1 Christmas is all about mystery. Valley View Chapel December 11, 2011 Bethlehem B.C., Part 2 Ruth 1:3-22 Introduction Santa Claus is a character surrounded by mystery. How does he get down the chimney? What does he do if the house doesn t have a chimney? What about if there s a fire in the fireplace when he shows up? How does Santa deliver presents to all the boys and girls in the world in one night? How does he fit all the toys in one sack? These are questions of cosmic significance that I ponder far into the night. Toward the end of the classic 1947 version of Miracle on 34 th Street, Doris Walker (played by Maureen O Hara) tried to explain all of this to her disbelieving daughter Susan (played by Natalie Wood): Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. The birth of Jesus Christ that night in Bethlehem so long ago is a mystery that will never be understood.. How could God take the form of a helpless baby? How could a virgin have a baby? Whether Christmas to you is all about Santa Claus to you or whether it s all about Jesus, Christmas takes faith. Even Macy s has gotten in the act. Their theme for this year s holiday season is Believe, inspired by the letter written by 8 year-old Virginia O Hanlon in 1897 to The New York Sun newspaper asking if Santa Claus was real. What Macy s is asking all of us to believe is somewhat vague. My best guess is: Believe that the first week in January you ll get an itemized bill for all the stuff you bought for Christmas! Christmas is the season for mystery, but mystery isn t limited to the four weeks between Thanksgiving and the big day. All of life contains a generous helping of mystery. I can t understand everything about Santa Claus and I can t understand everything about the Incarnation of God, the Word who became flesh. But there are a lot of other mysteries that affect my life on a daily basis that I am powerless to understand.
2 And that s what the first chapter of the book of Ruth is all about a series of mysteries that left two women searching for answers. The mysteries for Naomi and her daughterin-law Ruth had to do with the trials and troubles that had come their way. They were dazed, confused, frightened and even angry. They couldn t understand what God was doing. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Within the space of just a few words, their world came crashing down: Then Elimelech, Naomi s husband, died.then Mahlon (Ruth s husband) died. Ruth 1:3a, 5a The deaths of Naomi s husband and her two sons left her with questions about God s love and care questions that robbed her of rest, health, peace, and security. The Old Testament scholar David Atkinson described Naomi as alone, without home, husband, sons, fellowship, or hope. Faith has to embrace mystery That s the first principle that we need to see this morning. We want life to be neat, tidy, comfortable, and predictable. But we all know it isn t. It isn t for you. It isn t for me. It isn t for anyone. And it wasn t for Naomi and Ruth. So if we re going to maintain a living faith in God, we have to embrace the mystery. We need to rest in the uncomfortable fact that things happen that seem to have no meaning and serve no purpose. One writer used the expression the dark side of providence to describe the events in our lives that send us for a loop. Naomi s faith was seriously challenged by a whole host of mysteries described here in chapter 1, mysteries that provoked many questions but offered no answers. Why was there a famine in Bethlehem? Why couldn t we stay in Bethlehem instead of move to Moab, the land of death and heartache? Why did my husband have to die? Why were my sons taken from me before their time? How am I going to support myself? What s going to happen to me? Some of you can sympathize with Naomi because you re going through a right patch of road yourself. While others are asking questions like: When will I be able to get my shopping done? you re asking questions of a totally different sort. Will I ever find a job? Will I be able to keep my house? Will my marriage last another year? Will I still be alive next Christmas?
3 I used to say: Not all of our questions are answered in this life. I ve changed my tune: Most of our questions aren t answered in this life. That doesn t mean they won t be answered eventually. We just have to wait longer than we d like to wait. There s something about suffering and loss that makes us lose our perspective. Upon her return to Bethlehem from Moab, Naomi cried out in verse 21, I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Her cup wasn t half empty. From naomi s perspective, it was totally empty! Can you identify with Naomi? Have you ever felt like your cup was totally empty? Tears blind our spiritual eyes to the whole truth. As miserable and forsaken as Naomi felt, things weren t as bad as they seemed. Naomi may have felt empty, but she wasn t. She still had her life. She still had her old friends in Bethlehem who were overjoyed to see her again. She still had a loving, loyal daughter-in-law who promised to be with her always. And she still had God, the same God who said through his prophet Moses: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) Joe Bayly was one of my favorite Christian authors in the 1970 s and 80 s. Joe and his wife Mary Lou lived through enough tragedy for three lifetimes. They lost their first child at 18 days old following surgery. Their second child died from an untreatable illness at the age of five. Their third child was killed in a sledding accident at the age of 18. Joe Bayly dipped the quill of his pen in the inkwell of his tears and penned a poem entitled A Psalm While Packing Books. This cardboard box Lord see it says Bursting limit 100 lbs.. The box maker knew how much strain the box would take what weight would crush it. You are wiser than the box maker maker of my spirit my mind my body. Does the box know when pressure increases close to the limit? No It knows nothing. But I know
4 when my breaking point Is near. And so I pray Maker of my soul Determiner of the pressure within upon me Stop it lest I be broken Or else change the pressure rating of this fragile container of your grace so that I may bear more. Joe Bayly learned that faith has to embrace mystery. The timeless second principle contained in Ruth 1 is that: There s always a way home Look with me at Ruth 1:6-7, 19a When she heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. (NIV) We saw last week that Moab was never intended to be a home for Elimelech and his family. The Lord had clearly stated through Moses in Deuteronomy 23:3, No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. The Moabites were idolaters and long-time enemies of Israel. They practiced child sacrifice and had once paid a prophet named Balaam to curse the people of God. Naomi had followed her husband and two sons to Moab because she had no choice. But now that her husband and sons were gone, she decided to go home. One daughter-in-law returned to Moab. Ruth, however, loved Naomi so much and had become a genuine worshiper of Jehovah. So she insisted on following Naomi to, what was to her a strange and foreign land. Why did Naomi decide to abandon Moab for Bethlehem? There came a time when Naomi realized that she d be better off in Bethlehem than in Moab. Life had become so hard, so painful, and so difficult that she went back to Bethlehem, her true home.
5 There is vivid symbolism in this story. Bethlehem the House of Bread is the place of safety, security, and provision. Moab is the place of misery, heartache and death. Bethlehem stands for everything that is in the perfect will of God for his people. Moab stands for that which looks right in our eyes, yet is full of deception. Most of us know the familiar parable of The Prodigal Son. He decided to leave his father s house to make his own way in the world. When he ran out of money, out of friends and out of options, he remembered how good he had it back home. He returned to his father and cried out: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Luke 15:21 (NIV) His father took him back and the boy was restored to his usual place at the table. I was raised in a Christian home that provided every spiritual advantage a boy would ever need. Like Elimelech who fled to Moab and the prodigal son who rejected his father s authority, I did what was right in my own eyes. For six years, I did whatever I wanted. I became so miserable in my alienation from God, so defeated by selfishness and sin that I decided to go home. I fled to the waiting arms of my heavenly Father where, like the prodigal of old, I cried out: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. He took me in and gave me a place at his table. You re never so far away that you can t make a U-turn and come back to God, back to Bethlehem, back to the House of Bread, back to where you were always meant to live. I ve read the book of Ruth scores of times and just recently saw one more truth at the end of the first chapter. Look carefully with me at verses 19-22 - So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, Can this be Naomi? Don't call me Naomi, she told them. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me. So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. Ruth 1:19-22 (NIV) When Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem is significant. It was the end of April. The barley harvest was beginning. Bethlehem had been in the grip of a great famine. There hadn t been a barley harvest for years. The mood in Bethlehem was joyful. There was laughter in the air. People were happy. No more children crying because their stomachs were empty. It was in this atmosphere of joy and celebration that Naomi and Ruth came to town. Here s the third principle and one that is particularly relevant for this time of year: When others celebrate, personal sorrow is intensified
6 There may have been a bumper crop of barley but Naomi was in no mood to join the party. She said to her friends: Do not call me Naomi [which means pleasant ]; call me Mara [which means bitter ], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full [with a husband and two sons], and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Those of you who have lost loved ones or have experienced the death of a relationship, know exactly what Naomi is talking about. Time of celebration like Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, weddings and graduations are hardest when the one we love isn t there to share the moment with us. I ve heard it said by widows and widowers, divorced and separated people and parents who have lost children that the Christmas season is the hardest time of year. It s OK to celebrate; to laugh; to sing; to eat; and do all the things that friends and families do at Christmas. Do it all without a twinge of guilt. But let s remember that seasons of celebration and joy are especially difficult for those who are trying to adjust to the loss of a loved one. We need to pray for them, love them, and come alongside them with a hug and a listening ear. Conclusion For we who are in the midst of unanswered questions, our good and gracious God wants us to embrace the mystery and await the time when everything will be explained and we ll nod our heads in agreement with the perfect plan of an all-wise and all-loving God. For we who are in Moab, miserable and far from our Father s home, it s not too late to come back to Bethlehem, tell God we re sorry, and take our place at the family table. For we who feel the pain of loss at this time of year a loved one, a relationship, job or health - it s alright to shed a tear and to think about other days when things were different. The Good Shepherd will carry us, feed us and tuck us in our beds tonight under the blanket of his presence.