Sermon for 26 August 2012

Readings: Psalm 84:1-4; John 6:60-69

One of the themes we can track within the gospels – and a theme present in this morning’s reading – is that of misunderstanding what Jesus was on about.  Often labelled as groups of people – there are the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes, the Jews, the disciples, even the inner Twelve – all at one time or another, listening to Jesus’ message and somehow getting it wrong.  The Gospel writers seem fairly clear that not everyone got it; not everyone stayed the distance; many turned away.  I imagine that must have been very frustrating for Jesus!  And it’s a timely reminder to ourselves that all these centuries later, we too might get it wrong; that our eyes and hearts might also be missing the extent of Jesus’ good news. Part of this faith journey is about exploring, about finding the song to sing when we can’t even be absolutely sure of the score.  For those of us, who want things secure and all cut and dried, that’s very unsettling and we might wonder why we would stay.  The disturbing nature of Jesus’ message might have us wanting to join the “many of his disciples” who, John tells us, “turned back and no longer went about with him.” 

For us, in a very different context from 1^st century Palestine, and many centuries later, as we see church pews emptying, church buildings crumbling and strong congregations faltering, we might hear echoes of Jesus’ question addressed to us “Do you also wish to go away?”  As the challenges grow, without a corresponding growth in numbers, we might wonder, what keeps us from joining the crowds who drift and fall away? Are we only kept here by habit? 

Peter’s answer to Jesus in this regard, is interesting.  So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"  And Peter replied "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.”  

Over the centuries, some have chosen to interpret this concept of eternal life as something waiting for us (i.e. only for those who are ‘good’ – there’s an alternative for those who might be ‘bad’) and it’s all to be found in some future time and space after death.  But for most of us today, such an interpretation is both unhelpful and misleading.  For, in a careful reading of the gospels, we find Jesus’ teaching is deeply grounded in the reality of everyday life – in kitchens and gardens, in business deals and law courts, in partying and poverty.  Yes, he does talk about the future – about the coming of God’s reign, God’s kindom; but this is not about some future life waiting for us in a place called heaven. Jesus’ teaching of eternal life, of God’s kindom, is held within a hopeful future, but also embedded within the immediate present.  This language of eternal life is about right now – it “is a metaphor for living now in the unending presence of God.”[1]

Somehow, even with all his lack of sophistication and his personal failings, Peter had glimpsed something: Jesus’ words opened a door on this ‘eternal life’; they provided a song to sing, a way of full flourishing living within the unending presence of God.  Do we share Peter’s motivation, asking “but where else would we go?” Are we here today, holding Peter’s conviction, knowing a way of living which works for the whole of life, singing “a song of faith that sings forever”?  Do we sing in confidence that “nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God” that is, in times when things are plain sailing, as well as when things are really tough?  Have we joined Christ’s ‘changed direction’ way of living, where we take our part in seeking the well-being of all people, all creatures, planet Earth and the whole cosmos?  If that’s where we are, the option of turning our backs and walking away from such meaningful living isn’t even a real alternative.  Who would give up on that kind of fullness?

And yet, the reality of lives is a little more complex...

Spiritual guide, John Shea tells of his experience at a retreat once, when a woman described the problem in her life:  “I’m tired of being an apple giver”, she complained.  She had three children under the age of five.  They were always at her:  “Mummy, I want an apple; Mummy, please tie my shoes; Mummy where is my jacket? Never ending.... She was sick of it.  There was plenty of response from others in the group.  Many had been there before her; there was no shortage of advice: day care, a job, more husband-father involvement etc. In the midst of these suggestions, another voice was suddenly heard.  An older woman spoke up, “Honey, you’ve got to learn to sing.”  She went on to explain that the changes being suggested by her well meaning friends were not going to provide lasting help – they might provide short-term escapes, but tinkering with the outer world was no substitute for inner change.  Somehow, this older woman was suggesting – she had to learn to see in a different way – to find the song in the depths of her being – where the apple-giving could become a meaning-filled relationship between her and her child.[2] 

We have recently been invited to reflect deeply on our life together through a parish self-review – providing us with an opportunity to think about our apple-giving moments and perhaps to find a new song to sing together as we nurture each other in abundant and flourishing life.  Last year many of us filled in a church life survey; earlier this year at a congregational forum, Kevin Ward gave us some pointers about what our responses to that survey says about our life together at Knox.  More recently, we’ve been asked to think more deeply (and I do recognise that takes a lot of time) to respond to a self-review that will assist us into the future. There hasn’t been a huge response to that questionnaire so far.  I’m hoping there might be a flood of replies in this coming final week of opportunity. 

As one who, because of her calling, will – in due time – be leaving this community, I want to tell you that I believe we are learning to sing.  Jesus’ song of flourishing life is evident here in the people of Knox Church.  I see it in the laughter, love and delight which helps negotiate the tougher decision-making moments in Council and Deacons’ Court.  I see it in the faithful mission and justice commitment of many – and particularly some of our oldest members.  It’s there in the compassionate listening and holding as we stand alongside each other in our grief and celebration. It can be seen in “Rendez-vous” as our young adults wrestle with ideas of how to be non-violent in a violent society; how to live with integrity in a sexually-open culture.  It’s expressed in the beauty of architecture and magnificent music offered within this amazing historic building.  Particularly, I see very clearly, this song of living fully and abundantly now in the unending presence of God, within the children and younger members of this community.  In Sunday School, Youth Group and Choir, in Story time in worship and at their monthly Picnic@Knox programme, our younger ones are taken to places, which expand their understanding of life, in ways they are unlikely to experience anywhere else.  They are drawn into concepts of love, companionship, beauty and wonder which enlarge and develop their present knowledge and experience; they are taught to believe and trust in the mystery and the “more” of life.  In this world of individual choice, they come to church because they want to – they are eager to sing the song, to share in the life of a community centred on Love and fullness of Life for all.  Here, they become part of a story which is big enough to carry them through the complexities of life and to enable them to join others in this journey. They have much to teach and show us – helping us to catch the echo of what Peter saw in Jesus with such clarity.  Together, we are learning God’s song.   Isn’t that why we are here? Where else could we go?  In Christ we have found the words of eternal life.

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[1] “’Eternal life’ does not speak of immorality or a future life in heaven, but is a metaphor for living now in the unending presence of God.” Gail R. O’Day, “The Gospel according to John”, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003)  p.1919.

[2] John Shea The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers, 2005 p.197-8

"Unity in Community" a service for 13 August 2012

Knox Church Youth Group participates in the preparation and leadership of this service.

Welcome

Kia noho a Ihowa ki a koutou. May God be with you:

Ma Ihowa koe e manaaki. May God bless you.

Introit “Deep Peace” (Gaelic Blessing) music by John Rutter

Call to Worship  (from Seasons of the Spirit)

Mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, family and friends,

Christ Jesus makes us one.

Young and old, liberal and conservative, gay and straight,

Christ Jesus makes us one.

Soldier and pacifist, secular and religious, sinner and saint,

Christ Jesus makes us one.

Let us worship God who calls us into unity.

Let us worship God.

Hymn

  “We are many, we are one”

Words and music © Colin Gibson Faith forever singing 67.

Prayer “Turning Aside to See” from If Darwin Prayed by Bruce Sanguin (2010)

Words of Assurance

E te whanau, we are gathered in all our diversity within the richness of God – each of us is valued, each of us has a place to stand for we are God’s beloved people.

Thanks be to God.

The Peace (In NZ Sign Language and Maori)

Kia tau tonu te rangimarie o te Ariki ki a koutou;

(The Peace of Christ be with you all)

A ki a koe ano hoki (And also with you)

we exchange a sign of peace with each other

The Anthem “Blessed are the men who fear him, they ever walk in the ways of peace.” music by Felix Mendelssohn

With the younger members  “The kiss that missed” by David Melling (2002)

Hymn "Let our love shine out through the day and in the darkness"

            Words and music © Colin Gibson Hope is our Song 88

Blessing of the younger members

Minister:  We send you out to learn and explore together

Congregation:        God is with you

Children:                And also with you

The Gospel Reading John 6:35, 41-44a
            This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

Praise to Christ the Word.

Introduction

Don’t complain amongst yourselves, says Jesus.  Easy to say – harder to live out.  Disagreements and destructive conflict have always been part of the church – it almost seems a non-negotiable for human community.  And yet, coming through all the New Testament writings is this promise that it doesn’t have to be that way.  Centring our lives on Jesus will make a difference in our everyday lives.  This morning, I invite you to think about how your life is different, because you follow Jesus.  In particular how do you deal with different perspectives, different views, different understandings of what it means to be human. Do you live with curiosity and delight within the differences – or do you think that you are always right and other people’s point of view is never quite up to your standard?

The Epistle reading for today – which the youth group will help us hear in various ways – is the second part of a chapter that is organised around ‘before’ and ‘after’ – before you knew Jesus you lived one way – but... after.. it can and will be different. The writer to the church in Ephesus reminds the people – and reminds us today – that Jesus has shown us the way to live in God – a way in which our differences don’t have to be dividers – rather they can enrich our life together.

The issue in Ephesians is about two groups Jews and Gentiles – but the same could be said for people with different theological opinions, people from different cultural backgrounds, people with different perspectives  –

The Epistle Reading Ephesians 2:11-22

            Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church:

            Thanks be to God.

Hymn  “Gentle God”

Words © Shirley Murray Music © Jillian Bray Alleluia Aotearoa 44

Community Testimony  (using material from the Knox Church Youth Group and Seasons of the Spirit  for July 22, 2012)

Older Person 1

It would seem not that big a deal, but it was so hurtful to me. After all, I started our soup kitchen, it was my idea and I spent a full year just trying to convince other members of the church that it was something we should do. I know where every donated plate came from and every face who comes to our door for food. And now, just because I can’t get around as well as I used to, they bring someone else in! To run everything, can you believe that? I know that I shouldn’t be so upset, but I worked so hard to build this ministry. I wish I didn’t, but I find myself resenting a church that would so carelessly ask me to step aside in favour of someone else doing this work.

Youth Group Person 1

It was my first day at my new school.  I didn’t know anyone, and I think this was the first time I had ever been in that position.  It felt pretty lonely walking into the auditorium first thing on Monday morning and feeling like I was the ONLY person who didn’t have someone to hang out with.  I didn’t know where to sit, and because I didn’t want to look like I didn’t know what I was doing, I just went over to the closest chair and put my bag on it, trying to look relaxed.  I then noticed the group of people sitting beside my chair.  They all seemed to go quiet and it felt like everyone was staring at me.  I tried to smile and say hi, but one of the girls interrupted me before I could finish, saying, “You can’t sit here, these seats are reserved for US!”  And then she shoved my bag off the chair and onto the ground.

They walk to the chapel corner of the church and turn their backs on the congregation

Letter Writer

Christ is our peace – making both Jews and Gentiles into one group. In Christ’s body the barrier of hatred that divided us is broken down.

Older Person 2

I am a soldier. My father was a soldier, my brothers and my sister are both in service, and I hope that my children will someday serve in the military, too. These days, that is not a popular statement. I know that there are people in my church that think the military is evil, that we are all angry and ignorant and that I should have never enlisted. I respect their right to believe that, even if I don’t agree. But what I wish we could talk about is how we can wage peace. I am ready to disagree and talk about it, but how can we hope for peace in other places when we can’t even find peace at our church?

Youth Group Person 2

Friday nights are always the night my older sister and I end up at my mum’s boyfriend’s house.  He has three boys and we are expected to hang out with them, even though I don’t like them much and I hate going there.  Lately the boys have been daring my sister and me to make random phone-calls to people and then hang up on them.  They think it’s really funny, and my sister does too but I always feel really guilty especially when it’s late and we wake someone up.  Well, last Friday night I decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore.  When it was clear I was serious about it, the boys were really cruel to me and said some pretty awful things.  I felt really betrayed when my sister ganged up on me too.  But I just couldn’t do what they wanted me to do. 

They walk to the main entrance corner of the church and turn their backs on the congregation

Letter Writer

Christ created one new person out of the two groups, making peace. By the cross, Christ reconciled them both - as one body to God, which ended the hostility to God.

Older Person 3

My church cast me out. I thought that the hard part was going to be coming out to my friends and family and letting people know that I am gay, but that was nothing compared to what I heard at my church. How could people of God make such horrible accusations – that I am unfit? That my love is a sin? That God created me for love and then forbids me to live it out? I couldn’t stand to be amidst such hypocrites, so I left the church for good. I hate that I feel closer to God when I am away from the church, but I don’t know how to bring myself back.

Youth Group Person 3

My parents have always encouraged me to try lots of hobbies and sports and stuff like that, and I guess as a result I’m pretty sporty.  I really love being outside and have always enjoyed staying fit.  I don’t really eat much junk-food either cos it feels pretty disgusting when you are trying to eat right and look after your body.  It had never really been an issue until I went to this new school and there’s this group of girls in my class who just won’t leave me alone.  They always make comments about what I’m eating for lunch and talk about what I’m wearing as if I’m some kind of freak.  Just cos I’m wearing sneakers and trackies and don’t like McDonalds?

They walk to another corner of the church and turn their backs on the congregation

Letter Writer

When Jesus came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. We both have access to God through Christ by the one Spirit.

Older Person 4

There is nothing good I can say about the church down the street. The way they interpret scripture, the way they pick and choose what they are going to believe, the way that they judge and cast out and humiliate. That is not the Gospel. That is not what Jesus intended. It’s hard for me to say, but sometimes I am embarrassed to be a Christian alongside those people. They are not members of a Church that I know.

Youth Group Person 4

Our family has always used what some people call “alternative medicine”.   I never really thought about it much, since it was just what our family did, until one day I got into an argument with my friend about it.  He said that my family was stupid for using alternatives to “real medicine” and there was no scientific proof to say that any of it worked.  I said that just because he didn’t believe in it didn’t mean others couldn’t.  But he wouldn’t listen to me, or didn’t want to listen to me cos he kept on saying anything that wasn’t prescribed by a doctor – a “real” doctor – was just “witch-doctor herbs” and so maybe we should go back to mumbo-jumbo land, where we came from.

They walk to the final corner of the church and turn their backs on the congregation

Letter writer

But you are all members of God’s family.  We are being built together, like a house that has strong and firm foundations; and each person is like a brick, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone that keeps all the other bricks from falling in on each other. Together, we all build the house, we are each important and together we make a beautiful dwelling place for God.

            Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church:

            Thanks be to God.

Hymn  “Love is your way, love is your nature”

Words Shirley Erena Murray  Music Per Harling. Hope is our Song 95

Prayer: Pax Christos by Bruce Sanguin from If Darwin Prayed

Prayers for Others and Ourselves (Using material and ideas from Seasons of the Spirit for 22 July 2012)

Minister and Youth Group leader walk to the middle of the centre aisle

Minister

But now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.

Minister hands Youth Group leader the ribbon.  While keeping hold of one end of the ribbon and following Youth Group Leader down the aisle, Minister moves to the steps of the sanctuary. 

Youth Group Leader takes the ribbon to the readers at the first corner who turn to face her.  She hands the ribbon – or wraps it around the wrists of the readers as Minister leads the first part of the prayer. 

We pray for the conflict in our families, our church and our community and for those who carry hurts which linger below the surface. For the small things that go unnoticed, for the people casually cast aside, and for our own prideful failings.

May we become encouragers working with the Spirit to bring about the new thing God is doing in our midst.

            God in your grace, God in your mercy,

 turn us to you to transform the world.

Youth Group Leader walks to readers at second corner who turn to face her.  She hands them part of the ribbon.

We pray for conflict in our world, where political opinions and social beliefs test our relationships.   We seek wisdom to work together with people with whom we disagree; always trying to see the uniqueness of each member of God’s creation as we work for true and lasting peace.

            God in your grace, God in your mercy,

 turn us to you to transform the world.

Youth Group Leader walks to readers at third corner, who turn to face her. She hands them part of the ribbon.

We pray for the times the church has excluded those who most need it, and for the conflicts that hold us back from embracing those whose needs are different from ours.

May we be wise agents of God’s change.

            God in your grace, God in your mercy,

 turn us to you to transform the world.

Youth Group Leader walks to readers at fourth corner, who turn to face her. She hands them part of the ribbon.

Holy and wise God, we know you have created all people in your image, even those with whom we disagree. May we address the barriers that keep us from being a community with true and lasting vision, and may we have patience, strength and guidance to live our lives as Jesus taught us.   In whose name we pray, Amen

The worship space will now be surrounded by the ribbon and held by each of the representatives, expanding the circle of community.

Still holding the ribbon, Minister invites people to stand

Affirmation of Faith: We are not alone, we live in God’s world

 (The United Church of Canada)

Minister places the ribbon on the floor – as do the people who are holding the ribbon.  During the singing of the hymn, the people from the perimeter return to their seats in the congregation.

Hymn  “Where mountains rise to open skies”

Words © Shirley Murray Tune: Dunedin by Vernon Griffiths Alleluia Aotearoa 155

Offering and Dedication

We bring our gifts in the confident knowledge that we are members of God’s household, built on Christ Jesus.   These we now offer for the common good so that all may know they are no longer strangers or aliens but embraced as our sisters and brothers for whom we care.  In the name of Christ we pray.  Amen

Notices and Commissioning  

Let us go as a community united in Christ’s love for each of us – being the dwelling place of God.  Go in peace. we go in the name of Christ.

The Benediction  The blessing of God: Life-giver, Love-maker and Pain-bearer, be with you all, now and always.  Amen.

Sung Blessing      "Let us go in your peace"

Words © Shirley Murray Music© Jillian Bray Hope is our Song 89

 

Sermon for 5 August 2012 - with Sandra Turner

Readings: Ruth 1:3-10; “The Journey” by Mary Oliver

When the road runs out … when the signposts end … we’ve all been there, haven’t we, one time or another – on the very edge of life, with shrivelled options, looking down into a gaping chasm of emptiness, considering the deathly option as our only alternative; desperate for hope and yet, struggling to find any reason to keep going.  

The Book of Ruth, poised as it is within the Christian Bible, immediately after the appalling violence against women found in the book of Judges, encourages our vulnerable selves into conversation.   This “deceptively simple narrative” of “a poor, widowed foreigner” who “becomes the wife of a respected man from Bethlehem and the great-grand-mother of King David”^[1]

has been read and interpreted in many different ways. Today Sandra and I invite it into conversation with all of us, who stand at the edges of life, wondering whether we can make life-giving sense out of our precipice-poised death-dealing experiences. 

The stories found in this little book – stories of Ruth, Orpah and Naomi invite us to consider how new possibilities can emerge out of difficult and restrictive life-choices.  Decisions, which in the circumstances we might denigrate as only ‘good enough’, can be just that – good enough to be redemptive and transformative.  

So, first….My name is Ruth and this is the story told of me

But Naomi said [to us], ‘Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? …Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.’ Then they wept aloud again.  Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. [Ruth 1: 11, 13b-14]

This is how I tell it:  I’d gone into marriage without thinking.  My parents had pointed out the dangers of marrying a refugee, a foreigner. Of course, for my father, it was a business contract - bringing him significant advantage but, even he, recognized the risks.  “When life gets better, when the famine disappears, they'll return to their people, their homeland”, my father warned. “You could lose everything you’ve ever known.”  But, I was excited.  Mahlon’s foreignness intrigued me.  He opened up the possibility there was more to life than I had ever considered.    But, my mother, well, although she knew her opinion counted for nothing, she was worried.   She knew the insecurity of my future. “You'll end up in a place you don't know, with people you can’t trust.  All those foreign influences - their foreign god - it won't do you any good”, she predicted. But, as a woman, did I really have a choice?

And yet, it seemed like a great adventure.  I was young.  I quite liked being with foreigners; the differences were stimulating and Mahlon was a good husband - good and kind.   But, in ten short years, all those dreams and delights were shattered.  First, my brother-in-law, then my husband died.  We'd been a rich well-resourced family and now, all that was left were we three women - no men to give us legitimacy, security or children.  The opportunities which had seemed limitless, were now almost non existent; the obstacles huge.   Naomi didn’t have a choice – she had to go back - back to Judah, to Bethlehem, where, hopefully, she’d find some kinsman who would provide her with a home and a measure of security.  The outlook was pretty bleak for her.

And Orpah’s and my options weren’t much better.  What was I thinking of?  I must have been out of my mind.  ‘Wherever you go, I will go....’

Naomi knew there were no opportunities for us if we stayed with her.  And, she certainly gave us the impression that she didn’t want us to join her. I think it was Orpah who first put the idea in my head.  “Go back to your mothers’ house”, Naomi pleaded with us.  She had enough problems, without having to find ways to keep us.  “Go, find a new husband - that's your only option - take it, while you are still young” she urged. 

I think I was ready to go when Orpah said ‘no, we will return with you to your people’.  I know she's didn't really mean it - her parents were already lining up an older man, who could provide her with a home and heir.  But as I added my voice to Orpah’s, the thought came upon me, for the first time, that this was a realistic option.  What would happen, if I went with Naomi?  What did I have to lose?  Did I have the courage to take another risk – to cross another boundary – to embrace a new people, a new way of life? 

I've often wondered about that moment.  When Orpah opened that door for me, she'd already closed it for herself.  What made me step through?  Some might read my story in later times and think of me as the self-sacrificing one - giving up on my opportunities, committing myself to my mother-in-law’s patriarchal view.   But I prefer to think of myself as making a very proactive choice even within the very limited opportunities before me. I was willing to move into the unknown and take my chances.  There was no hope in going backwards. 

My name is Naomi. All that happened a long time back. I am an old woman now and this is my story.

It is a hard thing to lose ones children; my two sons, and then my husband    all in a small space of time.

I hardly knew how to keep going. My grief reached into the marrow of my bones. All I knew was to return home, back to where I came from. My sons’ wives, my two new daughters were with me as we set out for Israel. Quite soon I questioned the wisdom of them making this journey and beseeched them to return to their families. My mind was not as steady as it usually was – I had asked them to come and then I was asking them to return to their homes.

Grief does that. 

Orpah did go back but Ruth was adamant at continuing on. We soon became a team relying on each other. Two women travelling alone was not easy and having her along helped me a lot.

This is the story that is written of me in the book named after Ruth.

“When Naomi saw that [Ruth] was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them; and the women said, ‘Is this Naomi?’ She said to them,
‘Call me no longer Naomi,
   call me Mara,
   for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
I went away full,
   but the Lord has brought me back empty;
why call me Naomi
   when the Lord has dealt harshly with me,
   and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?’   (Ruth 1:18-21)

This is how I tell it.

When we eventually arrived I was surprised that I was immediately recognized. People called out to me by name. But what they saw was the woman they once knew. I was no longer that person. The lightness and joy I once knew had drained out leaving me full of bitterness and grief. I know this about myself. I know I was no longer an easy person to be with. I was battered by the events in my life and I could hardly seem to shift from what had happened. It was a shock to me to know myself in this way – that I was a bitter woman.

Ruth was industrious and without her we would have perished. We were a team. There wasn’t much I could do but I did know some things. There were some ways that I could still be of some worth. I advised her where to go and who to trust.

Boaz came into our life. He had always been a good man and I thought we could trust him to help us. I’m not sure now whether what I did next I would do again but history cannot be re written. I did what I did and I must own my actions.

I asked Ruth, my own daughter, my dearest companion, to creep into his bed one night and lie with him. Fortunately the outcome was good. He did treat her well, he didn’t take advantage and he has looked after us. But would I do that again – no I think not, I would hope not. Hindsight is easy but at the time we were struggling to know how to survive. Living in that place is different, what is a no go now changes with circumstances.

In time a child came from their relationship. This child has helped me find my life again. I thought my life was over and now I am a grandmother. There is much for me to live for.

Throughout my life I have had to make many hard decisions, often on my own. I’ve done my best, at times maybe I could have done better – who knows.

How do we know what makes for a good enough decision? 

Doing all you can with all you have, where you are right now – that’s all any of us can do -  no more is needed.

Ruth appears again in the Biblical Story – at the beginning of the New Testament, in a genealogy full of ‘begats’ and rarely read.   Nestled amongst this catalogue of men whom Matthew lists to provide ‘an interpretative framework for the Gospel’, are five women, four of whom have origins or connections outside Judaism; five women who ‘are in relationships that are in some way marginal to and undermine the conventional patriarchal marriage pattern’^[1]

reminding Matthew’s readers that God’s action is not confined to cultural norms.  Ruth, Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba and Mary all come from the edges of life; each is required to make a tough decision within limited choices.  And, from out of their ‘good enough’ decisions, transformation emerges, new life is birthed and the promise of God’s flourishing future becomes a reality for all.   This is indeed Good News.  Thanks be to God. Amen.

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[1] Warren Carter “The Gospel According to Matthew” in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003) p.1748.

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[1] Amy-Jill Levine “Ruth” The Women’s Bible Commentary, Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Runge, eds., (1992) p.78.

[2] Warren Carter “The Gospel According to Matthew” in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003) p.1748.