LutheranLectionary.org

1 Year Lectionary – 3rd Wednesday in Advent – December 14, 2023 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:27	A reading from
0:29	Ruth chapter
0:31	3 then Naomi Ruth’s mother-in-law said
0:35	to her my daughter should I not seek
0:39	rest for you that it may be well with
0:42	you is not Boaz our relative with whose
0:46	young women you were see he is winnowing
0:49	barley tonight at the threshing floor
0:52	wash therefore and anoint yourself put
0:54	on your cloak and go down to the
0:56	threshing floor but do not make yourself
0:58	known to the man until he has finished
1:01	eating and drinking but when he lies
1:03	down observe the place where he lies
1:06	then go and uncover his feet and lie
1:08	down and he will tell you what to do and
1:11	she replied all that you say I will do
1:15	so she went down to the threshing floor
1:17	and did just as her mother-in-law had
1:19	commanded her and when Boaz had eaten
1:21	and drunk and his heart was merry he
1:23	went to lie down at the end of the Heap
1:25	of grain then she came softly and
1:29	uncover covered his feet and lay down at
1:32	midnight the man was startled and turned
1:35	over and behold a woman lay at his feet
1:38	he said who are you she answered I am
1:43	Ruth your servant spread your wings over
1:46	your servant for you are a
1:49	redeemer and he said may you be blessed
1:51	by the Lord my daughter you have made
1:53	this last kindness greater than the
1:55	first in that you have not gone after
1:58	young men whether poor or or Rich and
2:01	now my daughter do not fear I will do
2:03	for you all that you ask for all my
2:06	fellow townsmen know that you are a
2:08	worthy woman and now it is true that I
2:11	am a redeemer yet there is a redeemer
2:14	nearer than I remain tonight and in the
2:16	morning if he will redeem you good let
2:20	him do it but if he is not willing to
2:22	redeem you then as Yahweh lives I will
2:25	redeem you lie down until the morning so
2:28	she lay at his feet until the morning
2:30	but arose before one could recognize
2:32	another and he said let it not be known
2:35	that the woman came to the threshing
2:36	floor and he said bring the Garment that
2:39	you are wearing and hold it out so she
2:41	held it out and he measured out six
2:44	measures of barley and put it on her and
2:47	then she went into the City and when she
2:49	came to her mother-in-law she said how
2:51	did you fare my daughter and then she
2:54	told her all that the man had done for
2:56	her saying these six measures of barley
2:59	he gave to me for he said to me you must
3:01	not go back empty-handed to your
3:04	mother-in-law she replied wait my
3:06	daughter until you learn how the matter
3:08	turns out for the man will not rest but
3:11	will settle settle the matter today oh
3:15	Lord have mercy on us in the name of
3:18	Jesus amen amen well this is the chapter
3:22	in any good chick flick or any story
3:26	like Cinderella you think of the fairy
3:28	tales this is the this is the part of
3:30	the story where the Fairy Godmother
3:33	comes out or the big twist of fate shows
3:35	up the person who is the patron of the
3:38	well the downtrodden and the oppressed
3:40	comes to their rescue and they give them
3:43	a gorgeous dress a coach to drive in and
3:48	well Coachman and things like this and
3:50	this is where she makes her grand
3:53	appearance and everybody can see her for
3:56	what she is and gawk and whoo and all
3:58	that kind of stuff
4:00	but you’ll know this isn’t that kind of
4:03	story in fact it’s a lot meaner than
4:06	that we must remember even this far into
4:09	this text that Ruth and Naomi are dirt
4:15	poor and when it comes to a marriage
4:18	they’ve got nothing to offer except for
4:21	debt and you’ll note that this is kind
4:24	of the metaphor that we look at
4:26	regarding our own lives she is in
4:28	desperate need of Redeemer without a
4:30	redeemer her situation will not improve
4:34	they will live in squalor for the rest
4:37	of their days and that’s the
4:39	consequences of sin but this is where we
4:42	must recognize that this is us this is
4:44	you this is me we are not capable of
4:47	extricating ourselves from the poverty
4:51	of sin we cannot our days on this Earth
4:55	are mean and toysome filled with all
4:58	kinds of anxieties and it feels like
5:01	even on the best of days we’re always
5:04	financially hanging on a knife edge
5:06	right we went from having everything
5:10	eating in Eden was simple if you were
5:13	hungry find your favorite tree pluck a
5:16	fruit or two and maybe one for your
5:18	spouse or your friend and you were good
5:21	to go at lunchtime if you were having a
5:23	hankering for some bacon or I’m sure it
5:25	grew on trees back then you know you get
5:28	how there is no such thing as a perfect
5:30	Eden like paradise without bacon trees
5:32	you know just saying if we’re not able
5:34	to eat the pigs well we’ll have bacon
5:36	trees and so that’s the idea Adam and
5:39	Eve they had the wealth of the Garden of
5:43	Eden everything at their disposal and
5:46	their work in their life was not
5:50	toilsome and
5:52	then they rebelled against God they
5:55	broke the one command that God had given
5:59	them them and what came on them was pain
6:04	suffering slavery to sin death the devil
6:09	and a life of Barely getting by of
6:14	toiling working hard by the sweat of the
6:17	brow and farming back then could not
6:20	have been a joy at all I mean you’ll
6:23	note that major farm implements were not
6:25	around at that time and at that time the
6:28	ground was com completely cursed and so
6:31	eeking out a living was at best all that
6:34	anybody could
6:35	do but with Naomi and Ruth they don’t
6:39	even have a property to their name that
6:41	they can work they have assets that are
6:43	locked up that they cannot get to and
6:47	Ruth well she’s a foreigner and I want
6:49	you to kind of think this out for a
6:51	second here she has come to a new land
6:55	this is not where she grew up this is
6:57	not the culture she grew up in and these
7:00	technically were not her people they’ve
7:02	now become her people and by them
7:04	becoming her people because she has
7:06	faith in the same God as they do there’s
7:09	a whole host of rules and regulations
7:12	and the rules and regulation regarding
7:15	her getting out of poverty in the
7:17	situation that she is in requires her to
7:21	marry a
7:23	fellow and you’re going to note that
7:27	this marriage is awkward
7:30	it’s not one that normal kids her age
7:34	and yeah I would say she’s a kid would
7:37	choose marry a man twice her
7:42	age you’ll note that girls are not
7:45	really that interested in marrying guys
7:47	that are the same age as their fathers
7:50	that seems a little icky and here we’ve
7:53	got this woman and you’ll note not one
7:57	single complaint from her
8:00	if the only way out is for me to marry a
8:04	redeemer then she’s already set her eye
8:06	on
8:07	Boaz and I don’t think she could have
8:10	picked a better
8:11	man he’s kind he’s
8:15	merciful he’s generous he’s
8:19	protective and it’s
8:22	absolutely
8:24	stunning that he has set his eye on this
8:27	woman and she knows full well what’s
8:29	going on but she doesn’t get to pull out
8:31	the the princess dress at this time far
8:34	from it instead her
8:38	mother-in-law has concocted a scheme
8:41	we’re going to see if we can well if we
8:44	can hook Boaz it’s an interesting scheme
8:48	and we know because I’ve just read it
8:50	that it works but let’s walk our way
8:52	through the text Naomi her mother-in-law
8:55	said to her my daughter should I not
8:57	seek rest for you that it may be well
8:59	with you is not Boaz our relative love
9:03	that pronoun there just she’s she’s
9:06	basically saying we’re family we’re kin
9:09	and the way she’s talking you can always
9:10	tell by the way uh when an employee goes
9:13	from being new they always when they
9:15	first show up at a at a at a business
9:17	they’ll talk about you know y’all need
9:19	to do this y’all need to do that and
9:21	they’ve already on the payroll but
9:23	they’re still using the y’all thing
9:25	right but once they’ve settled in and
9:27	actually feel like they’re part of the
9:29	team Everything Changes they say things
9:32	like we we need to make this decision we
9:35	need to jump on this opportunity we need
9:37	to and they see themselves as part of it
9:39	and so here Naomi she considers Ruth to
9:43	be absolutely family and she says he is
9:46	our relative and you know so so should I
9:51	not seek rest for you that it may be
9:53	well with you so now only thinking about
9:55	her daughter-in-law and realizing that
9:57	you know she needs more than what she
9:59	can offer her and so she says see he’s
10:02	winnowing barley tonight at the
10:04	threshing floor and I just look at this
10:06	and go how did she get that little juicy
10:09	bit of information right was she having
10:12	tea with a gal from next door you know
10:14	where somebody passing by and she
10:17	overheard as my mom would say a little
10:19	bird told her she knew exactly where
10:22	Boaz was going to be was there any kind
10:24	of Internet stalking going on here was
10:27	she watching his Facebook I don’t know
10:30	it doesn’t say but she knew exactly
10:32	where he was going to be and so here’s
10:35	what she
10:36	says wash take a
10:40	bath anoint
10:42	yourself put on your cloak a dark one by
10:46	the way it has to be dark because she’s
10:49	going all ninja style here and I want
10:51	you to go down to the threshing floor do
10:55	not make yourself known to the man until
10:58	he has finished finished eating and
10:59	drinking but when he lies down observe
11:03	the place where he lies then go and
11:06	uncover his feet and lie down and then
11:08	he will tell you what to
11:11	do this sounds like a crazy plan I mean
11:15	would Ruth get in trouble if she was
11:16	caught I mean she’s in stealth ninja
11:20	mode at this point making sure that
11:22	she’s not going to be recognized when
11:24	she goes out the door is the music going
11:26	D we don’t know right but she says all
11:30	that you have said I will do and so she
11:33	does there is no beautiful dress there
11:36	are no Coachman there is no Fairy
11:40	Godmother just a very very poor
11:44	woman poor because of the consequences
11:47	of
11:48	sin on a wing in a prayer and the advice
11:52	of her
11:53	mother-in-law she steals out into the
11:55	night and she heads to the threshing
11:57	floor She did just as her mother-in-law
12:00	had commanded her and when Boaz had
12:03	eaten and drunk and his heart was merry
12:06	was a good night there at the threshing
12:08	floor a lot of work was done threshing
12:10	is an important thing this is where the
12:12	wheat and the chaff are separated do you
12:15	think that this is some kind of a
12:16	throwaway Detail no it’s not uh you
12:20	you’ll think about this uh that the
12:23	temple itself was built on a threshing
12:27	floor the threshing of or non the
12:29	jebusite it belonged to that fellow
12:32	before it became the property that David
12:36	purchased when the angel of the Lord was
12:38	stayed his
12:39	sword and so great things happen on
12:43	threshing floors in fact you can kind of
12:45	think of Mount Mariah itself as one big
12:48	huge threshing floor there was Christ
12:51	bleeding dying suffering for your sins
12:53	and mine on the cross and he was
12:55	crucified between two thieves one on his
12:58	right one on his left one cries out to
13:01	him if you’re the Messiah save yourself
13:03	and save
13:04	us and the other rebuked him and said to
13:08	Jesus Lord remember me when you come
13:10	into your kingdom that threshing floor
13:12	is a big deal because on that day one
13:15	was wheat and the other was chaff the
13:18	threshing floor continues to this day
13:20	the the the threshing floor metaphor
13:23	here this little detail invokes all of
13:26	that threshing floor theology that
13:28	points to how there’s wheat and there’s
13:32	chaff and it invokes this question will
13:36	Ruth be tossed with a
13:40	chaff will she be
13:43	seen as a defiant rebellious lawbreaking
13:50	Foreigner or will she instead be seen as
13:55	wheat to come into the barn of the Lord
13:59	and you remember all of this took place
14:01	a long time ago in a little town called
14:05	Bethlehem and that’s not a throwaway
14:08	detail either
14:10	so Boaz was married he went to lie down
14:14	long day he went down to sleep with good
14:18	thoughts running through his head maybe
14:20	there was singing maybe a little bit of
14:22	dancing maybe there was a little bit of
14:25	Merry making and he was with friends and
14:27	it was a great night
14:29	and so the text then says Ruth came
14:33	softly and uncovered his
14:36	feet and then she laid down why uncover
14:39	his feet it’s real simple okay if you
14:43	have your feet uncovered when you’re
14:44	used to having them under a blanket or a
14:46	cloak or something your feet are going
14:47	to get cold and if your feet get cold
14:48	you’re going to get cold which means
14:50	you’re going to have to wake up reach
14:52	down and figure this out and sort it all
14:55	out so this is a perfect way to wake him
14:58	up but not in a startling way but to
15:01	wake him up that’s the plan wake him up
15:03	get him his feet a little bit
15:05	cold so she laid
15:09	down and at
15:11	midnight and we don’t know how many
15:13	hours have passed two three it doesn’t
15:17	say but Ruth has got to stay
15:20	awake she’s got to see the plan through
15:23	at midnight the man was startled and
15:26	turned over behold
15:29	a woman lay at his
15:30	feet what
15:33	okay poor Boaz the guy who’s been a
15:37	single you know bachelor his entire life
15:40	there’s a woman lying at his feet and so
15:42	he says it’s dark she’s got a cloak on
15:45	who are you she
15:47	answered I am Ruth your servant and now
15:51	in one of the most beautiful and
15:54	startling and jarring text in all of
15:57	scripture the reason why it’s jarring is
16:00	because what she says next is a full-on
16:03	marriage
16:06	proposal now think this through with me
16:09	women today are trained that if the guy
16:12	is interested in you and if this
16:14	relationship is really getting serious
16:17	he has to put some thought into how the
16:20	proposal takes place right he’s got to
16:23	put some thought some creativity some
16:25	Ingenuity women today they want what
16:28	they want a social media potential you
16:33	know you know type of proposal that
16:36	would go viral on Tik Tok or YouTube or
16:39	something like that that their friends
16:40	would sit there and everybody in the
16:42	family would go
16:46	a that’s not what happens with
16:51	Ruth in fact she doesn’t insist on
16:54	anything you’ll
16:55	note that this woman has has
16:59	legitimately been doing everything in a
17:02	selfless way she’s there on the request
17:07	of her
17:09	mother-in-law and
17:12	so she answers I am Ruth your servant
17:15	your
17:16	slave spread your wings over your
17:19	servant for you are a
17:27	redeemer
17:32	she’s come under the wings of Yahweh
17:35	Yahweh spreads his wings and we take
17:38	shelter under the wings of
17:40	Yahweh Christ Is Our Redeemer and this
17:43	beautiful metaphor then invokes
17:47	something that is deep profound
17:50	beautiful it kind of chokes you up just
17:53	thinking about it that Christ in his
17:56	great work to redeem you and and I from
17:59	the poverty of sin he has spread his
18:02	wings over us but in so doing we must
18:06	remember that his wings were nailed to
18:08	the
18:15	cross in spreading his wings to redeem
18:18	us it cost him his
18:21	life and this he did for his bride to
18:25	redeem her to redeem you to redeem me
18:29	lost in sinful Humanity Jesus indeed
18:33	spread his Wings Over
18:36	Us and it’s beautiful and so now Ruth
18:40	kindly
18:43	unpretentiously
18:45	seriously looks Boaz in the eyes and
18:49	says spread your wings over your servant
18:51	you are a redeemer she has nothing to
18:53	offer him except for maybe herself and
18:57	all that debt
18:59	and she knows full well that if he
19:03	agrees and she gives birth to a son that
19:08	legally it’s not even his
19:10	own it belongs to her dead
19:16	husband who would do
19:19	that Christ does that for us Boaz
19:24	exemplifies Christ is it any wonder he
19:27	has a notable place in the lineage of
19:30	Jesus when I I remember when I first
19:32	started reading the Bible I I do you
19:35	guys remember Balton book sellers
19:36	remember bealton book sellers okay but
19:39	there was a bealton book seller right
19:41	there in the Santa Anita mall in Arcadia
19:44	California this was the mall that we
19:45	would hang out when malls were still a
19:47	big thing right and the Balton book
19:49	seller I went to the Balton book seller
19:51	and I said I wanted to buy a Bible I
19:54	just started attending a Christian
19:56	School I never owned my own Bible and
19:58	the lady looks at me says well what
20:00	translation do you
20:03	want
20:05	right and so I got my first patent Lea
20:09	Le leather King James Bible patent Le
20:13	leather black right and when I got home
20:17	I was shocked these and thou and
20:20	therefores and wherefores and who would
20:22	just it was a little difficult to read
20:25	but I remember distinctly you know when
20:27	we got to that part of the Year where
20:29	the Christmas story would be read of
20:31	going into my King James Bible and
20:34	reading the account found in the Book of
20:37	Matthew and it
20:39	starts with a
20:41	genealogy with a bunch of names that I
20:44	knew nothing about had no concept of the
20:48	history of Israel and all I heard was so
20:51	and so begat so and so who begat so and
20:53	so who begat so and so and my eyes
20:56	rolled back in my head and I thought
20:58	what kind of stupid thing is this you
21:01	know when I grow up I’m never going to
21:03	read this again kind of nonsense
21:05	right but yet when you read those
21:09	beautiful
21:11	genealogies every name has a story
21:13	behind
21:15	it and Boaz is prominently
21:18	featured and that’s the beautiful
21:21	bit is that boaz’s name is there not the
21:25	name of the
21:27	deceased
21:28	husband
21:30	Boaz by
21:32	Ruth and
21:34	so his selflessness now God Returns the
21:39	one who humbles himself God exalts and
21:42	so he then in this moment with this
21:44	awkward proposal a marriage proposal the
21:47	woman has has proposed the marriage
21:50	basically saying marry me but Sayang it
21:52	in code talk spread your wings over me
21:55	you’re a
21:57	redeemer H will he say yes will he say
22:01	no that’s always the thing you know you
22:02	ever watch a proposal as soon as the guy
22:05	gets down on his knee and he pulls out
22:08	the ring and she
22:09	goes right he asks the question and
22:13	everyone’s like this it’s like listening
22:14	for EF Hutton to give you like stock
22:16	advice that’s an old
22:19	reference what will he
22:23	say his
22:25	response may you be blessed by Yahweh my
22:29	daughter you have made this last
22:32	kindness greater than the first in that
22:35	you have not gone after young men
22:38	whether poor or
22:42	Rich he’s not seeing her as a burden at
22:45	all her proposal is received in the best
22:50	possible light and he describes it as a
22:54	great
22:55	kindness listen I know I’m tce twice
22:58	your age I’m old enough to be your
23:00	father and yet you didn’t go after any
23:03	of the younger men either poor or Rich
23:05	which was your right to do because I
23:08	know you’re new to town and and what we
23:11	do here in Israel may not make sense for
23:13	what happens in Moab but this is the way
23:15	Yahweh has set it up and you have chosen
23:19	to
23:20	embrace not only yahweh’s commands
23:23	yahweh’s Redemption and chosen to
23:26	embrace me
23:29	so now my daughter do not fear I will do
23:32	for you all that you ask for all my
23:34	fellow townsmen know that you are a
23:37	worthy woman and now it is true that I
23:42	am a redeemer yet there is a redeemer
23:44	nearer than I H there’s always a detail
23:48	there’s always a wrench that gets thrown
23:51	into the works and it’s like ah we can’t
23:54	get a clean resolve at this point
23:56	there’s another guy yeah he’s here’s the
23:58	bit is that Boaz isn’t Redeemer Numero
24:01	Uno he’s Redeemer number
24:07	two what will happen what is that
24:10	Redeemer like is he anything like Boaz
24:12	there’s nobody like
24:14	Boaz what do we expect to happen here
24:18	but
24:19	Boaz has
24:22	character you can trust him you can
24:25	trust him with your life and Ruth does
24:28	he’s nothing but kind and he’s
24:31	upstanding he’s not going to do
24:33	something
24:34	underhanded so he says there is a
24:36	redeemer nearer than I I’ve got to tell
24:37	you the truth so remain tonight and in
24:40	the morning if he will redeem you well
24:42	good let him do
24:45	it but if he is not willing to redeem
24:48	you then as Yahweh lives I will redeem
24:52	you and now we’ve got a thorny problem
24:55	we got a woman at the threshing floor in
24:57	the middle of of the night and we’ve got
24:59	to get her out of here without creating
25:01	gossip in
25:02	town and so he’s already concerned about
25:05	what’s going on here but he’s got a plan
25:08	you lie down until morning so she lay at
25:11	his feet just like she had until the
25:14	morning but she arose before one could
25:17	recognize another she was getting out of
25:19	there before she could be recognized and
25:21	so he said to her let it not be known
25:24	that the woman came to the threshing
25:25	floor and he said bring the Garment that
25:28	you were wearing and hold it out so
25:30	there in the darkness of the early
25:32	Twilight morning before she could be
25:35	recognized she held out her garment and
25:39	he measured out six measures of barley
25:42	and put it on her that’s not a small
25:45	amount and then she went into the City
25:48	and when she came to her mother-in-law
25:50	she said how did you fare my
25:53	daughter you’re the one who put her into
25:55	this into this situation right I bet you
25:58	want to know all the details tell me the
25:59	tea
26:00	dear and so she told her all that the
26:03	man had done for her saying these six
26:06	measures of barley he gave to me for he
26:08	said to me you must not go back
26:10	empty-handed to your
26:12	mother-in-law again nothing but
26:14	generosity nothing but kindness complete
26:17	Mercy complete looking out for her
26:20	reputation as well as his own but yet he
26:22	has to not only meet her needs he knows
26:25	that he needs to also bring give
26:28	something back to Naomi so she replied
26:31	you wait my daughter until you learn how
26:33	the matter turns out for the man will
26:36	not rest but he will settle the matter
26:42	today and if you want to know how this
26:44	ends you have to come back next week in
26:47	the name of Jesus
26:49	[Music]
26:54	Amen

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