Landing in Christ's Lineage

Scripture Passage: Ruth 1: 1-18

Nestled within this passage is perhaps one of the most ironically quoted wedding scriptures of all time.

For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

How easily we forget that this is not between a husband and wife, or even an engaged couple, but a mother and daughter-in-law after suffering the loss of a son and husband. If you are interested in reading more about this particular verse, I hope you'll check out a previous blog post by clicking HERE. The message of remaining faithful and loyal to one another is important and a very real application of Ruth and Naomi's story but for today, I want to focus on a different aspect of this passage.

When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, she knew, at least to some extent, what she was getting into. She had grown up with the language, the traditions, the food, and the religion. She had traveled the long road before in her life when she and Elimelech moved to Moab when her two sons were young. There is a chance that friends and family had remained in the area and would remember and welcome her upon her return. Ruth had none of that experience or information. All she knew is that she would rather stay with Naomi and venture into the unknown instead of staying in Moab and hope to re-marry.

Venturing into the unknown is not something many of us get overly excited about. And with the amount of information available for us to access via the internet, it is increasingly unlikely that we will have to do so. Even just 50 years ago, to ponder traveling in a new country meant you had to hit the books and magazine achieves at your local library. If you were lucky, there were good photos and maybe even a film you could watch. There were no YouTube videos or blogs with helpful hints and hidden gems. No GPS systems to help you find your way around or phones in your pockets capable of translating real time conversations from one language to another.

Shoshone Falls, Idaho. I strongly recommend a visit in the spring....at least that's when I want to go back!

This past summer, my mom, aunt, and I took a two week road trip out to the Oregon coast and back. My sister lives in the Seattle area so it's not the first road trip we have taken out west but we were still marveled at the earliest settlers who traveled to and across the western United States in covered wagons and on foot. We all acknowledged that we would not have made the journey gracefully. One of the stops we made was to view Shoshone Falls in Idaho where there was a historical information marker explaining that it was not uncommon for wagon trains to add up to a week onto the their trip to detour to them and spend time enjoying the cool waters of the falls. As we stood on the edge of the canyon looking out over the falls, my mom admitted that if her husband had wanted to add a week to the wagon train adventure just to see a waterfall, she likely would have pushed him over!

Somewhere in Eastern Oregon.

Personally, I can't help but stand on the ocean shore looking out over the great expanse of water and wonder about the type of person who says, "I'm going to get in a boat and sail out into the abyss until I find the edge of the world." Before we had maps, globes, and satellite imagery, people literally sailed off into the unknown to see if they could discover new lands and perhaps start a new life. These pioneers of old simply amaze me. I cannot imagine undertaking such an adventure.

And yet, with only Naomi's hope that family and friends would still be found, Ruth insisted on traveling with her to a new land in hopes of securing safety and security in the future for them both.

Their story does have a happy ending. They find Boaz, who is someone of character and generosity, willing to take Ruth as his wife. They marry and have children through whom, eventually, Jesus Christ the Messiah is born. In Ruth's willingness to venture into the unknown, she becomes and ancestor to the savior of the world.

Now, I'm not saying the same will happen for you or me should we be bold enough to follow the call of Christ to step into unknown adventures in our lives. However, I am saying that maybe we should consider letting go of our addiction to information and research just a little bit and trust God when we feel Him leading us in an unexpected direction. I know I can look back on my life and see multiple times where I ventured into unknown territory and found God waiting for me in unforgettable ways. I ventured to a college no one else I knew was going to and discovered deep, life long friendships. I jumped into ministry and found a gift for speaking and sharing Jesus the quiet girl who barely spoke a word at school in junior high never imagined. I answered a call to serve a church and found that funerals, an event full of emotions that generally make me uncomfortable, are times where I am most able to be myself in ministry.

The unknown, I'm learning, will always feel at least a little bit scary but it is also exciting and full of possibilities. And I can't help but think of the number of times I have described worshipping God in almost the exact same way....a little bit scary but also exciting and full of possibilities.