Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do." She said to her, "All that you tell me I will do."
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him." Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
I have no message of my own to offer for this past Sunday. This was the day of Church of the Open Door's road trip down to Geyserville to share worship with our sister church, Geyserville Christian Church.
We enjoy getting together with the folks from GCC at any time but the stated reason this time was to hear their Guest Preacher, Rev. Dr. Leslie Carole Taylor, from Pacific School of Religion. It was Dr. Taylor who gave the follow-up second half of the story of Ruth, the homeless Moabite immigrant who became grandmother to a king (David) and an ancestor of Jesus.
The story of Ruth is a perfect primer in accepting people as themselves and not as a piece of a category -- not as a classification. It is a part of the Bible that much of our country today would benefit greatly from reading. Many "believers" today seem all too willing to focus on the damning scriptures -- rattling them off by memory -- and yet they are equally willing to blithely skip over all the scripture stories that emphasize welcome and inclusion.
If you have never read the Book of Ruth straight through, simply as a good story, I recommend doing so. Read it, and enjoy.
Blessings all
We enjoy getting together with the folks from GCC at any time but the stated reason this time was to hear their Guest Preacher, Rev. Dr. Leslie Carole Taylor, from Pacific School of Religion. It was Dr. Taylor who gave the follow-up second half of the story of Ruth, the homeless Moabite immigrant who became grandmother to a king (David) and an ancestor of Jesus.
The story of Ruth is a perfect primer in accepting people as themselves and not as a piece of a category -- not as a classification. It is a part of the Bible that much of our country today would benefit greatly from reading. Many "believers" today seem all too willing to focus on the damning scriptures -- rattling them off by memory -- and yet they are equally willing to blithely skip over all the scripture stories that emphasize welcome and inclusion.
If you have never read the Book of Ruth straight through, simply as a good story, I recommend doing so. Read it, and enjoy.
Blessings all
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