Sermon Video: Naomi's bitterness and Ruth's hard work - Ruth 1:19-2:7

In this second message from Ruth, of five, we see the full impact of the sorrow from Naomi's loss of her husband and two sons reflected in her statements of bitterness directed at "the Almighty" whom she holds responsible for her losses.  Naomi does not hide her true feelings, or pretend that she's fine with what the will of God has done in her life, no, Naomi is honest, and that honesty at this point in her life equals disappointment with God.
Ruth, meanwhile, sets about looking for a solution to the desperate circumstances facing herself and her mother-in-law as widows by participating in the process that the Law of Moses sets forth to help the poor: gleaning.  Ruth follows behind the harvesters in the fields, working hard, hoping to gather enough grain to feed herself and Naomi.  The hard work of Ruth draws the attention of the owner of the field, Boaz, a relative of her late father-in-law Elimelech, whose field, "as it turned out" she ended up working in.
While Naomi struggles with her bitterness, and Ruth begins working to try to survive, the hand of God is already at work, molding plans for Ruth and Naomi that include far more than just surviving.

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Sermon Video - Ruth's Choice: Your God, My God - Ruth 1:1-18

In this first message of five covering the book of Ruth, the story begins with the unfolding of the tragedy that engulfed Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth.  Naomi's husband, Elimelech, moved his family during a time of famine from his portion of the Promised Land in Bethlehem of Judah across the Jordan River to the land of Moab.  From our perspective a simple economic choice, something we see in great abundance in our world today with its flood of migrants, but for the Covenant people the choice to leave the land is actually a moral one, a choice made by Elimelech that reflects poorly on his trust in God's providence.
In Moab, Elimelech dies, his two sons marry Moabite women, another moral choice with the potential for bringing foreign gods into the mix, and then after ten years both of Naomi's sons die.  At this point, Naomi is left without support and without hope for her future, a point the original Hebrew text highlights by calling her "the woman" instead of Naomi.  Naomi decides to return to Israel, where the LORD has given his people relief from the famine, and her daughters-in-law Orpah and Ruth begin the journey with her.  Naomi stops on the way and insists that these two young women who could still marry new husbands and have children must return to their mother's house and seek their own lives.  Naomi is bitter, feeling that the hand of God is against her, not seeing any potential way for the line of Elimelech to continue, seeing only lonely poverty in her future.  Orpah makes a rational choice to listen to this advice and parts from Naomi in sadness, Ruth however, makes the emotional choice to remain with Naomi and punctuates this choice with a beautiful oath of loyalty to Naomi's land, people, and God.  At this point the text does not indicate that Ruth knew the LORD or followed him, her choice is based upon love for her mother-in-law.  As the opening of Ruth ends, the two women continue on, Naomi returning home and Ruth entering into a strange new land.
There are two lessons in the opening segment of Ruth: (1) That even small choices can have consequences, both good and bad, and (2) the tremendous power of love and loyalty.  The question that remains is this: Will God alleviate the bitter sorrow of Naomi and reward the faithfulness of Ruth, and if so, how?

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Sermon Video - "Lord, I want to see" Luke 18:35-43

In this final message from Luke, (having preached the whole Gospel of Luke here at 1st Baptist over the past four years, which means all of it is available in my sermon videos, 100 in all) Jesus is confronted by a blind beggar shouting at him from the side of the road.  The blind man, having little hope in this world, acted quickly when hope itself walked by him in the form of Jesus.  We don't know what he knew about Jesus already, but his response was perfect, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  When those near him told him to be quiet, a sad example of people on the inside blocking those who seek God's help from the outside, he simply shouted louder until Jesus heard him.  The blind man's faith, and persistence, was rewarded by Jesus who asked him a simple, and seemingly obvious question, "What do you want me to do for you?"  The blind man, what could he want from Jesus?  It may seem unnecessary for Jesus to ask, but God finds tremendous value in our asking him for help.  The simple act of humbling yourself and acknowledging God's power by asking for it changes the one doing the asking, a worthwhile goal.  The blind man responded as he should have, "Lord, I want to see".

This episode illustrates God's compassion and power, of course, but it also serves as an insightful metaphor for those in need seeking God's help, in particular those suffering from spiritual blindness; an affliction less obvious to an outside observer than physical blindness, and yet something that God can cure, without fail, for those who seek his help.

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The Gospel, politics, and the poor.

As the American presidential campaign is now fully underway and will continue to be present in the thoughts of many all the way to November, as Christians, we ought to remind ourselves of the teaching of the Gospel, as outlined by Jesus himself, regarding a topic that comes up rather frequently in political debates and speeches: poverty.  Which solution to poverty will actually help the most is a matter for ongoing debate, not only among politicians but economists as well, but what our attitude, as Christians, toward those living in poverty ought to be, is not.  Our attitude is not optional, we have been commanded, as representatives of the Gospel of grace to treat the poor as Jesus did.  The words of the great commentator, Matthew Henry, written in 1721 when the political and economic landscapes were much different, still hold true today for they concern the Gospel's unchanging truths: "Those ought to be relieved by charity whom the providence of God has any way disabled to get their own bread...though there are cheats among such, yet they must not therefore be all thought such."
Why do so many Christians have a negative attitude toward the poor?  Is it that we give ourselves credit for our own success in warding off poverty, instead of giving God praise, so therefore we give the poor blame for their failure to avoid poverty, instead of seeing the providence of God at work there as well?  If so, our failure is a failure to recognize the authority and power of God.  Is it instead fear that motivates our lack of pity, a fear that recognizes that we ourselves could some day live in poverty if our ability to work were to be compromised, so therefore we blame the poor as a way of whistling past the graveyard and pretending we could never be in their worn-out shoes?  If so, our failure is that we lack trust in the goodness of God.  But perhaps the problem lies deeper, and darker, perhaps the reason that far too many Christians in America are dismissive of the poor, even hostile to the poor, is that we simply are not, as a Church, truly living out the Gospel.  We have instead adopted a Gospel-hybrid, mixing it with the American Dream and the promises of capitalism to replace the Gospel's call for a community that helps those in need with the American fixation upon the individual.  Maybe we, those who make up the Church, just don't like the poor.  Shame upon us to the extent that is true.
Let the politicians say what they will about poverty, we have to get our own house in order, we need to stop blaming the poor for being poor, and start loving them as Christ did, offering them grace and mercy in their time of need, and rejoicing when our effort in his name wins a victory for the kingdom of God.

Sermon Video: "What is impossible with men is possible with God." - Luke 18:18-30

Following two previous illustrations of what it takes to gain entrance into the kingdom of God, the prayers of the Pharisee and tax collector, and then the comment by Jesus that the kingdom of God must be entered like a child, Jesus confronts the question of entrance into the kingdom directly when a rich and powerful man asks him, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  The man asking the question, though the only things we know of him are that he has both authority and riches, seems to be in a great position to accept whatever answer he is given to his question by Jesus, after all, he has come seeking an answer to his spiritual need, which he recognizes he has, and has sought that answer from Jesus.
And yet, in the end, he will walk away from his encounter with Jesus, abandoning his quest to reconcile with God, over the one negative quality that outweighs all of the positive: his riches.  The tragedy of his refusal to place his spiritual need above his material possessions prompts Jesus to comment about the impossibility of a rich man entering the kingdom of God.  The warning about the danger of riches, while in and of itself is important for those with wealth, and those aspiring to wealth, is also a reminder of the impossibility of anyone, rich or poor, entering the kingdom of God on their own merit.  To obtain eternal life is always a matter of grace, a gift from God, Jesus here reminds us that its harder for a rich man to accept it.

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