Life Finds a Way!

Life Finds a Way

 

Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17

Ruth wins the favor of Boaz 

3:1 Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you.

3:2 Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.

3:3 Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

3:4 When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do."

3:5 She said to her, "All that you say I will do."

4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. When they came together, the LORD made her conceive, and she bore a son.

4:14 Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin, and may his name be renowned in Israel!

4:15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him."

4:16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom and became his nurse.

4:17 The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.

In the blockbuster film, “Jurassic Park,” the Jeff Goldblum character, Ian Malcolm, is a “chaos” expert. He is one of the scientists brought in to evaluate the living dinosaur exhibit made possible by “dino-DNA” and cloning. As you will remember, the “control” on the reconstituted dinosaur population to keep them from breeding was that they were all cloned as females. Malcolm is not convinced that this tactic will be effective in preventing the resurrected reptiles from procreating, and utters one of the film’s memorable lines, “Life finds a way.” I’m a big Goldblum fan, and adore the Ian Malcolm character, as he is exactly the kind of brilliant, yet quirky role Goldblum excels at playing. Better yet, I was impacted, as many were, by this assertion, “Life finds a way.” 

I’ve seen many a hospital patient, suffering from seemingly catastrophic illnesses, not only rise from the hospital bed, but make stunning, full recoveries. Life finds a way! I’ve witnessed premature or otherwise sickly infants struggling to survive the trauma of birth, emerge from the throes of death and thrive. Life finds a way. We’ve all seen saplings that burst forth from rock formations, splitting heavy stones in half in order to germinate. Life finds a way. And who hasn’t watched fragile little birds pecking their way out of eggshells, several days later to take their first flight from the nest. Life finds a way. How many times have we read about a species that scientists thought had long since become extinct suddenly being “discovered” alive and well in some remote corner of the world. One of the most famous cases of this occurred when what was thought to be a prehistoric fish extinct for over 60 million years—the Coelacanth—was caught up in a fisherman’s net in 1938. Since then, schools of them have been observed. Life finds a way!

After a heinously contested election cycle, many have been left bloodied by the results, while others are exuberant. I confess to being one of the former, and as a Christian pastor, I’m deeply concerned about the motives of the returning occupant of the White House and what it will mean for “the least of these.” Those of us who worry that personal welfare, individual liberties, and self-centered pursuits will triumph over the needs and concerns of the broader American community are left with the hope that “Life finds a way.” 

Today’s lectionary text from Ruth provides the “happy highlights” of this amazing story from the Hebrew Bible. Ruth is a young woman who is married to one of Naomi’s two sons, both of whom die and leave Ruth and her sister-in-law, Orpah, widowed. Naomi, who is still steeped in grief, tells the two young widows that they are free to go off and find new husbands, as they are still young, and should have a good future. In this, Naomi, whose husband, Elimelech, also dies, is being extremely unselfish, as in ancient Hebrew society, her care in widowhood would normally fall to her children and their families. Obviously, Naomi was a person of great faith who truly believed that in God’s realm, “Life finds a way.” But Ruth pledges her loyalty to her mother-in-law, saying in a beautiful speech:

Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.

And yes, this is often read in modern wedding ceremonies like it is from spouse to spouse, but it IS Ruth’s speech to her mother-in-law! Still, it is such a wonderful sentiment and commitment that no one should argue with it being applied to marriages, too. Believe me, most marriages survive the trials of two people being “jammed together” who are usually so different as to create instant conflict, that successful ones are a testament to “Life finds a way”!

Ruth vows to stay with Naomi and care for her. As the story goes, Naomi still wants Ruth to “have a life,” and since both of them are surviving by gleaning the fields of a handsome, young landowner named Boaz, Naomi conjures up a plan. She tells Ruth to pretty herself up and go down to the threshing floor, waiting for the old boy to tire from his labors and lies down. What Ruth is to do next is described in a wonderful Hebrew idiom, and since this is a “family friendly” sermon, I’ll not go into the details, but suffice it to say, Ruth makes a very favorable impression on Boaz, and they become a “thing,” resulting in marriage. This thrills Naomi, who is happy for Ruth, but even happier when the marriage results in a grandchild that she gets to love and coddle. Indeed, for all parties involved, “Life finds a way.”

It gets better. The text tells us that the child is Obed, and Obed later becomes the father of Jesse, who in turn becomes the father of a young shepherd named David. Yes, THAT David. And we know that his “house and lineage” will eventually yield another birth of one named in Luke 2, “Christ the Lord.” Indeed, for all of Israel, who got a great king out of the whole Ruth/Naomi/Boaz deal, and for all of humanity that eventually got a Savior, “Life finds a way.”

This Sunday I have the privilege of baptizing a young mother and her little girl, Stella. I LOVE the name “Stella,” don’t you? This young couple reached out to me, a retired pastor serving the church where Stella’s father was baptized 28 years ago, and inquired about having both mother and daughter baptized. Honestly, I figured that my baptizing days were over, so this sounded like such a special opportunity. I met with the young couple, and they are a joy, and I’m so looking forward to the baptisms this week. All I could think of about the whole experience, including this wonderful “return” to the place where Stella’s dad was baptized into the Christian faith was, “Life finds a way.” And I’m sure glad to be a part of it!

While “life” can deal us many challenges and disappointments, the Creator of all life made us to “find our way” as we live it. One of my favorite promises of Jesus is his pledge, “I will never leave you nor forsake you…Lo, I am with you to the end of the age.” Sounds a lot like the commitment that Ruth makes to Naomi, doesn’t it? And that one brought us David and Jesus. How today will “life find a way” in YOUR life? Are you committed to living for Jesus Christ like Ruth was to Naomi? Like Stella’s parents are to each other, and to being good parents to this little one? And how about living for Jesus as an act of gratitude for the eternal commitment Jesus made to redeem all of us? This is as good a time as any to recommit yourself to faith in Christ Jesus, and “sell out” your heart to him and his mission to reconcile the whole world to himself! And if you find yourself growing discouraged, or overwhelmed by some of the “curves” life may throw at you, remember the timeless story of Ruth and Naomi, and the eternal love of Jesus, whose teachings could well be summed up in the phrase, “Life finds a way!” Amen.