| "Being A Part Of Destiny" Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - November 3, 2002 Ruth 4:7-17
If Stewardship is our theme this
morning, what relationship does this passage from the Book of Ruth have
to this emphasis? This is an interesting passage because it tells us how
the faithfulness of one person shaped and molded history in ways he
could not possibly have understood. Here is how that worked. Boaz sought
and was given permission by his tribal elders to marry a Moabite woman
named Ruth. Ruth bore a son who was given the name Obed by the women in
her village. This baby boy greatly pleased Ruth's mother-in-law, Naomi.
The women said to Naomi, "Ruth has loved you more than seven sons and
now she has given you a grandson. May the boy become famous in Israel!"
An interesting question comes to mind.
Did anyone hearing these words from the village women live to see Obed
make a difference in their nation's history? No! Even Obed died not
knowing how his contribution would influence a chain of events that
affected the destiny of a significant number of the world's people. Many people who impact others
with new horizons to explore remain unrecognized. St. Matthew's,
for example, was made possible by financial contributions and acts of
faithfulness from people whose names most of us would not know. The
miracle is that we are here in this wonderful building. In our lesson,
Obed and his wife had a son whose name was Jesse. Many of us remember
that Jesse's wife gave birth to the greatest king in Israel's history --
King David. No one at the time would have known the significance the
relationship of Boaz and Ruth would have to the formation of humanity's
destiny. Understanding our lives in this
manner can produce in us peace of mind. God is the creator. All we
need to do is live faithfully. God will do the rest. Many of us have known people who
enjoy reciting their accomplishments.
By doing so, what are such people admitting
to themselves? Perhaps their treasure, their energy and their life's
meaning remains in the past which is not a creative place for such an
understanding to be. A more creative alternative is to allow God to
inspire the future through our faithfulness today whether we are 10 or
96. Did Moses' mother, for example,
grasp the big picture when she placed her infant son into the
tar-thatched basket, trusted God with the outcome and floated him down
the Nile River? She could not have known what her act of surrender
helped to create. Did a professor of Biblical
Interpretation at the University of Wittenberg in Germany understand
that his 95 suggestions for reforming the Christian Church would result
in the Protestant Reformation? He could not have known what his act of
faithfulness would bring to him personally, nor could he have envisioned
how it would liberate Christianity from the tyranny of an inner circle
of clerics who had grown very powerful. Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin
Luther. In addition, he was labeled "an outlaw and a heretic" by the
Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. He feared for his life. Yet, the world
has been influenced far more by one act of faithfulness by this priest
than by the entire reign of a Pope whose accomplishments most people
have forgotten. Again, could Martin Luther have
known this? Of course not. But his faithfulness to living the truth
gave him the vision to remind officials within his beloved Church that
they had become more attracted to power and wealth than to helping heal
the lives of people who remained confused by the twists and turns caused
by life's many dramas. The Book of Ruth was included in
the Scriptures because of the chain of events caused by the relationship
of Boaz and Ruth. Their contribution continued to influence history
long after King David. Joseph, the father figure for Jesus, was also
a descendant of Obed. Simple acts of faithfulness have the potential
to change the world-view of millions of people. But it will do so in
God's time, not ours. We simply do not know how lives
are touched by their experience at St. Matthew's. What we do together
produces enormous energy like a meteor striking the still surface of a
lake. We may never understand any result that we create.
The truth
stands, however, that every act of faithfulness influences creation in
ways that are beyond the scope of our wildest imagination. Jesus once said, "I am telling
you the truth, those who follow what I have taught them will do what I
do. In fact, greater things than these will they do." (John 14:12)
Jesus gave three years of his life to ministry. Look at what happened to
many of the world's people because of that very brief period of time
when Jesus taught others a healing way to live! Think of how little it takes for
one person's act of faithfulness to become a part of shaping the destiny
of how humanity thinks and responds. One woman, putting in two copper
coins in the Temple treasury, lives today in the minds of millions
because she surrendered to God the little she had. Paul wrote personal
letters that have influenced lives over the span of two thousand years.
God becomes the amplifier of every act of faithfulness.
Remember what God did in an
obscure town named Bethlehem. Might God also work through St. Matthew's
in a city that is equally unknown to the rest of the world?
Absolutely! Jesus said that where our
treasure is there will our hearts be also. Soon we will have the
opportunity to give witness to where our treasure is.
Estimate-of-giving cards will arrive at your homes this week. Fill in
the number that reflects where your heart is and bring it to the worship
experience on Sunday, November 17. Through our faithfulness, God can
change the world. The faithfulness of others before us has already
changed ours. THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER God of mercy and
hope, you have required nothing from us. In our midst you have allowed
many crossroads. You have invited us to learn from our choices. We
face the paths of financial security or generosity. We know the roads
of fear or faithfulness, of doubting or trusting and of standing still
or growing. Today we are grateful for what so often we take for
granted. Much that we enjoy in our church has come to us as gifts from
others. We are eager to bring their vision into our present, so that
tomorrow may be blessed by who we have become. Amen. THE PASTORAL PRAYER
Always present God, whose word was as
faithful yesterday as it is today, we thank you for the times when we
struggle with alternatives, when we doubt and when we face moments of
uncertainty. We would know nothing of what it means to experience faith
without such times. If every outcome was known to us, you would not be
the potter and we would not be the clay.
We thank you for creating us with such
adaptability. During moments of scarcity, we can be generous. When
frailties outcrop in others, we can be kind. When our values appear
violated, we can remain patient. When life presents us with challenges,
we can display hope. When we are troubled by someone's lack of good
judgment, we can look at the sea of blessings that virtually floods the
landscape of our lives and remain eternally grateful. Who are we, O
God, that we should complain about anything?
Today we celebrate lives that have gone on
before us. We celebrate gifts presented to our church. May our
generosity of spirit reflect the kind and gentle nature of your presence
that surrounds us every moment of life. With grateful hearts, we now
pray the prayer Jesus taught us to say . . . |