19 August2018                        The KindFarmer                                MartinBaker

Over theseweeks we are looking at the Book of Ruth. An ancient story from maybe 2500years ago.  A story which may well havecome from a time when there was a high degree of antagonism and cruelty towardsforeigners and refugees and people who believed in other Gods.

So before welisten to this story let’s think first of all about the other stories we listento.

One of thethings about some of the stories we listen to is that they are based on newscycles. An event happens, we hear about it and then it can seem to justdisappear. And yet we know life is not like that. All stories have a backgroundand all events that happen have consequences. Have futures.  People know the history of this story. Ruth apagan Moabite peasant refugee becomes the grandmother of King David. And isrecorded as an ancestor of Jesus.

The storieswe hear also tend to focus on specific parts of the world. The Middle East, Europe,the United States, maybe China.  Unless somethingextraordinary and probably terrible happens, we never hear news about Madagascaror Belize - how many of us would hardy have any idea what is going on in even largercountries, Nigeria or Brazil or Mongolia? And yet here is a story about Moaband about ancient Bethlehem. Tiny places.

Many stories we listen to are of conflict, suffering,scandal and disaster. There is a study I have just read that suggests that forsome reason we much more attuned to bad news than good news. 

It seems thaton the whole  people believe that theworld is getting worse. And though there are real concerns about theenvironment, on virtually all of the key dimensions of human materialwell-being—poverty, literacy, health, freedom, and education—the world is anextraordinarily better place than it was a century ago. And, on the whole,continues to get better.

The storiesthat happen every day of loving kindness and generous people seldom make the headlines.And yet they are the headlines here in the Book of Ruth.  

And thereason I’m talking about this today is because the story of Ruth is in so manyways ordinary. There is no burning bush, floods covering the earth, seasdividing voices from above.

An ordinarystory, preserved over 25 centuries that is also a sacred story. And the simplemessage for us,  is that in the midst ofour regular lives, there is sacredness, there is the presence of God. There is ineach act of kindness a reason to give thanks to God.  Every act of selflessness and love providesmall proofs and assurance of God’s presence and providence. So, let’s  join with those countless from villagesquares, city gates, synagogues, temples churches, and listen and hear and discernthe good news that runs through this story.

Ruth MeetsBoaz

2 Now Naomihad a kinsman on her husband’s side, a prominent rich man, of the family ofElimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, ‘Let mego to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whosesight I may find favour.’ 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 cameto 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 withyou.’ They answered, ‘The Lord bless you.’ 5 Then Boaz said to his servant whowas in charge of the reapers, ‘To whom does this young woman belong?’ 6 Theservant who was in charge of the reapers answered, ‘She is the Moabite who cameback with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, “Please let me glean andgather among the sheaves behind the reapers.” So she came, and she has been onher feet from early this morning until now, without resting even for amoment.’[a]

8 Then Boazsaid to Ruth, ‘Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field orleave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Keep your eyes on the fieldthat is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men notto bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what theyoung men have drawn.’ 10 Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground,and said to him, ‘Why have I found favour in your sight, that you should takenotice of me, when I am a foreigner?’ 11 But Boaz answered her, ‘All that youhave done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fullytold me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and cameto a people that you did not know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for yourdeeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, underwhose wings you have come for refuge!’ 13 Then she said, ‘May I continue tofind favour in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindlyto your servant, even though I am not one of your servants.’

14 Atmealtime Boaz said to her, ‘Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip yourmorsel in the sour wine.’ So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up forher some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some leftover. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, ‘Let herglean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You mustalso pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her toglean, and do not rebuke her.’

17 So shegleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, andit 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 gaveher what was left over after she herself had been satisfied. 19 Hermother-in-law said to her, ‘Where did you glean today? And where have youworked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.’ So she told hermother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, ‘The name of the man withwhom 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 thedead!’ Naomi also said to her, ‘The man is a relative of ours, one of ournearest kin.’[b] 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, ‘He even said to me, “Stayclose by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.”’ 22 Naomi saidto Ruth, her daughter-in-law, ‘It is better, my daughter, that you go out withhis young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.’ 23 So shestayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barleyand wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.

Let us pray……

We saw, inchapter 1,  Naomi and her husband andsons leave their homeland and travel to Moab. It must have been bad to haveleft. Over in Moab they worshipped different Gods, and evenyone knew that Moabiteswere decedents of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his eldestdaughter.

And then inthat foreign land  we read that  Naomi’s husband died and, a while later,  her two sons die as well.

But yearspass and she hears that things might be better back in Bethlehem where she camefrom.   She returns with her daughter in law, Ruth. Whenshe arrives home we get a sense that she is downtrodden and embittered.

So, thescene at the start of our reading, Naomi has lost everything and has returnedonly with a young widow Moabite daughter in law. Just the two of them.

But rememberfrom chapter 1,  the thing we learn aboutthis story and about this Moabite woman Ruth,  is that special Hebrew word Hesed  we translate as kindness or love, which isthe character of both God and the express of God presence in the ordinary affairsof life.  Hesed is so powerfully presentin these words that  Ruth said, "Donot press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, Iwill go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, andyour God my God. 17 Where you die, I will die - there will I be buried.

So theyreturn to Naomi’s home of  Bethlehem -  probably no bigger than Clevedon 40 or 50years ago. Everyone would have known everyone else, and many people would berelated to each other. People would remember Naomi and her late husband. Peoplewould know her situation.

Maybe youhave this experience yourself, but sometimes when things go wrong or we facesome kind of loss, we can feel quite alone. People have said to me  a wholelot of people stopped speaking  to themafter they  lost their business, afterthe death of my husband some of my friends never spoke to me again. I don’tknow what to say to him, so I say nothing.

And wealmost have this feeling at the end of chapter one. Ruth and Naomi. They arrivethey have nothing, they seem cursed, surrounded by loss, and what is more Ruthwas a foreigner. She is repeatedly referred to in our story as theMoabite.   

They need toeat . The barley harvest is about to begin and so Ruth heads out to the fieldswith the hope of gathering some grain.

There wereancient Hebrew laws that allowed impoverished people to follow the grainharvesters and to pick up what little they could that might have been droppedor left.

Total subsistencehand to mouth living but anyone here who has lived in a developing country willknow what this is about. People looking through the rubbish you throw out incase there is something of value, or something they can eat.

What futureis there here for Ruth. And  where is Godin all this?

This womanis hungry, she is so desperate that she will work all day, at difficult tediouswork, for so little food.

Ruth findsherself in the field of Boaz, who is a distant relative of Naomi. It just“happens”.

The ancientaudience would be reflecting on God’s presence in all that was happening.

Now, is thiswhere the guidance of God begins? Right here when she steps onto that field, isthis where the guidance from God begins?

Maybe it waswhen she had the idea to gather grain?

Maybe it waswhen she walked with Naomi from Moab.

Maybe it waswhen she decided to stay with Naomi?

Maybe it waswhen she decided to marry Naomi’s son?

How far backhas the hand of God been with Ruth?

That ancientaudience would be looking back and reflecting on where God was acting. Sometimesunderstanding God’s presence is an act of discernment. Looking back over the years,through all we have faced. The people the words, the acts of kindness that havegot us through the difficult times.

Ruth arrivesat the field of Boaz and asks permission to glean.

Ruth is ahard worker that she doesn’t take breaks like the paid workers do.

When Boazarrives at the field he asks, who does this woman belong to?

But Boaz hasheard about Ruth and her dedication to Naomi, it’s a small town after all. Heis impressed that a Moabite would treat an Israelite so well.  He knows already the story of Ruth’s kindness,her hesed.  He knows that she is under noobligation to Naomi. He knows that she could have moved on to a better life.Boaz knows that the kindness Ruth has shown Naomi is significant.  The kindness and love shown by people and Godwhich sits behind this whole story.  

Boaz says“May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded bythe LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Boaz  sees himself as part of God’s good plan. Hebelieves that his actions are part of God’s acts.  God is the one who will provide.

Boaz givesRuth more freedom than expected. Ruth goes from outsider who has no rights toinsider to a person valued and esteemed.

The storymoves on and eventually Ruth comes home with after just one day - an ephah ofgrain!

Naomi isvery surprised. Ruth should have come home with enough grain just for her and Naomito have a single small meal  but, InsteadRuth comes home with about 15 kg of grain.  Ruth has collected the equivalent of onemonth’s wages in one day.  

Love, kindness,abundance – three qualities that begin to emerge in the story.

As we holdthe story of Ruth in our mind let’s remember the story of Jesus.

The wholeChristian story starts from a place of obscurity and impossibility. Mary and Joseph,presented too as almost refugees find a place to give birth to Jesus, the same Bethlehemwhere Naomi and Ruth have returned, an almost unknown town on the edge of theRoman empire. What Reefton or Ruatoria or Kaiwaka might be for Aucklanders.  As lovely as they are. Jesus born in a placelike that so far from the centre of anything that was important.

And yet, allthese expectations overturned.

God does notspeak from burning bushes in this book; nor does God divide the sea. Instead,God acts through circumstance, and through the faithfulness of ordinary people.Ruth and now Boaz.  

Naomi seesthe astonishing amount of barley that Ruth has gleaned and finds out that it isBoaz who has helped Ruth. And it is this encounter with graciousness, kindness,abundance, it is only then that Naomi begins to move from despair to hope. Sherecognizes in this turn of events the hand of God and she is quick to name Godas the source of blessing: Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has notforsaken the living or the dead

The tide isturning. Emptiness is being filled. Hope is born. And it is an old widow  who recognizes the hand of God in theseseemingly random circumstances.

This morning, to stand with the ancient audiences andcongregations and worshippers and villagers who ponder this story.

Three things:

Let us spenda moment this week and remember those who have loved us, those who have beenkind to us, those who have helped us through some tough times. Maybe name someof those people and give thanks to God for them.

This week,even in the tough time we might be facing, to think about those places ofabundance in our lives. Where are we being blessed, even in the midst of allthe things we face?  To ask God’s help,  to resist the bad news stories that can leaveus embittered and hurt.

To reflect thisweek on how we see those who are different from us. Strangers, foreigners,people from Moab. Our wonderful gracious sovereign God is working in theirlives as well as our own. We all have a future. Whoever we are.

So let’sfinish this morning by hearing the words Jesus spoke to his disciples.

Be merciful,just as your Father is merciful. ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; donot condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven;38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shakentogether, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you givewill be the measure you get back.’

AMEN