Sermon transcript:
One of the things I love about the story of Ruth and Naomi is that it reminds us that family is about more than the people we are related to by blood. Sometimes family is something we choose, something we build through love, commitment, and the relationships we share.
Ruth and Naomi had become family through Ruth’s marriage to Naomi’s son. But when Naomi’s husband and both of her sons died, the future looked very different for these two women. Naomi encouraged Ruth and Orpah to return to their own families, where they might find security and a chance to begin again.
Orpah made the difficult decision to return home, but Ruth chose to stay.
She made that beautiful promise: “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
Ruth wasn’t obligated to stay with Naomi. In fact, choosing to go with her meant leaving behind everything familiar and travelling to a place where she would be a stranger. But their relationship had become something worth holding onto.
Somewhere along the way, Naomi had helped shape Ruth’s understanding of faith. Perhaps through the stories she told, the traditions she shared, or simply through the way she lived her life.
But this wasn’t a one-way relationship.
Naomi had experienced tremendous grief and loss, not sure what lay ahead. And Ruth, through her love, loyalty, and willingness to walk alongside her, offered Naomi something of God’s presence and faithfulness, even in the midst of their grief.
As their story continues, we see how these two women care for one another, face uncertainty together, and help each other find a new sense of belonging and hope.
They shape one another’s lives, and they shape one another’s faith as well.
And isn’t that true of our own relationships?
When we think about the people who have shaped our faith, we might immediately think of parents, grandparents, Sunday School teachers, ministers, or other people who taught us about God.
But sometimes the people who shape our faith are those who walk beside us through difficult times, who challenge the way we see the world, who ask questions we hadn’t thought to ask, or who help us discover something new about God’s love.
And like Ruth and Naomi, these relationships often shape us in both directions. We learn from one another, we grow together, and we discover new understandings of faith through the lives we share.
Our faith is not only something we believe. It is something we experience through one another.
This morning, we’re going to hear a little about what that looks like in one family’s life, as Xander interviews Kate about the people and experiences that have helped shape her faith.
And as we listen, I invite you to reflect on your own spiritual ancestors — the people who have helped you become who you are, and those whose lives you may be shaping in return and I will invite you to share you thoughts in the joys and concerns.