Have you ever been sad at Christmas? Perhaps as a young child you did not receive the present you really wanted. For adults, perhaps you have experienced the loss of a loved one in recent months. For members of University Baptist Church, we might recall the deaths of friends such as Jack Pearson, Jess Partridge, or Betty Condray. The Bible text for today does not deal directly with the Christmas story, but it focuses on three widows. Naomi and her husband had moved to Moab to survive a famine. Their two sons married Moabite women. Sadly, all three husbands passed away. Eventually Naomi decided it was time to return home, and she encouraged her daughters-in-law to remain in their home country.
A key to the rest of the story is Ruth’s pledge to Naomi to stay with her and to follow Naomi’s God (1:16-17). Ruth had discovered what we need to recall in this Advent season: our ultimate hope for the future is God. When Naomi and Ruth arrived at Naomi’s hometown, however, Naomi was still dealing with the terrible losses she had experienced (1:20-21). Many of us know that grief does not disappear quickly. The rest of the story is likely familiar. Ruth worked in the fields of Boaz, they fell in love, she proposed marriage to him (a probable interpretation), and they were married.
So, what does this story of loss and love have to do with Christmas? You might recall that Naomi’s hometown is Bethlehem (1:1,19). Also, the child conceived by Ruth and Boaz was an ancestor of King David (4:17-22). Matthew then included Ruth in his family tree for Jesus (Matthew 1:5). Two grieving women centuries before the first Christmas trusted the same God who sent His one and only Son to be our Savior!
Warren McWilliams