Rev. Brian Johnson
Scripture: Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
In this story, Ruth is seeking a husband – because, in her culture, she needs a husband to protect her and her mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth does some shocking things in this story – her approach to Boaz is not something we might describe as proper – and yet through those shocking escapades God is enabling her to provide for her and her mother. Even more, Ruth – this foreigner to God’s people who is a totally unconventional and propriety-shattering woman – becomes an ancestor to King David (one of the central figures for the ancient Israelites) and, through David, of Jesus (savior of the world). God is here doing something unexpected – God is telling us that God’s plan is never what we would have planned, that God is willing to use unexpected means and disrespected people, and that God’s way is both more unexpected and better than anything we could plan. And all of this comes through the faith, determination and boundary-crossing behavior of this woman.