Old Testament Reading

Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17

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. Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 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. 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.” She said to her, “All that you tell me I will do.” So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the LORD made her conceive, and she bore a son. 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! 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.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. 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.

Epistle Reading

Hebrews 9:24-28

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Gospel Reading

Mark 12:38-44

As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.

A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Sermon

The readings for today made me think of several threads and I want to pull on them one at a time.

One thread is related to a reading from several weeks ago. The reading was from Esther and then, last week and this week we have readings from Ruth.

Women are used to hearing the bible from the perspective of men. Because most of the bible is told from a male perspective. Maybe it is important especially for women to lean in when we get these nuggets that are told from a female perspective, especially when the women we are reading about give us a picture of biblical womanhood that we are not expecting to hear. These ladies were certainly able to cook and clean and raise children. But Esther, Naomi, Ruth, all were dealing with life in difficult situations in a brave way. And for the guys, maybe it’s a time to pay closer attention because while the ladies are used to hearing the bible from a male perspective, the men get short-changed a little in the area of hearing about life with God in early Israel from a woman’s perspective.

That brings me to another thread I want to pull on. The thread of risk. Esther risked death by going in to the king uninvited. Naomi and Ruth risked a journey with no male protectors. There was no guarantee they would make it to their destination and there was no guarantee that if they did, there would be a place of protection and food for them. A widow with no sons in biblical times was in a dire situation and she was often viewed as cursed.

We just finished a series of readings in the book of Job and we remember that Job’s friends ended up accusing him of having sinned because why else would so many horrible things have happened to him.

Our very concept of being blessed usually means that good things have happened because a person is good and bad things have happened to them when they were bad and yet, we see over and over again, in the bible as well as everyday life that this thinking does not hold true. We see people do evil and yet prosper in a material way. We see people who are kind and giving and have terrible tragedies happen to them. We are more comfortable with life making sense – A plus B = C. But it things just seem to happen for no reason that we can understand.

That same kind of thinking would have been in place for Naomi and Ruth. Tragedy happened. Ruth was young enough that she still might remarry and by doing so, secure her future, but she chose instead to remain with Naomi who had no options. If Naomi remained where she was she would most likely starve.

Naomi was in a tough spot. No husband, no sons. Famine. And there was a line in last weeks’ reading that I nearly missed. “she had heard that the Lord had visited His people by giving them food”. She was going to where there was food, but she was also going to where she had heard the Lord had come to the aid of His people. She assessed her situation and made a decision. Naomi was taking a big risk but maybe going to the place where she last knew the Lord was gives us a tool for how to make a decision when risk is involved and we can’t see a clear answer.

In today’s reading, Naomi again looks at her situation, only this time, she is focusing on a plan for her daughter in law. She is depending on the law that was established way back in Leviticus, that said a family member will take care of a widow. Ruth is also a widow and risked this journey with Naomi. Naomi wants to provide for her future. She tells her all that she is to do and Ruth again takes a risk, by obeying her mother in law. While the bible tells the story in terms that do not at first make it obvious what is happening, the details are probably a little closer to an HBO movie than a Hallmark movie. Boaz takes Ruth for his wife and they have a child.

All these readings are about choices and risks. For Esther, the stakes were high but the payoff was huge. She could have died, but taking a risk saved her people.

Esther 4:12-16 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

¹⁵Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Esther needed a little nudge from Mordecai but still, we are reminded in this passage that even though risk may be involved, sometimes we are divinely placed in a specific position for a purpose that God has already prepared for us.

Naomi and Ruth could have died on the journey. Boaz could have rejected Ruth. But choices were made and all of the risk paid off. If we look at last weeks’ reading, Naomi tries to make both her daughter-in-laws go back home. Orpah chooses to do exactly that and we never hear about her again. You can go to the front of your bible where the list of books can be found and nowhere will you find the book of Orpah. She is not bad. As far as we know she is not punished for her choice. She just does not become an unforgettable player on the stage of the story of God’s people. She was a bit player and then exited the stage.

Boaz comes from a line of risk takers. His mother was Rahab. Rahab is referred to in the bible as a harlot. From the Book of Joshua, camped in the Jordan valley across from Jericho, Joshua sent out two spies to check out the strength of the enemies in Jericho. The spies hid in Rahab’s house, which was built into the city wall. Men who were sent to capture the spies asked Rahab to bring them out. She hid them under bunches of flax on the roof and protected them from capture. Rahab said to the spies in Joshua 2:9-13 When faced with the choosing between her own people and God, she risked everything to choose God.

“I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. “Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

After escaping, the spies agreed to spare Rahab and her family after conquering the city. By placing a red cord out her window, Rahab secured her and her family’s safety.

Notice, Rahab did not ask for a deal before she hid the spies. She took a risk and hid them and then asked them to save her family.

When the city of Jericho fell, Rahab and her whole family were saved by the agreement with the spies and were included among the Jewish people.

Rehab being a prostitute made her home a strategic place to hide. People would have been accustomed to strangers going in and out. God did not wait until Rahab cleaned up her life. He had a purpose for her just the way she was and right where she was at.

Hebrews 11:31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

James 2:25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

When we look at the gospel reading, we see Jesus contrasting two different stories. The scribes who “look” like they are Godly, are risking nothing, giving up nothing..and the widow who risks everything she has, gives everything she has to choose God. The scribes are dependent on their clothing, their words, and other people’s money (mostly poor people) to keep up their appearance. I am sure that this passage has been used for sermons that are based on stewardship and it IS about that. But I would suggest that we could look at this, not just from the monetary perspective, but from the perspective that we are to give more than our tithe, we are to risk giving everything, our whole selves, to God. The scribes were putting on a public show. Jesus saw the nearly invisible widow.

Another thread I want to tug on is friendship. I had a little help with this from Mike Gaddy at Monday morning bible study. Thank you Mike!

Mike told us that the Hebrew meaning of the name Ruth is friend. If you hear someone say of someone else, that they are being “ruthless” there is probably not much friendship involved is there? Naomi was a friend to her daughter-in-laws. While she was making plans that involved her survival, she also was thinking of Ruth and Orpah and while Orpah went her own way, Ruth stayed with Naomi. She was a loyal friend.

While the scribes in the book of Mark seemed to only be thinking of taking – whether it be honor, public respect, or money, the widow is contrasted as giving everything. The scribes would not be what I would think of as friends. Maybe the widow trusted that the community of God (friends) that she gave everything to, would care for her needs.

Boaz was an older man but he recognized Ruth as hard working and obedient and loyal to her mother-in-law. Boaz the son of Rahab is from a line that comes from outside the Israelites. Ruth also is an outsider. Rahab was definitely an outsider – she was the enemy. But with God, friendship was born and they were adopted into the community and not just into the community, but into the family tree of Jesus! That is quite a friendship!

Mary mother of Jesus took a riak and trusted what the angel told her. Joseph took a risk when he trusted and took Mary for his wife.

Even our reading from Hebrews has a thread of risk. Jesus risks absolutely everything, His life, even to death, on the promise of resurrection and because Jesus trusted and obeyed, and took that risk, everyone who believes in Him and follows Him by risking living different from how the world loudly pulls us to live, will receive salvation and share in that resurrection. Though we are outsiders in that we are sinners, Jesus makes us sons and daughters. The people who first heard these words would have known the words from Exodus that gave instructions for the building of the tabernacle which to the early children of Israel, was God’s dwelling place, where the priests would offer sacrifices to purify themselves and for the sins of the people.

Rahab was a courageous and flawed human who risked everything for the God of the Israelites. Ruth was a good and loyal and obedient friend to Naomi and never abandoned her. Outsiders became a community and because choices were made and risks were taken and friendships were born, not by scribes and religious leaders, but by regular everyday, flawed, imperfect people, the family line continued to the birth of Jesus. Jesus is our ultimate friend and will never abandon us and through His obedience to God, made the once and for all sacrifice for us.

As we read these stories of God’s people, we can see that God uses both men and women in surprising ways. We see that God honors taking a risk, especially when it means extending friendship to someone; helping and giving to an outsider in a way that brings them into the circle. God honors how we treat others much more than public displays of how religious we are or how much material wealth we accrue. Micah 6 tells us “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Short verse, easy to read, a little more complicated to live out.

If we are trying to make a decision on how to act and can’t see a clear path, sometimes we need to go back to wherever we saw or heard God working last and start there.

What do we risk today for the kingdom? We are not too worried about being beheaded or killed by the enemy on the other side of our city wall. We probably will not have to walk miles with nothing but what we can carry in hope that we will have a home and food to eat. If We reach out to someone who is not like us and become their friend we might risk ridicule. We even might risk being used. We might risk giving to someone who co tinues to make what we think are bad decisions.

We have opportunities to become friends of anyone who might feel like an outsider, who might be different. Who might need to know that they are created in the image of God. We can be kind to strangers. We can offer food to those who are hungry.

We each have a purpose. We each are often divinely placed exactly where God needs us to be to risk something for the kingdom. I pray that we each pay attention every day just in case that moment happens so we will be ready to do whatever the Holy Spirit is nudging us to do.

We see in these readings that choices can keep people from starving, from being lonely, create new communities and families, care for those who have no hope, and make the Kingdom of God visible here and now, not some “way later far away in the sky” place, but here. Now. Us.

Amen?

Prayer