This sermon, based on Ruth 1: 1-18, was preached by Rev. Marissa Galván Valle on November 3, 2024 (Proper 26). It is the first sermon of a series called: “Gratitude And the Gift Of....”
The Gift of Friendship
When I heard Pastor Candi talk about Vanessa last Sunday, it reminded me of one of my best friends in Puerto Rico. This friend always seemed to know when I felt discouraged. She had a way of helping me look for the “rainbows and butterflies” when I most needed it.
When I first started my professional life, I worked from home. I remember a particularly difficult day when I was questioning my vocational choices. I felt sad, nothing made sense, and my life seemed to have no purpose—all those anxious thoughts our minds use to weigh us down.
All of a sudden, I heard a car pull up to my house. My friend got out and basically commanded me to come outside.
“You are coming with me,” she said.
“But I have things to do! I’m not dressed properly. I don’t feel like going!” And let’s note, this was not in the evening but in the middle of the day, when everyone was supposed to be working.
“We are going out.”
“But where are we going?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied (meaning she knew but wasn’t going to tell me). “Get ready!”
This friend has always had the power to make me do things I thought I couldn’t do. She once made me climb to the roof of a two-story house just to see the stars. She convinced me to go on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World when I swore I’d never do that. So, I had no choice but to get into the car.
She drove us to El Yunque, one of the most beautiful places on the island of Puerto Rico, about an hour from my house. There, she led me to one of the little streams that flows down the mountain, made me stand on a large boulder with her, and asked me to stand in silence, arms extended to heaven, to pray to breath in, to find peace… who knows!
But, when I returned from that trip, I could see rainbows and butterflies again.
An Unseen Gift of Grace
Today’s passage tells us stories of relationships.
It tells us about family relationships: Elimelech and Naomi, along with their two sons, leave their home in Bethlehem and go to Moab, seeking a better life for their family.
The two sons marry Moabite women, thereby establishing new relationships within their new community.
When Elimelech and his two sons die in exile, Naomi must establish a new relationship with her daughters-in-law. But somehow, she decides to distance herself from them when she chooses to leave Moab and return to her homeland.
Naomi’s words are telling. She says:
“Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.”
She continues:
“Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has turned against me.”
Then, when Orpah leaves and Ruth remains, Naomi says to Ruth:
“See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
There are several interpretations of why Naomi is so insistent on sending her daughters-in-law back.
They are childless widows. Perhaps one widow has a better chance of surviving than three.
Naomi has nothing to offer these two younger women. She wants them to stay in a place where they have a better chance to rebuild their lives.
Naomi may fear that she will not be welcomed back in Bethlehem if she is accompanied by two Moabite women. There has always been animosity between Moab and Israel, and she may not want to take this risk.
But the interpretation that resonates most with me is about everything that Naomi has suffered. Jared Alcántara compares Naomi to another character who loses almost everything: Job. He says that Naomi’s story is Job’s story “wrapped in different clothing.” She loses everything, and “Like Job, Naomi wrestles with why such an awful thing has happened. It seems as if nothing but a dreadful future awaits. Like Job, she blames God for abandoning her.” [1]
In this state of lament and hopelessness, she gives her daughters-in-law a way out. Perhaps she is afraid of losing them too. Alcántara writes, “Life has become bitter for her; they would do better without her.”
In the midst of all this bitterness, lament, fear, and hopelessness—a natural reaction to the pain Naomi has endured—a relationship refuses to break. Ruth makes a decision that will put her in a precarious position: she is a woman, she is without a husband, and she is a Moabite going to a foreign land where her ethnicity will place her in danger.
Still, she clings to her mother-in-law with words that remain beautiful and powerful:
“Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!”
Patricia Tull calls what Ruth does a “gift of grace that Naomi cannot at first see… Grace is walking right beside Naomi, unseen, refusing to leave her.” They are both widows. Ruth has nothing to offer Naomi except her companionship. But that is enough. Tull says, “Ruth holds a thoroughly action-oriented, pragmatic view. She does not argue with Naomi’s perceptions, nor does she assert her own. She simply communicates presence.” [2]
It is that unwavering presence that is a gift of grace. Interestingly, at the end of the book, it is not Naomi who acknowledges this but the women in the village. They say what Naomi cannot bring herself to say:
“Your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given you a grandchild.”
We are left wondering if, as Naomi “took the child and laid him in her bosom and became his nurse,” there were words of gratitude in her mind and on her lips. We are not told… but I want to believe that there were.
The importance of recognizing the gift of presence with gratitude
It is ironic that when we feel most despondent, afraid, hopeless, and fearful, we tend to behave like turtles—hiding in our shells or bubbles and shutting others out. In these moments, we avoid people, remain passive, dwell too much on our problems, and criticize ourselves for not being or doing what we think we should.
We believe in a God who can handle our anger and fears. At the same time, we believe in a God who surrounds us with resources to hold onto when we feel like Naomi or Job. This is a testament to God’s love and grace.
In Naomi’s case, it was Ruth. In our lives, surrounded by anxieties and fears about work, health, the future, and more, it is imperative to recognize the “Ruths” around us.
Their presence, and the relationships they offer, are essential when we feel depressed, anxious, or hopeless. These “Ruths” provide support, understanding, and a sense of connection. They bring emotional stability, perspective, and reminders of our worth, countering feelings of isolation and self-doubt. They create a sense of belonging and resilience, helping us find strength during tough times. They also bring moments of joy and normalcy, offering small but significant relief from heavy emotions. Trusted connections can even encourage us to seek further help, reinforcing hope and the possibility of healing.
My prayer is that this church family can be that gift of grace for you. My prayer is that you have other “Ruths” in your life—people who refuse to give up on you, who are stubborn in their love, who walk alongside you and help you keep going.
But there is another part to my prayer: I pray that you can recognize these gifts of presence—God’s presence and grace, the presence and grace of loved ones, and the unexpected gifts of presence and grace that continually appear in our lives—and give thanks for them.
This gratitude can become tangible through our presence with one another, especially in times of unforeseen hardship and trial. Ruth’s faithful love toward Naomi exemplifies a grace and gratitude that resist fear, hopelessness, and anxiety. This gratitude calls us into a kind of presence that uplifts and sustains others and each other. In a world of uncertainty, where fear and hate seem dangerously close to winning, it is through this gift of presence and our response of gratitude that we find the strength to hold on, to keep walking, to persevere, to stand, to struggle, and to continue to fight for justice and grace—no matter what happens on Tuesday!
Gratitude can:
Reduce our anxiety: Focusing on what we’re thankful for calms the mind and helps reduce worry, providing a sense of stability in difficult times.
Build our resilience: Gratitude reminds us of our strengths and past moments of support or success, helping us feel more equipped to face new challenges.
Promote hope: Even small acts of gratitude can lift our mood, countering fear with hope and trust.
Strengthen our relationships: Expressing gratitude toward others deepens our connections, providing comfort and support when we need it most.
Recognizing the gift of presence and responding with gratitude as a discipline will help us find the ability to “dance” that Pastor Candi mentioned last week. And we will dance, no matter what, because God is here, and we are grateful!
Pick Up the Threads
Jaime Clark-Soles, in her book Women in the Bible, offers a beautiful reflection on this passage:
“The narrative offers a portrait of a restored life as a kind of tapestry. Naomi’s turmoil is an unraveling of the threads of her family and communal life, and the task of each of the characters (including Naomi herself) is to pick up the threads of that life and weave them back into a restored life in community. . . . What Naomi needs is persons who will take up her narrative and weave her back into the world” (103–4). [3]
Since I began this sermon by talking about one of the “Ruths” in my life, let me close by sharing about another one: my mami. She is the constant weaver in my life, tirelessly working to weave me back into the world. Whenever I feel dejected or as if I’ve lost everything, she is the one who stubbornly stays by my side.
I remember when I got the job that would move me from Puerto Rico to Louisville, Kentucky. I called her and said, “Congratulations, Mom! Now you can retire.” I assumed she would be coming with me! But… she didn’t have to. She could have chosen to stay in a place she knew, to remain in familiar surroundings. Yet she didn’t. She left everything behind to come with me to the United States. And one of the things I pester her with almost every day is a simple phrase: Thank you.
Thank you for coming with me.
Thank you for driving me everywhere.
Thank you for your love.
Thank you for being my mom.
I never want her to feel that I don’t appreciate everything she’s done for me—and continues to do for me. I don’t ever want to forget how grateful her daughter is to God for her, for the gift of her presence, which has allowed me to have a family unit of two.
And just the other day, she reminded me of her wisdom. She said, “Even if you’re anxious about things, what will happen, will happen.” If you understand “Blanca language,” you know that’s her way of saying, “God is with us. We will be all right.” And for that, I am profoundly thankful.
[1] Jared Alcantara, "Commentary on Ruth 1: 1-18," in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year B, Volume 3, ed. Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, and Luke A. Powery (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2020), Epub edition.
[2] Patricia K. Tull, "Commentary on Ruth 1: 1-18," in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year B, Volume 3, ed. Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, and Luke A. Powery (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2020), e-pub edition.
[3] Jaime Clark-Soles, Women in the Bible (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2020), e-pub edition.
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