“Taking the Long Way” (Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17)

One of the reasons that I chose to attend ministerial preparations at Lexington Theological Seminary was the fact that they had a great field placement program.  Field placement was where the seminary worked with congregations to place ministerial students in the church as student pastors.  It was a way to assist congregations to have ministers in the pulpit and gave students an opportunity to learn the skills necessary for ministry.  My first field placement was at Flemingsburg Christian Church as a student associate minister . . . I did youth ministry.

 

Because Flemingsburg was a good hour-and-a-half from Lexington, I would go up on Friday evenings and return on Monday afternoons.  Also, not being a resident of Flemingsburg, I would often spend the weekend in one of the homes of the congregation’s members.  One of the families that I stayed with were the Ferns . . . Bill and Ruth. 

 

The Ferns were an older couple in congregation.  They had moved to Flemingsburg early in their marriage when Bill’s job had him working out of a regional office located in the community.  They had moved from another state to the community and had—at the time that I met them—lived in Flemingsburg for over 40 years.  In that time, they had given birth to their children, raised them in the community, served the community in many different capacities, and Bill had even served as mayor . . . not once, but twice!

 

The Ferns were pillars in the community . . . yet, they never were fully received into the community.  At least that is how they felt and what they shared with me.  You see, they were not born and raised in the community.  They had come from the “outside” and made Flemingsburg their home.  Even after 40-some years in the community people still referred to them as outsiders.  Now, get this, their children weren’t.  They weren’t because they were born and raised there.  But, nonetheless, the Ferns never really felt like they were fully members of the community despite dedicating their lives to the community through countless hours of service.  They grew weary of always being reminded that “they aren’t one of us”.

 

It is no fun being the outsider or feeling like the outsider looking in.  It does not matter the situation . . . family, groups, clubs, communities, or even churches.  It is never a comfortable feeling being excluded from the others.  So, imagine how Ruth must have felt throughout her life.  She was a Moabite who ended up marrying a man who had immigrated from Judea to Moab. She converts to her husband’s religious faith.  Her marriage to this Judean cast her out of her own community and family.  And, then her husband dies, and she chooses to move back to Judea with her widowed mother-in-law . . . chose to move to a foreign land where she would not belong.  And she remains faithful to YahWeh.  Times are difficult for Ruth and her mother-in-law and she goes to gleaning in the fields in order to be able to feed the two of them.  Even then she is treated as an outsider.  It does not matter that she believes in YahWeh.  Life is difficult enough without being considered an outsider.

 

We human beings have a need to be connected . . . to belong . . . to be accepted.  Imagine what it would feel like to have dedicated one’s life to a community for over 40 years and still be considered and treated like an outsider.  Ask the Ferns.  Imagine what it would feel like to be ostracized from your community and family just because you married someone outside of those groups.  Imagine what it would feel like to move to a new land of people who were not your people or family and to be treated as nothing because you were not one of them.  Odds are you do not have imagine too hard . . . we all probably have our stories of not being welcomed and being left out.

 

But the story of Ruth is story of grace and eventually acceptance even though it is by taking the long way.

 

Where Ruth chooses to glean happens to be the field of Boaz, a wealthy person within the community.  And, get this, he also happens to be related to her former husband . . . he is a kinsman.  Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, begins to plot a scheme to get Ruth married.  Manipulating the situation and Boaz, Naomi’s plan succeeds, and Ruth ends up marrying Boaz.  Eventually she bears a son, named Obed.  As silly as it is, it is through abiding faith, marriage, and bearing a child that Ruth is welcomed into the community that should have received her from the start.

 

God works in mysterious ways.  Unable to crack the barriers of human will God moves around and through humanity to institute God’s will.  In the end it is as God desires it to be . . . but it is the long way around.

 

In the eyes of God, all are the children of God . . . after all, the scriptures tell us that all are created in the image of God . . . all are a part of the family of God.  And that is what God desires not only for the heavenly family but also the earthly human family.  Yet, humanity continues to create and live by barriers that do not welcome one another in but excludes others from belonging.  Instead of humanity making it easy we make God take the long way around.

 

Think about it . . . what more could the Fern family have done to be a part of the Flemingsburg community?  They bore and raised their children in the community.  They belonged to clubs and civic organizations.  They sat on the school board.  He was the mayor of the town . . . twice!  They had given their all, yet they were still treated as and referred to as “outsiders”.  Despite it all they were still not “one of them”.

 

Think about Ruth.  She married an immigrant, an outsider, someone not of her people.  Her husband dies and she is further thrown out of the circle.  Then she moves to her mother-in-law’s homeland where Ruth is an outsider.  She is a stranger in a foreign land . . . an immigrant. She even dedicates her life to YahWeh . . . converts.  And through it all she is not welcomed or accepted.  She jumps through countless hoops until eventually she is welcomed and accepted.  Seems silly doesn’t it?

 

Welcome to the human race where one has to prove him or herself before being welcomed into the family.  Where entrance into the family is only accessible through the long way round.  Quite the opposite of God.  With God all it takes is love . . . a willingness to love God and others as God loves us.  There are no hoops to jump through . . . no long way around, only a willingness.

 

It is sad when God accepts us, and others won’t.

 

Growing up as a military brat it was a constant frustration and loneliness that filled my life as we moved across the country.  With each move came the need to start over, to prove myself all over one more time, and to long to crack whatever barriers there were to be included and accepted . . . to be welcomed and to feel as if I belonged.  I never understood the constant hoop jumping and having to prove oneself when we were all on the same journey trying to get home.  Wouldn’t it be easier if we all worked together . . . admitted that we were in the same boat . . . had the same goal?

 

It was not fair for the Ferns.  It was not fair to me.  It was not fair to Ruth.  Thankfully God desires us for who we were created to be . . . no hoops.  Only a willingness . . . a willingness to receive God and God’s love, and in return to love . . . to love God and to love others as God has loved us.  We shouldn’t have to take the long way around.  That is humanity’s way . . . not God’s.  Nor should it be our way as the children of God and the followers of Jesus.  God’s way is the better way.  Amen.

 

“Perils of Perception” (Mark 12:38-44)

When my children were little they were enamored and fascinated with Transformers.  Transformers were living, human-like robots with the unique ability to “blend in” to their surroundings by turning into vehicles or beasts.  They especially like Optimus Prime, the Autobots leader, and Bumblebee.  When not in robot form Optimus Prime was a semi-truck . . . Bumblebee was a Mustang-like sports car.  Whenever trouble hit they “transformed” into the heroic fighters for justice and freedom against the Decepticons.  They would play for hours with these toys flipping them back and forth between what they seemed to be and what they really were.  Where I saw a semi-truck or sports car, they saw a heroic robot fighting for the good of humanity.

You’d think that at my age the days of Transformers would be long gone . . . but enter my grandson, Noah.  Noah loves any sort of super hero, and has a special love for Transformers.  Optimus Prime and Bumblebee still populate the world, especially as a grandparent . . . as a grandparent being constantly reminded that everything we see is not always what we think.

 

I guess that is the peril of perception.

 

We have all heard the saying . . . “Watch out for wolves in sheep clothing.”  And we know what it means.  The saying comes from a childhood story or parable about a wolf who dresses up and pretends to be a sheep in order to gobble them all up.  Of course, once the wolf is betrayed as an imposter, we are told to “watch out for wolves in sheep clothing.” 

 

Our reading this morning has Jesus giving such a warning to those who are gathered to listen to him teaching.  Instead of wolves he is pointing out those leaders—in this case, the “teachers of the law”.  He tells those who are listening to “watch out for the teachers of the law.  They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets.  They devour widow’s houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.”  Beware of wolves in sheep clothing, he says.

 

Perception—the way that we see things—plays a big role in our lives.  It is not always easy to spot the wolves among us who are hiding behind sheep’s clothing.  Sometimes we get fooled . . . duped!

 

Jesus emphasizes this point following his warning when he sits down

opposite of the place where offerings are deposited into the temple treasury.  As he and those with him are watching they, witness people placing their offerings in . . . especially noticeable are the rich who seem to be putting in great sums of money.  It is impressive.  And, then, a poor widow comes up and places two small copper coins worth maybe a few cents into the offering receptacle.  Not even worth acknowledging in the presence of the rich peoples offering; yet, Jesus points out the widow’s offering.

 

“Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

 

In the eyes of Jesus the actions of the widow are more impressive than those of the rich.  I am not sure that the disciples and those with Jesus agreed until he pointed it out.  I think that those with Jesus were more impressed with what the rich were throwing in and considered them to be more important and vital in comparison to the poor widow.  At least that was their perception.

 

Years ago, there was a church that I knew that had quite a few wealthy families within its congregation.  Now, by wealthy I am talking about millionaire type of wealthy of which the congregation probably had six or seven of those families.  And, yes, they were all the biggest contributors to the church giving thousands of dollars to the church on an annual basis.  The congregation knew it and the community knew it.  But the truth of the matter was they were not the biggest contributors when it came to the practice of tithing . . . no, they were far from being the biggest contributors.  When their offering was put against their wealth none of them were donating more than one percent toward their tithe.  Yet, they were lauded among the congregants and community as generous people.

 

Yet sitting among them in the pews of the church were others who gave ten, fifteen, and even more of their wealth to the offering on a weekly basis.  True those offerings were not as impressive as the thousands being thrown into the offering plate as those wealthy families; but, they were giving everything that they could and had.  They were giving out of their faith and love for God.  It was not a “contribution” or “tax write off” . . . it was a love gift . . . a way that the faithful live.

 

Sometimes our perceptions are wrong.  Where we see a semi-truck sitting along the highway there might be a robot hiding.  Where we see sheep there might be a wolf.  We all know that not everything is as it seems to be; and, yet, we get fooled.

 

Jesus wants the faithful to become more aware . . . more conscious . . . of what we are seeing.  In that awareness he wants us to be inquisitive of what we are seeing . . . to get down to the reality and truth of what we are see.  He wants us to watch out for those “sheep in wolf’s clothing.”  After all, not everything is as it seems.

 

Too often we get duped by our perceptions . . . duped by what we see or think we see.  How often have we been disappointed to learn that this person or that person was not who he or she really was?  Especially when it comes to first impressions.  For example, take entertainers.  Both Dana and I really loved the music of Don McClean.  We especially loved his song American Pie.  Our perception of him was that he was a nice person . . . a kind person . . . someone we’d love to have as a friend.  At least that was what we thought.

 

Then we had the opportunity to see him perform in an intimate setting . . . a small nightclub.  Prior to the show starting he came out to do a sound check . . . nothing was working the way that he wanted.  He belittled and swore at his soundperson.  It was embarrassing to witness.  In that moment both of our perceptions of this person came crashing down.  Then, years later, he read in the newspapers of the domestic violence he committed towards the women in his life.  We were crushed.  What we thought and what was really there were two different things.

 

I think we get the point.  We need to be careful.  We need to be observant.  We need to journey through life with our eyes open.  We need to be realistic.  We are living in a day and age when there can be a lot of peril in our perceptions . . . it is all around us.  In the organizations we belong to, in the politics we endorse, and even in religion.  Things are not always as they seem.  Be careful.  Don’t get duped.  Watch out for the perils of perception.  Sometimes the most important, most vital, most relevant is the thing we least expect . . . for example, a poor widow, two very small copper coins, and a love to give one’s all to God.  Amen.