Sermon for May 16th, 2021 - Revision history

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==Ruth 2:1-23==
1 Now Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side, a prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?” 6 The servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please, let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came, and she has been on her feet from early this morning until now, without resting even for a moment.”

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” 13 Then she said, “May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants.”

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin.” 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.” 23 So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.

==Redeeming Love: The Story of Ruth, Part II==

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 Verse 8: Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” 13 Then she said, “May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants.”
 It's worth a little detour here to ask the question, "why were things so bad between the people of Israel and the people of Moab?"  By the time the Book of Ruth is written, they have been fighting each other for centuries, and like many long running feuds, chances are the people involved have long since forgotten why they began fighting in the first place.  But there's a hint of a backstory in that verse from Deuteronomy that I mentioned a minute ago:
@@ Line 29: / Line 31: @@
 This may sound petty to us, but in the Ancient Middle East, hospitality was a big deal.  Hotels didn't exist, and all travelers had to rely on the simple hospitality of local people.  So, when the Israelites were themselves foreigners, wandering through the wilderness after escaping from slavery in Egypt, they wandered into the land of Moab. Instead of offering them food and water--the minimum standard for basic assistance--the people of Moab cursed them.  In time, that little slight grew into full-fledged hostility.
-Boaz owes nothing to Ruth.  He might very well have said, "Your ancestors did not offer food or water to my people when we were in need, why should I do anything for you?"  And yet...
+Boaz has fulfilled his obligation to his relative, Naomi.  But Boaz owes nothing to Ruth.  He might very well have said, "Your ancestors did not offer food or water to my people when we were in need, why should I do anything for you?"  And yet...
 Verse 14: At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
-How do you break a generational curse?  How do you undo centuries of violence and warfare?  Forget about negotiated treaties and peace accords:  Change begins with simple, individual acts of kindness and hospitality.  Looking past the way you (or your ancestors) were slighted in the past, and treating another person with dignity and respect.
+How do you break a generational curse?  How do you undo centuries of violence and warfare?  Forget about negotiated treaties and peace accords:  Change begins with simple, individual acts of kindness and hospitality.  Looking past the way you (or your ancestors) were slighted in the past, letting go, and starting a fresh new chapter.  Peace begins when we offer food, drink, and shelter to those in need.  The criteria is not whether it is deserved, or earned.  Just whether it is needed.
-So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin.” 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.” 23 So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.
+Hospitality opens the door to new relationships and new opportunities.  Initiative walks through the door, seizes the opportunities and brings those new relationships into fruition.  But community nurtures and sustains them both, cementing us in our new life, allowing us to put down deep roots, to grow and to thrive.

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 This may sound petty to us, but in the Ancient Middle East, hospitality was a big deal.  Hotels didn't exist, and all travelers had to rely on the simple hospitality of local people.  So, when the Israelites were themselves foreigners, wandering through the wilderness after escaping from slavery in Egypt, they wandered into the land of Moab. Instead of offering them food and water--the minimum standard for basic assistance--the people of Moab cursed them.  In time, that little slight grew into full-fledged hostility.
-How do you undo a generational curse?  How do you walk back centuries of violence and warfare?  Forget about negotiated treaties and peace accords:  Change begins with simple, individual acts of kindness and hospitality.  Looking past the way you (or your ancestors) were slighted, and treating another person with dignity and respect.
+Boaz owes nothing to Ruth.  He might very well have said, "Your ancestors did not offer food or water to my people when we were in need, why should I do anything for you?"  And yet...
 Verse 14: At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
+How do you break a generational curse?  How do you undo centuries of violence and warfare?  Forget about negotiated treaties and peace accords:  Change begins with simple, individual acts of kindness and hospitality.  Looking past the way you (or your ancestors) were slighted in the past, and treating another person with dignity and respect.
 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin.” 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.” 23 So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 Verse 8: Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” 13 Then she said, “May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants.”
-It's worth a little detour here to ask the question, "why were things so bad between the people of Israel and the people of Moab?"  By the time the Book of Ruth is written, they have been fighting each other for centuries, and like many long running feuds, chances are the people involved have long since forgotten why they began fighting in the first place.  But there's a hint of a backstory in that verse from Deuteronomy that I minuted a minute ago:
+It's worth a little detour here to ask the question, "why were things so bad between the people of Israel and the people of Moab?"  By the time the Book of Ruth is written, they have been fighting each other for centuries, and like many long running feuds, chances are the people involved have long since forgotten why they began fighting in the first place.  But there's a hint of a backstory in that verse from Deuteronomy that I mentioned a minute ago:
 Deuteronomy 23: "No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of their descendants shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord, 4 because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam son of Beor, from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you."
-So, when the Israelites were themselves foreigners, wandering through foreign lands and relying on the hospitality of strangers to survive, they wandered into the land of Moab. Instead of offering them food and water (which was the custom for travelers in the ancient Middle East) the people of Moab cursed them.
+This may sound petty to us, but in the Ancient Middle East, hospitality was a big deal.  Hotels didn't exist, and all travelers had to rely on the simple hospitality of local people.  So, when the Israelites were themselves foreigners, wandering through the wilderness after escaping from slavery in Egypt, they wandered into the land of Moab. Instead of offering them food and water--the minimum standard for basic assistance--the people of Moab cursed them.  In time, that little slight grew into full-fledged hostility.
-At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
+Verse 14: At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin.” 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.” 23 So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 Last week, we heard the story of two widows, Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Having lost their husbands in the land of Moab, Naomi decides to come back to her home country of Judah (in Israel) and Naomi decides to come with her, famously (and perhaps stubbornly) telling her mother in law that "Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God."
-In today's scripture passage, Ruth and Naomi have arrived in Judah, with no resources, no protection, no other immediate family beyond each other.
+In today's scripture passage, Ruth and Naomi have arrived in Judah, with no resources, no protection, no other immediate family beyond each other.  It's not exactly a hopeful situation.
 Verse 1: Now Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side, a prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?” 6 The servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please, let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came, and she has been on her feet from early this morning until now, without resting even for a moment.”
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 This is repeated again in the book of Leviticus, chapter 23: "22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the Lord your God."
-Ruth meets every one of these categories:  She is an alien or foreigner from Moab.  She is a widow.  She is poor. And as we saw last week, she's probably an orphan, too.
+Ruth meets every one of these categories:  She is an alien or foreigner.  She is a widow.  She is poor. And as we saw last week, she's probably an orphan, too.
-However, Ruth is not just any foreigner. As we learned last week, she comes from Moab, the land of Israel's most bitter and hated enemies.  In Deuteronomy, just one chapter before the law about letting foreigners glean in your field, Deuteronomy states that no Moabite shall be admitted in to the Assembly of Israel, even down to the tenth generation of descent.  Moabites, like Ruth, are the exception to all the rules of hospitality.
+However, Ruth is not just any foreigner. As we learned last week, she comes from Moab, the land of Israel's most bitter and hated enemies.  In Deuteronomy, just one chapter before the law about letting foreigners glean in your field, Deuteronomy states that no Moabite shall be admitted in to the Assembly of Israel, even down to the tenth generation of descent.  Deuteronomy 23:6 goes so far as to say, "You shall never promote their welfare or their prosperity as long as you live."  In other words, Moabites like Ruth are the exception to all the rules of hospitality.
-When the owner fo the field, Boaz, asks who this woman is, the first thing the servant says is, "She is the MOABITE, who came back with Naomi...from the country of MOAB."  The emphasis is clear.  It's as if he's saying to Boaz, "What are you going to do about it??  Your reputation is on the line, here!"  But Boaz hears something different.  He hears the name of Naomi...the widow of his relative, Elimalech.
+When Boaz, the owner of the field, asks who this woman is, the first thing the servant says is, "She is the MOABITE, who came back with Naomi...from the country of MOAB."  The emphasis is clear.  It's as if he's saying to Boaz, "What are you going to do about it??  Your reputation is on the line, here!"  But Boaz hears something different.  He hears the name of Naomi...the widow of his relative, Elimalech. I suspect he also takes notice of her determination and work ethic.  The servant says that "she has been on her feet from early this morning until now, without resting even for a moment."
 Verse 8: Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” 13 Then she said, “May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants.”
 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin.” 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.” 23 So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.