On the last four Sundays of
August all of us Lutheran pastors in Kittson County will be preaching a series
of sermons on the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. Whether you worship God at Grace in Hallock,
Red River to the west, Maria in Kennedy, Sion in Lancaster, Zion in Lake
Bronson, Eidsvold in Halma, or First in Karlstad the subject of the sermon will
be the same, although the comments will be those of each individual preacher.
On the surface the Book of Ruth
reads like a romance novel, a nice light read to take to the lake or to the
beach. “Will Ruth ever find love again?”
would be on the cover at the checkout line in a big box store. But there is more here. A lot more, which is why this book is tucked
into the Old Testament between Judges and Samuel. Together the four Lutheran preachers in Kittson
County
The Book of Ruth is about the
power of families and of family connections.
We hear a lot about dysfunctional families and watch the drama of
certain families on TV and in the movies.
Ruth experienced the other side of family, the side that is full of love
and compassion, and duty faithfully done.
It starts out with Ruth marrying
into the family of a man from Bethlehem . They are Israelites, and she is a Moabite,
but they welcome her into their family with open arms. There is no sense that Ruth is just an
“in-law” not to be counted as an equal to blood relatives. When Ruth’s husband died young, her
mother-in-law still treats her as a daughter. In fact, she calls both Ruth and Orpah “my
daughters.”
Mothers-in-law are the subject of
many jokes by comedians. The
relationship between two women who love the same man, one as a mother and the
other as a wife, is often contentious and difficult. But it is not so with Ruth and Naomi. They have a tender affection for one another
that stands out as an example of how loving a family can be. Despite her deep affection for Ruth, Naomi
releases Ruth from any obligation she might have to care for the mother of her
late husband. In the face of tragedy
and loss, Naomi encourages both of her daughters-in-law to go out and start
over again. She encourages them to marry
another man, have children, and build a beautiful life together. The two daughters-in-law respond
differently. Orpah does as Naomi asks
her to do. She decides to start over
again with a new man. It was the right
choice for her.
But Ruth is so devoted to her
mother-in-law that she begs her to be allowed to return to Bethlehem
with her and see what God has in store for them there. It is at this point in the story that Ruth
utters those famous words that have been recited so often at weddings to
express the love of a husband and wife, but which originally spoke of the love
of in-laws for one another:
Entreat me not to
leave you or to return from following you.
For where you go, I
will go,
And where you lodge I
will lodge;
Your people shall be
my people,
And your God my God;
Where you die I will
die,
And there will I be
buried.
May the Lord do so to
me and more also if even death parts me from you.
And so these two women set out
for Bethlehem together. The rest of the story is about how they are
received there, how Ruth encounters another member of her late husband’s family
by the name of Boaz, and what a good, generous, and upright member of the
family he is. Spoiler alert! Ruth does find love again in the strong arms
of Boaz while Naomi is well cared for in her old age even though she is bereft
of any direct descendants. In the end God
is praised (Ruth 4:14 ) for his care.
So come on the last four Sundays
of August and reflect together with us on this beautiful little story. And if not, I will try to put my sermons on
our website for you to read. Here’s the
schedule:
August 10 – Ruth 1 – Tragedy in Moab
August 17 – Ruth 2 – Provision in
Bethlehem
August 24 – Ruth 3 – On the
Threshing Floor
August 31 – Ruth 4 – Justice at
the Gate
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