The Rev. Kristin Krantz, St. James’, Mt. Airy
October 31, 2021
Ruth 1:1-18, Psalm 146, Hebrews 9:11-14, Mark 12:28-34
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them;
take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen.
The story of Ruth and Naomi is one of my favorites in all of scripture. Not just it is centered on two women, something rare indeed, but because of the themes it encompasses.
It begins today with a family of refugees seeking a better life, leaving their homeland in a time of famine. Years and years before the holy family fled Bethlehem seeking refuge in Egypt, Elimelech and Ruth and their sons fled from there to the land of Moab.
And while they initially found a measure of stability there, enough for the sons to marry foreign wives, after a period of ten years Elimelech and his sons Mahlon and Chilion have all died. The family experienced what many first-generation force migrants encounter in times of plight and flight – suffering, loss, hardship, and pain[1] (the very things they were hoping to escape).
This theme of suffering and loss finds it antidote in the relationships between the widowed women.
To be clear, these women were in a place of devastation. Without husbands they had no means for survival. Naomi was too old to remarry and have more children. She decided to return to the land of Judah to seek out family that might take her in, telling her daughters-in-law to do the same – to return to their mother’s houses with the prayer that God will deal with them kindly.
But Orpah and Ruth loved her and followed her along the way. It was only after Naomi made two pleas for them to return to their families that Orpah relented. But Ruth clung to her and pledged that she would never be parted from Naomi, that Naomi’s God would become her God, and that where Naomi dies there she will also be buried.
This is the first time God appears in this book, and while it is not the last, it is not an overstatement to say that in the book of Ruth, God is not the main character. The action takes place among humans in everyday life, with God’s role implicit in the interactions and plot reversals in the story.
Accordingly, the theology in this book is hidden and subtle. God does not break into the world in miracles that overturn nature or bring dead ones back to life. Instead, God acts through Ruth and her unquestioning fidelity to Naomi.[2]
And that brings us to the final themes found in this book – steadfast love and the hope it creates.
Hesed is the Hebrew word for steadfast love, also carrying the connotations of loving-kindness, loyalty, commitment, and faithful action. And the story of Ruth and Naomi gives us one of the most beautiful and profound examples of hesed in all of scripture.
Hesed describes faithful the way in which Naomi tried to secure shelter for her daughter-in-laws by sending them back to their families, the way Ruth followed Naomi, the way as the story continues that Naomi provided for Ruth by finding her a new husband, and the way in which Ruth continued to love Naomi and make a home with her – all of that was hesed, loving kindness wrapped in loyalty.
That kind of love is an outward and visible sign of God’s love, and it is the kind of love that has the power to transform the world.
Because remember, Ruth is the beloved great-grandmother of King David. Ruth was the mother of Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. Which makes Naomi and Ruth the ancestors of Jesus as well.
And herein lies the hope.
Steadfast love did not prevent nor erase the suffering and loss these women experienced, but it did pull them back from the brink of despair. It did give them something to cling to when life felt like it was ending. And it brought them through the storms of life to a place of new beginnings.
The steadfast love Naomi and Ruth had for one another was the foundation upon which God chose to build Israel’s sacred monarchy, and from which down the line God would become incarnate in the birth of Jesus Christ.
And it is Jesus who in today’s gospel identifies love of God and neighbor as the greatest commandment, bringing the story full circle.
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Our stewardship prompt this week is, “How does our church help you get through the ups and downs of everyday life?”
My hope is that as you reflect on this question you’ll remember the story of Naomi and Ruth, of how they experienced the inbreaking of God through faithful relationship. Such faithful human relationships reflect divine care and therefore the covenantal nature of community. Because through the care we extend to and receive from one another, we encounter the gifts of God and the grace of God.
My prayer is that this community has indeed been such a place for you, that is becoming such a place for you, and that it will remain such a place for years to come. Amen.
[1] John Ahn, Exegetical Perspective, Feasting on the Word, Year B Volume 4.
[2] Kathleen M. O’connor, Theological Perspective, Feasting on the Word, Year B Volume 4.