Pentecost 18 (Proper 23C) 2022

Text: “16 But Ruth said, 'Do not urge me 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’” (Ruth 1:16).

Today we get a rare opportunity: the opportunity to talk about the book of Ruth.

It’s not a book that we spend much time on, typically. It doesn’t contain sweeping stories of what God did for His people as they went down to Egypt, then as He led them back out, then as He established them in the Promised Land, and as He cared for them there. It’s not one of the four Gospels that lay out the story of Jesus’ life and ministry. It’s not one of the New Testament Epistles that explain questions of faith and the Christian life.

There are many books that have verses in them that we come back to again and again. But Ruth isn’t one of them. The psalms have Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want....” Revelation has Revelation 21, “2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Isaiah has too many to list: “This shall be a sign to you, the virgin will conceive and bear a son…” (Is. 7:14); “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given...” (Is. 9:6); “7  And God will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8  He will swallow up death forever...” (Is. 25:7-8); “5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Is. 53:5); and several more. Even the book of Job has the famous passage, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth...” (Job 19:25).

There are many books that have verses which we come back to again and again. But not the book of Ruth. At best, there is one verse that used to be remembered, but not very much any more. “And Ruth said, ...whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me” (Ruth 1:16-17). Some of you— of a certain age— may very well have read that verse at your wedding.

The first thing to notice about the book of Ruth is that it is a romance.

You’re probably not going to see it on the Hallmark Channel any time soon, but that’s what it is. The romance is hidden from us by the differences between their culture and ours— what was romantic then isn’t romantic now— but the story is a romance.

You heard the first part in the Old Testament reading a few minutes ago.

“Our story opens on a nice Jewish family with a problem. Famine has hit Bethlehem, which forces [a man named] Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, to move east to Moab with their two sons.... [They leave Israel and move to this foreign land of Moab where they can, hopefully, survive.] There, they [make a home for themselves] and live for about ten years. The sons marry two local girls, Ruth and Orpah, during this time. Life is good. Or so it seems.

“One by one, Elimelech and his two sons die. This leaves Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah in need of help. Naomi decides to head back to Bethlehem, (ten years is enough time to get over a famine, right?) and her daughters-in-law pack their luggage and join her. Naomi begs the girls to stay behind and, while Orpah is convinced and high tails it back to Moab, Ruth pledges her devotion to Naomi, forsaking her god and her people to become part of Naomi's life. Ruth's stubbornness pays off and Naomi lets her tag along.”

That’s the part that you heard a few minutes ago in the Old Testament Reading. But you didn’t hear how things turn out from there.

“In Bethlehem, things are not good for the ladies. [Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, had owned land, but they had sold it when they went to Moab. (They didn’t have a choice— the land hadn’t supported them during the famine.) So, when they arrive back in Judah, they have nothing. And, to be honest, this is where the story turns into something worthy of a Hallmark movie.] Ruth is reduced to gleaning in the barley fields. [Gleaning was a practice at the time where the poor would come behind the workers harvesting the fields. They would gather any of the grain the workers dropped. And that’s what they would live off of. Well, as she’s gleaning,] ...Ruth happens to run into a [rich man] named Boaz, [who owns the field, and she instantly catches his eye. He takes] a liking to her and offers her all kinds of ...privileges [as she gleans in his field]. Boaz also happens to be a relative of Naomi's late husband, which is very, very important, since [it means that] Boaz [could serve as her ‘Redeemer’. He could buy back Elimelech’s land and, at the same time,] would have an obligation to marry Ruth and provide for her as family.

“When Naomi hears about Boaz and what a [good man] he is, she ...tells her daughter-in-law [how to let Boaz know that she’s interested in him. And she does.] Boaz tells Ruth that he would love to [redeem the family land and] marry her, but that there's another relative with even closer ties to her in-laws. [That relative has to at least have the opportunity of redeeming her.] Boaz [goes to meet him] and everyone is left to hold his or her breath while we wait to find out whom Ruth will end up with.

“As it turns out, this random relative is interested in buying [the] land that [had belonged to] Naomi..., but he's much less interested in taking her daughter-in-law as his wife. So a deal is struck—the other guy renounces his claim on Ruth and Boaz is free to marry her.” (Adapted from summary of the Book of Ruth from www.Shmoop.com)

That’s the story of Ruth in a nutshell. Again, the first thing to notice about the book of Ruth is that it is a romance.

The second thing to notice is that you are Ruth.

Now what do I mean by that? When it comes to the Kingdom of Heaven, you and I are all foreigners. You and I are strangers and aliens. Starting the moment that Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, you had no place in the Kingdom of God. You don’t ‘belong’ there. It’s something we all take for granted, but it’s a reality that we need to keep in mind.

Recently there was a news story that made the rounds in some circles of social media. The story described a young couple who was deeply offended that their church would not baptize their baby. The church declined because the couple was living together— and now had a child— without being married. Let me be clear, that’s not the decision I would be inclined to make in that kind of situation. At the same time, it was very interesting to see the comments on the story. Again, I think there is good reason to disagree with the decision. At the same time, it was very interesting to see people talk as if was the parents’ right, as if the church owed them something.

The problem with that argument is that to say that the church owes you something is to say that God owes you something. What God owes you and me is punishment. On our own, we have no place here. You have no place in those pews. I have no place in this pulpit. On our own, we have no place here. You and I are foreigners— strangers and aliens— when it comes to the Kingdom of God.

The third, crucial thing to notice is that Boaz is not just her ‘soulmate’. He is her redeemer.

The book of Ruth is not just a romantic story. It’s a story about belonging. That story of belonging could be summed up in one word: ‘Redeemer’.

This book only has 4 chapters— but it uses the word “redeemer” as often as the book of Leviticus, which has 27 chapters, or Isaiah, which has 66 chapters.

How did Ruth become one of Naomi’s people? She found a Redeemer. She and Naomi had nothing. They survived by gleaning in other people’s fields. To reclaim Naomi’s husband’s land, they needed a close relative who would marry Ruth and purchase the land back. And that’s precisely what they found in Boaz. A redeemer.

Why do you belong here? The answer is: because you are Ruth. There is one more part to the story that I didn’t mention.

“[In the end], Ruth and Boaz have a son.... The women in town name the baby Obed and... he goes on to be the grandfather of King David. [In time they become great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents of Jesus.”

This isn’t just the story of Ruth’s redeemer. It’s the story of your Redeemer. It’s not just about how Ruth came to belong among God’s people in God’s Kingdom. It’s about how you came to have a place in His Kingdom.

Sometimes churches joke about auctioning off seats in the church. In fact, I think there are actually some where you can literally get your name engraved on a little metal plate, signifying that it’s your seat. But that’s not what we’re talking about.

You belong here. Your seat here has been bought and paid for. Your place among God’s people, your place here in the Kingdom of God in this place that we call St. Paul Lutheran Church was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ.

Soon we’ll hear the familiar words of Matthew: “6 And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel,” he wasn’t just speaking of the ancient people of Israel. He was talking about you. From Bethlehem has come a ruler who will shepherd you.

He, Himself, went to the cross to prepare a place for you. As He told his disciples, “2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ...18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:2-3, 18).

This isn’t just a congregation in a little town of the Thumb of Michigan. “[You] are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people’” (2 Cor. 6:16). This is the same temple, the same people of God who gather in Fairgrove under the word ‘Grace’ and the same who gather in the Most Holy City of Sebewaing under the name Immanuel and the same who gather around the world from every nation and tribe and people and language. That is what you are part of here.

That is what you despise when you decide that it’s more important to go camping on a Sunday. That is what you despise when you can’t make it because of a softball tournament. That is what you despise when this is about entertainment or our comfort. You despise the place that Christ has purchased for you here with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death so that you may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness....

“16 Ruth said, 'Do not urge me 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’” (Ruth 1:16). Don’t let anyone or anything persuade you to turn away from what Christ offers you within His Church. Your Redeemer lives. In the end you will see Him. You will see Him with your own eyes. Wherever you go, He is with you. He has made His dwelling place here with you. He is your God and you are His people.

This may or may not be a verse that we choose to bring back into use at our weddings. But it is most certainly a verse for you to make your own today and every day.

In His Name. Amen.