Reflections on "The Touch of God" Ruth 2: 4-13; John 3: 1-17

The final sermon of the "Touched by God" preaching series.  I kept the sermon short to allow time for the renewal of baptismal vows and anointing, both of which seemed to go well.  To finish the sermon series with an interactive moment for the gathered congregation fit well.

I used Eugene Peterson's translation The Message  for the Ruth passage because of the phrase, "touched my heart," which fit the theme particularly well.  I thought it was interesting to note that Ruth and Nicodemus are good, faithful people who still discover God's grace and feel a call to a new way of life.  Sometimes we tend to think that stories of call and new beginnings are for those who are new to the faith, instead of noticing how those who are faithful can still experience a new beginning in the next phase of their life.

Ruth 2: 4-13 And so she set out. She went and started gleaning in a field, following in the wake of the harvesters. Eventually she ended up in the part of the field owned by Boaz, her father-in-law Elimelech’s relative. A little later Boaz came out from Bethlehem, greeting his harvesters, “God be with you!” They replied, “And God bless you!”

 Boaz asked his young servant who was foreman over the farm hands, “Who is this young woman? Where did she come from?”

The foreman said, “Why, that’s the Moabite girl, the one who came with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked permission. ‘Let me glean,’ she said, ‘and gather among the sheaves following after your harvesters.’ She’s been at it steady ever since, from early morning until now, without so much as a break.”

Then Boaz spoke to Ruth: “Listen, my daughter. From now on don’t go to any other field to glean—stay right here in this one. And stay close to my young women. Watch where they are harvesting and follow them. And don’t worry about a thing; I’ve given orders to my servants not to harass you. When you get thirsty, feel free to go and drink from the water buckets that the servants have filled.”

She dropped to her knees, then bowed her face to the ground. “How does this happen that you should pick me out and treat me so kindly—me, a foreigner?”

 Boaz answered her, “I’ve heard all about you—heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law after the death of her husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and have come to live among a bunch of total strangers. God reward you well for what you’ve done—and with a generous bonus besides from God, to whom you’ve come seeking protection under his wings.”

 She said, “Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don’t deserve it. You’ve touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don’t even belong here!”

“Touched by God" Ruth 2: 4-13; John 3: 1-17; FPC, Troy; May 31, 2015; Trinity Sunday

Move 1: Ruth and Nicodemus are both good and faithful people.

a. We remember Ruth as the Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi; the daughter-in-law who chose to eave her homeland after the death of her husband to follow her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem; a stranger forever in a new land

1. She's worried about how she will make it, how she will support her self and her mother-in-law.
2. She has no husband, no property, no status.
3. She's a good person, who has acted in a good way to support her mother-in-law, but now she needs some help.

b. Nicodemus.

1. A Pharisee, a leader among the Israelites.
2. He addresses Jesus as “Rabbi,” which suggests that he is not at odds with Jesus, but recognizes something special about Jesus.
3. He hears about Jesus and thirsts for more in his life and in his relationship with God
4. He seeks Jesus out as part of his quest to grow in his faith.
   c. The both discover God in new ways.

1. Ruth finds God's grace in the fields where she is following the harvesters to glean the scraps from what they miss.
2. Boaz, a relative of her dead husband notices her and inquires about her.
3. When he discovers her situation, he invites her to stay in his fields. He will care for her.
4. As Eugene Peterson translates it, Ruth says to Boaz: “Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don’t deserve it. You’ve touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don’t even belong here!”
5. In Boaz, Ruth discovers God's saving grace. The God who touches us, we who do not deserve it, and claims us as one of God's own.

6. Nicodemus learns that he must be born again.
7. That the invitation to new life is there for the taking.

Move 2: the final sermon illustration of this preaching series on being touched by God will take place after the sermon when you are invited to come forward to renew your baptismal vows and be anointed.

a. You come as people of faith.

1. Maybe you are looking for a new level of commitment.
2. Maybe you will be surprised.
   b. come forward and touch the baptismal water.

1. A touch that draws you back to your baptism.
2. Back to when you were united with Christ in both his death and resurrection in the waters of baptism.
3. Back to when you were cleansed by the waters of baptism.
4. Back to when God embraced you and claimed you as a child of the covenant.
5. Touch the water and be reminded God's claim on you and God's love for you.

c. Come and be anointed.

1. touched with the sign of the cross in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
2. The God who created you; the God who comes to you in Jesus Christ and invites you into a personal relationship; the God who is alive in your life now by the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. Feel the touch that connects you to people of God who have been anointed as far back as they have been in covenant with God.
4. A touch that connects you to the God who calls you to new life.
   Conclusion: Come touch and be touched by God.