Words of Welcome

Ruth 1:1-18 You may have noticed that immigration is in the news. That’s because it’s a major political issue in this election season. Nevertheless, most of us are descendants of immigrants, whether our ancestors came in colonial days or more recently. When it comes to the Bible, there are numerous immigration stories that might speak to our situation. Consider this confession in Deuteronomy about Abraham: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor, he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.” (Deut. 26:5).  This morning we hear the story of Naomi, her husband Elimelech, and two sons, Mahlon and Chilion,  who migrated to Moab when famine hit their homeland in Israel. While the family resided in Moab, they added to their family two Moabite women who became the wives of Naomi’s sons. Unfortunately, all the men in her life died. Nevertheless, Naomi’s daughters-in-law remained loyal to her.  One ...

Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 The Book of Ruth is rooted within the larger biblical story that recounts God’s faithfulness to the covenant of blessing first made with Abraham and Sarah and then reaffirmed with Moses, David, and Jesus. Even when the people of God break this covenant, God remains faithful to it. That’s because God’s steadfast love endures forever.  The story told in the Book of Ruth takes place during the period of the Judges. While Israel has made a home in the Promised Land, it’s nothing more than a loose confederation of tribes. These tribes face hostile neighbors like the Philistines, a challenging landscape, and a tendency to stray from the ways of God. The larger story of this period is told in the Book of Judges , where you will find a constant refrain: “the people did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Eventually, the people decided they needed a king, and so in the end God provided Israel with the monarchy of David and his descendants. What we read here pro...

Mark 12:38-44 I know that you’re all glad that the election season is over.  Whether your candidates won or lost, if you’re like me, you’re enjoying watching TV a whole lot more than a week ago.  None of those annoying political ads are blaring at you. Your email inbox has gotten a bit lighter as well. But, here’s a bit of warning – once you give to a candidate or a party, you’re marked for life, and you can expect to get many emails asking for money.  All of this constant fund-raising can be a bit annoying, but it’s part of the game.  And, while, politicians will tell you that they welcome contributions of every size, they would rather you give the maximum amount than the minimum.  Not only that, but if you have a Super-PAC, there is no maximum, so give as much and as often as you can.  Since we were inundated with TV ads from Super-PACS, you know that a lot of really big givers gave a lot of money to these efforts to influence our votes.   S...

Ruth 1:1-18 I thought about singing Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again,” but thought better of it.  But I could have used that song title as the title for this sermon.  It is, after all, a sermon about spiritual journeys in the company of others. Our text this morning reminds us that migration is a common theme in the biblical story.  Beginning with Adam and Eve’s departure from Eden and on through Abraham and Sarah’s journey from Ur to Canaan, Jacob’s various journeys, including a final one that took him and his sons to Egypt, and then the return of Jacob’s descendants to the Promised Land with Moses.  Jesus himself was an itinerant preacher, who traveled in the company of his disciples, and of course, Paul is known for his missionary journeys.  These journeys, like most journeys, have some purpose to them. It might be famine or it might be war.  It could be that God has sent a person on a journey to bring a message of good news. ...