is the fulfillment of one’s being. It’s about new life!

A village embraces a woman who has lost everything.

A village comes out to greet a lost and bitter soul.

A village embraces and loves and realizes the power of God at work.

It is the village who blesses in the abundance of God’s grace.

 It is the village who rejoices in the salvation of one lost soul restored to new life.

Let the church be the village that does the same.

Amen.

Resources NIB Vol. II

At the Crossroads-John

Sermon Matthew 26:36-46 April 2, 2017 5^th Sunday in Lent

At the Crossroads-John

We are at our final week of conversations with people we have met at the crossroads of their life. It has been an interesting journey learning about the different stages people have entered into their decisions to follow Jesus.

Today, we heard the Scripture read from the gospel of Matthew. In these final hours of the life of Jesus he goes once again to pray to his Father in heaven.

It is a most powerful scene.

The tension and the drama of Jesus caught in the struggle of obedience to continue movement toward the cross and his desire to remain on earth demonstrate the real struggle of the power of love.

Jesus shows the depth of his relationship with his disciples as he begs them

           to stay with him,

                     to watch with him,

                                 to remain with him.

Jesus hangs on to his love for them and their love for him.

The scene points to the essential need for relationship especially in dire times.

The Garden of Gethsemane is a place of choice.

It is a place where will and desire are put to the ultimate test.

The Garden is a place where what must be battles with what wants to be.

In the Garden of Eden in Genesis, human will for the ‘want to be’ was great

and it won over

       the will

           to remain with God,

                        to be with God,

                                to watch with God.

The Garden in Eden was the place where relationship and the fullness of life with God was lost.

We recognize sin

             as the willful disobedience of humanity.

Adam and Eve were fully aware and fully in control of their decision to disobey,

            no matter who they tried to blame.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Father brings around the restoration of God’s relationship to the people through the willful obedience of Jesus.

Jesus was fully in control of his decision as he reached the end of his prayers.

Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him as he moves further in the garden to pray. He keeps his closest companions with him. They fall asleep and Jesus wakes them begging them to support him in his efforts to reconcile himself with his fate.

Yet, the hour is late and they still fall asleep.

The human anxiety that Jesus faces because he is fully aware of what is about to happen, contrasts with the sleep of the disciples because they are not yet fully aware of what awaits Jesus. This points again to imperative of relationships of one with another.

It’s really hard to be supportive and present when we still can’t grasp the gravity of a situation.

I know as followers on this side of Easter we judge those disciples for not understanding Jesus and his predictions of his death.

But, I know when I want to deny the truth that is right before me because it brings me too much pain, I am like the disciples and I lack understanding even if the truth is staring me in the face.

We have all had those times.

We do not want to believe a diagnosis;

                                     or a termination notice;

                                                         or a break up, or…

We would rather crawl under the covers,

                                       fall asleep,

                                           turn the other way,

                                                   than witness the struggle before us.

John and his brother James were known as the sons of thunder. They were close to Jesus. These two and Peter are always at Jesus’ side. John is credited with the authorship of the gospel of John, Revelation and the letters that bear his name. John is also praised by the apostle Paul as one of the pillars of the Jerusalem church.

The fourth gospel is written in a way that it draws the reader into the stories as a participant. The prologue identifies the theology of the author. Jesus is more than his death on the cross. For the writer of the fourth gospel the power of God’s love for the world begins with the incarnation.

God’s love and desire for the restoration of creation begins with the birth of Jesus.

The importance of joy and light and life are prominent in this gospel.

In the life of Jesus, the first miracle that takes place is at the wedding of Cana. The abundance of wine demonstrates the abundance of all that God has for God’s people.

In the fourth gospel Jesus proclaims he is sent by the Father more than 100 times. It is essential for John to make clear that Jesus is the one who has completed what is needed for the salvation of the world.

Jesus is the great I AM.

He is the bread of life.

He is the living bread.

He is the light of the world.

He is good shepherd.

He is the resurrection and the life.

He is the way, the truth and the life.

In this fourth gospel, John has sought to clarify that the decisive measure of one’s relationship with God is one’s faith in Jesus. The coming of Jesus into the world is what has given the world access to the light and love of God.

In the fourth gospel, Jesus talks to his disciples about the power of God’s presence with them. He prepares them for the time when he will no longer be with them. He talks to them about the Holy Spirit.

He seeks to prepare them for the comfort of his presence through the presence of the Spirit to come. It is this Spirit that dwells with us at our crossroads of life. Jesus said. “Abide in me, as I abide in you.”

It is his invitation to us to allow the fullness of his presence always.

The Garden of Gethsemane was the place where we witnessed the restoration of God’s relationship with God’s people through the willful obedience of Jesus. Jesus went to the cross, he rose again, he fulfilled the promise of God.

Let us recognize the transforming power of God’s love in us. Let us say yes, to following Jesus. Amen.

12 Baskets

Sermon Matthew 14: 13-21 May 31, 2015 Casual Sunday/Church Picnic/Festival of Singing

12 Baskets

Leftovers in a deserted place, twelve baskets full!

Just to set the story straight-this is not a story like the story “Stone Soup”. The miracle here is bigger than that. We know that there were leftovers in this story and that is what the miracle is about. Matthew writes this story about the disciples and not the little boy.

It is a story about Jesus commissioning the disciples to do and be the pouring out of the abundance of miracles created by him.

In a world where refrigeration didn’t exist and Sunbeam Bread wasn’t heard of, the disciples were left with twelve baskets of food. What was Jesus thinking when he looked up to heaven to the God of glory?

What was Jesus thinking when he took the loaves and blessed them and then broke them and gave them to his disciples to share with the crowd?

Had Jesus forgotten the date stamp on the bread was only good until morning at best? As we look at the leftover baskets we could consider Jesus wasteful with the resources of God’s good earth. Perhaps Jesus just wasn’t as good at calculating for company when he performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. 

The disciples were amazed at what Jesus had done to satisfy the hunger of the people.

Yet, they were the ones who had to collect the baskets of leftovers and then figure out what to do with them.

It reminds me of another story in the Bible. When the people of Israel were wandering in the desert they were provided with manna-bread that rained down from heaven. There in the desert, the place of wandering, uncertainty and fragility, God made sure there was bread for every day. There was just enough for each day and no leftovers. The people were warned not to get too much because if they did the manna would rot and get worms.

In today’s text we find Jesus in a deserted place and he is trying to come to grips with the loss of his dearest friend John the Baptist.

But, Jesus has a crowd of followers who want to be close to him, to touch him and be healed by him. They don’t want to let him go for even a minute. They are hungry for his presence. They are hungry for his touch. They are hungry for his words. They are hungry for his love.  The text we read doesn’t say they were hungry for food. The disciples are the ones worried about that. It’s interesting that the ones closest to Jesus were worried about the scarcity around them. The ones who knew him best were the ones worried!

Perhaps it was Judas that was calculating the size of the crowd and realizing that there were not enough funds in the account to cover the cost of sustaining these people with a meal. Perhaps it was Peter who was looking at the amount of work it would take to prepare a meal and then have to share it. Peter saw 12 disciples and 5000 plus people and his head started spinning. There was no way that just a handful of people could do all the work. Or perhaps even John the beloved could only see the scarcity of the situation and couldn’t see past the lack of resources.

The leadership team was more worried about the reality of the situation and felt it their responsibility to let the Savior know that it was time to go. The disciples as they are watching Jesus perform miracles of healing are telling him there isn’t enough food so send those people home!

What is wrong with this picture? Can God provide a table of plenty in a deserted place?

Of course God can!! And that is the point of this miracle. In a world where bread had to baked daily and where the very act of making bread was a sacramental and time consuming process, Jesus held before the masses strength and sustenance. Jesus held before them the provision for their future, all that they needed and in abundance!

More than enough to go around, more than enough to be filled to overflowing, more than enough to have to worry about the leftovers.

When the focus is on the scarcity of resources, God turns it around so that the focus is on the abundance! And this is Good News!

How we steward what is God’s that we can see creates the ethical and moral framework for what we don’t see. (Joel Salatin).

The miracle of this story is as much for us as it was for those first disciples.

When we are faced with the reality of something too big for our imagination that is staring us in the face (like the crowd staring Jesus and the disciples in the face) our tendency is to focus on our lack of resources, our inability to respond to something beyond our capacity or capabilities.

We are human and so all we see is what can’t be done. All we see is how there isn’t enough. All we know is how there aren’t enough people to help.

And when we are faced with a desert story like this one, we are just like the disciples and we speak to Jesus and ask him to send away the crowd. We want Jesus to send away our dilemma. We want to Jesus to send away our crisis, our difficult circumstances. We want Jesus to send away the crowd that is crowding in on us.

But, Jesus responds to us out of the same compassion that he did for the disciples and for the crowd. Everything about Jesus, his mission and ministry, stemmed out of his compassion for humanity.

He became God with us because of his love for us.

Jesus was all about God’s people and still is!

His desire is for us to do and be likewise.

Last year at the Wabash Pastoral Leadership program we (16 pastors) listened to Richard Gunderman the chancellor of the IU medical school. He reflected on the life of Kent Brantly one of his former students. Kent has made national news. He is the medical missionary for his church the Church of Christ serving with Samaritan’s Purse. He has contracted the Ebola virus from the very people he was serving in Liberia.

 Anyone would say he was foolish to take a risk like that knowing that he had a wife and two small children to care for.

Yet, this man even while in medical school had another purpose.

His whole focus of life was about serving God.

As Dr Gunderman said, “Kent sees the micro-challenges of his own life – what field to study, what career to pursue, what kind of husband and father to be – in terms of the macro-challenges of the world – mouths to be fed, wounds to be dressed, diseases to be treated, and suffering human beings to be comforted.” “Kent sees his life as serving others and has the courage to follow it.”

Being a disciple is not an easy task and standing there on the hillside with his disciples Jesus made that point clear as he lifted his head to heaven to bless the five loaves and two fish.

He poured out God’s love into the food before him.

He knew that this would be the one way the disciples could act on the resources that had been given to them as they too were called to go forth and share,

not from the reality of what they could see but from the compassion bubbling up from the heart of what they could not see.

Jesus was setting them up to be good stewards and create a new framework for their lives.

The question for us today is what task or situation before us is so big and so beyond our imagination that we would ask Jesus to send it away?

Are we unable to see the abundant leftovers that there will be because we are so focused on the scarcity of the resources around us?

Jesus shows us in this miracle to remind us that all the resources are there. 

All we need to do is respond from a heart of compassion for the bigger picture.

Twelve baskets of leftovers! One basket full for each disciple!

We are not told how the disciples probably had to scramble to figure out how to share this abundance.

We are not told what their reaction was to this new dilemma.

But we get the joy of God’s work among God’s people. We get it! We really do!

Think of some of the activities we have done together as a church. How many of those activities would have died on the drawing table if we had said things like, “we are small, we don’t have enough people, we don’t have the funds, we don’t have the energy etc.”  But, we haven’t done that (even if we thought it).

And we have been blessed with leftovers!

How will we be good stewards of the leftovers?

How will we handle the baskets of good fruit?

There were twelve baskets and twelve disciples just enough for each one to carry and bring to someone to keep the abundance of giving going.

Jesus gives us more than manna for our daily bread. He gives us leftovers to carry with us and share with others. He gives us so much that we are not depleting our resources but are giving from the abundance given to us.

Let us offer our hearts to God, be blessed and broken, and poured out for many. Amen.