INTRODUCTION: 196
Last week, our first reading of Ruth changed how we see God’s providence and activity in our lives. We don't get God's attention until His timer reaches zero. We learned that we can be hopeful because He's active in each of our lives all the time. His love for us never falters regardless of whether we experience feast or famine in our lives.
Naomi and Ruth are in a time of famine. Naomi and her husband moved to Moab to flee the famine in Israel. Naomi is now a widow. She had two sons who married Moabite women, and now both of her sons are dead. Naomi is resolved to return home believing God has caused her misery for she has heard the famine has ended there. At her urging, she has persuaded one of the two daughters in law, Orpah, whose name means neck turned backwards to go back to the Moabites.
No matter how much Naomi tries, her other daughter-in-law Ruth, whose name means “dedicated and compassionate friend,” not only is determined to journey with Naomi to Bethlehem, but she also pledges herself to accept Israel’s God as her own. Here begins our reading:
RUTH 1:15-22
Problem in the Text: 388
Grief captured the spotlight last week in verses 1-14.
Naomi’s grief at losing her husband and two married sons.
Orpah and Ruth lost their husbands, a brother in law, and a father in law.
And finally, a torrent of tears when Naomi insists that Orpah and Ruth return to their families in Moab. Orpah abandons Naomi in verse 14 with her family and her gods. It's like another death and we never hear about her again. It's an enormous amount of grief to share among three women.
But now in verse 15, the spotlight turns in large part in verse 15 to Naomi’s grief. Naomi’s grief now looms large. In verse 15, Naomi franticly tries to convince Ruth –
After all Naomi is all too painfully aware that Ruth’s entrance into Bethlehem was likely to cause more grief for both of them. Non-Jewish outsiders were often not welcomed in Bethlehem or Israel. Last but not least, even Naomi's physical appearance is impacted by her grief. Verses 19-21
It's more than grief, more than depression. Naomi's grief has accumulated into a full-blown crisis of meaning. She feels fractured from herself, others, and the world. Mostly, she feels disconnected from God. She sees no future for herself. Her identity as a wife – GONE. Her identity as a mother x 2 – GONE. Her faith as a Jew – NEARLY DEPLETED. A part of her is recognizable, but another is not. The meaning of Naomi's name - pleasantness - disappears. Stop calling me Naomi. I'm called Mara because I've been afflicted by the Lord. She is defined by her circumstances and her deepest emotions.
Problem in the World: 349
Far too often we find our deepest seated emotions tied to our circumstances and identities. Moments of peak celebration yield joy. Moments of grief and trouble find happiness fleeing leaving a vacuum quickly filled with doom and gloom. Layer upon layer it builds until it becomes a full-blown personal meaning crisis. We often feel disconnected from ourselves, from friends and family, and from the rest of the world for weeks or months at a time. Most of all, we may feel disconnected from God or as if he has withheld his love from us. Worship is hard and we open the Bible less. It’s those times when the future looks most bleak. There is something far more ominous here than grief or depression. There is no doubt that it is toxic to our relationships, if not sinister.
But pastor, we are Christians – how can it be possible not to have that sense of joy from being a follower of Christ? What we know from Naomi amounts to three or so identity levels – wife, mother, and faith. Three identities in disarray.
Take a moment to think about how many identities we have today that could go awry. Do you have trouble keeping all your identities in check?
· Red, blue, or purple political party preferences and the relationship strains it sometimes cause.
· Upper Class, Middle Class, Lower Class
· Family Identity, Public Identity, Church Identity, Faith Identity
· School Identity, Activity Identity,
· Work Identity, Retirement Identity
· Healthy Identity or Sickness - Your identity is hijacked when disease now defines you
· Unresolved Issues or conflicts from your past like an argument with a friend or relative that was never resolved.
- Like silly putty stretched to our limits - the influence of social media and the never ending crisis.
We find ourselves in a meaning crisis – especially when we allow our deepest seated emotions to be driven by circumstance rather than faith. And if you have been doing that, let me assure you, you are not alone in doing so.
Grace in the Text – 442 Words
Today's text is filled with grief, yet God's grace shines through to provide meaning. In the first part of grace, God reversed the famine. Bethlehem, once again, was the City of Bread. Moab offers Naomi only death and grief. She could survive the grief-stricken widowhood back home.
In one last effort, Naomi extends grace to Ruth. Naomi wants the best for her. Verse 15 again
Naomi doesn’t know it yet. God has an even greater plan for Ruth to go with Naomi to Bethlehem.
It is here that commentary writers tend to dissect Ruth's profound answer. They want to analyze it phrase by phrase, like presidential debates or the state of the union address. However, Ruth did not hire speechwriters, even though every phrase is grace after grace. She wasn't rehearsing this days in advance. Our added verse numbers actually do her words a disservice. Her words flowed passionately from her lips, her mind, and her heart. We cannot help but see Ruth's life influenced by the Holy Spirit, even though the Spirit goes unnamed.
Ruth lives up to her name, which means dedicated and compassionate friend. While her sister-in-law returns home to her family and gods, Ruth declares she will not. Ruth claims the identity of God's people and commits herself to Him. This is Ruth's lifelong commitment to Naomi and God. If her words don't ring true or she doesn't act on it, she calls on God's judgment.
The ability to transcend grief is an opportunity for Ruth to redefine who she is in these oaths. In the future, Ruth does not want to be defined by her grief. Ruth knows she needs Naomi, her people, and her God to figure this all out.
It doesn't solve Naomi's meaning crisis at the moment. Seeing God in the picture positively will take Naomi more time. But God is there to provide a helper. Though grief has greatly burdened Naomi, God brings her back into the community she once knew. She is recognized by the other women in that moment of grace. Isn’t this Naomi? As a result of this return, Ruth will be part of a new community.
Grace in the World
Likewise, God makes sure that our identity as members of the family of God brings us together in community. He pledges our adoption into his family.
Three patients were illustrations of this yesterday on a chaplaincy shift.
Visiting two of the three actively dying alone was heartbreaking. They have no community to support or pray for them. All of their deepest emotions – all negative – are driven by their negative experiences. Bitter. They are miserable. There is no one to notify or make arrangements for. Their deaths won't be mourned. But one of them wondered if God would free him of bipolar disorder and look upon his heart at his death.
I met my third patient last Monday morning at 2:30 AM. He suffered a stroke hours before bedtime. At his bedside were his wife and daughters. Calling loved ones and church members to prayer, local believers rang up the phones. No bitterness. No panic. They were concerned, but had faith in Jesus and God's providence to see them through. It wasn’t by chance that I was called back to his room yesterday. I approached the room presuming the worst. His new disability didn't stop him from talking and laughing. Families, friends, and the pastor gathered. The nurses were fighting over who got to cover his room because he was so appreciative.
Despite our negative circumstances and grief, God provides us with the community of his church to supersede our grief. Like Ruth, God isn’t finished yet adding people to this community. The learning curve for some of them is steep, requiring patience and grace on our part. But God cherishes each one.
As we are tempted to let negative circumstances define us, God uses this community, his church, to support and heal us. In our baptism identity and our communion identity, we find God's identity defining moments. Here Jesus assures us of our forgiveness. Let nothing superficial stand between you and Jesus. Our brokenness brings us to the table, but we leave spiritually full as a community with restored identities.
