Today we heard a small part of the story of Ruth. Ruth and this man, Boaz, became the ancestors of the House of David, which, according to Biblical lineage, is the family of Christ. So Ruth s selfless decision may have resulted quite literally in the birth of the Messiah. This story is an illustration of extreme filial piety and adherence to duty typical of The women in the Old Testament, but Jean Golden shared with me an anecdote that may touch even closer to the mark here. It may be just as simple as that.
Love often is, and it can change the world, and bring about our salvation.
Today, many women live, like Ruth and Naomi, in places where the protection and support of a man is a prerequisite of existence. Surviving without that resource by circumstance, much less by choice, is just not an option I mentioned earlier that March 8th was International Women s Day and this year, when I was in the midst of preparing this sermon, I attended a Women s Day conference in San Francisco. Representatives from various aid groups and developing nations discussed the state of women in societies all over the world. The situations described were harsh, but I did glean some inspiration from the stories of the incredible resourcefulness and courage of women who, like Ruth, find ways to pull themselves and each other through desperate danger and poverty. These women, many of whom are left husbandless by disease or war or famine, often support not only their own families but others who need their assistance.