This sermon was given during one of the Women’s
Ministries/Shepherdess meetings at the 2005 GC Session in
TRANSFORMED BY GRACE FOR DAILY LIVING
By Galina Stele
Theme: God’s Transforming Power
Call to Worship: #701, Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, Shout
Joyfully to the Lord
Opening Song: #12, Seventh-day Adventist
Hymnal, Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Closing Song: #311 , Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, I Would
Be Like Jesus
Scripture: varied passages in the book of
Ruth
This sermon was
originally given
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Transformed by Grace for Daily
Living
By Galina Stele
A woman’s daily living
consists of many different responsibilities – housework, cooking, job
responsibilities, children, husband, garden, ministry in the church and so on.
Yes, there are also some opportunities: every day we can become somebody we
were not yesterday. We can grow in every aspect, reach higher, do better, and
accomplish more.
Daily living can also deal
with the following questions: What is more difficult – daily routine or heroism
in an extreme situation? Where is more love – in one act of love or in the
devoted life of everyday living? And where can one take enough strength for
daily living? Let us look at our life from the perspective of one book in the
Bible.
Daily Living as our Pilgrimage back Home
There is one book in
the Bible with a beautiful woman’s name. It stands as a rose in a garden of
biblical stories and books. This small book reveals the joys and sorrows of a
woman’s life, its sweetness and bitterness. It is about affection and
relationships, domestic life, decisions and
Names
This book starts with
the story of one Jewish family, the family of Elimelech. We know that in those
times and in that culture, names were given with a purpose. Let us introduce
the main heroes of this story.
Both the names of the
husband and the wife had a strong connection to God.
Elimelech means “God
is King”, Naomi – “God is sweet”.
We can assume that
their parents were godly people. And we can infer even more. It seems that
Naomi’s parents had a beautiful atmosphere in their home, sweet relationships.
And when a girl was born they decided that her name should manifest that God is
sweet as well as the life of those who believe in Him. Interestingly enough,
this girl really did it; she spread the sweetness of His character in her life,
despite the bitterness of her destiny.
There were two sons in
this family. Although there are different opinions of the meaning, it is
obvious that they are not of religious origin. Perhaps they were co
Mahlon could originate
from the meaning “tender in health”, “sickliness”, “tender in heart”.
Hileon –
“consumption”, “consume”, “to complete”.
However, the names
contained a prophetic picture of their life. They died in their young age,
several years after their marriages.
Orpah could mean
“neck” or “firmness”.
Ruth – some possible
variations: “a friend”, “beauty”, “rose”.
Boaz – the root of the
name was not found. Some suggest that it could have an idea of prosperousness.
Obed means “servant”
or “to serve”.
The book starts with
the story of relocation. Elimelech’s family – father, mother and two sons –
moved from the city of
Stages
In our pilgrimage we
pass through all stages of life – childhood, youth, and womanhood.
This story is about
all of this. Here we meet three wives, three weddings, family happiness and
family sorrow. We meet three widows, the birth of a beloved baby, and the
happiness of parents and a grandmother. We witness moving, weddings, funerals,
widowhood, courtship, engagement.
In this story, we see
that our children can make their own decisions about whom to marry. However,
the story reveals that girls from a distant land can be also virtuous, devoted,
kind, and converted to the religion of their husbands. This story also reveals the
terrible truth that we are mortal. Sooner or later death knocks at our door.
Naomi lost her husband and both sons
Every woman’s worst
nightmare happened to her. Of the two
genders, women are the weakest – she was a woman. Of women, the weakest is the widow – she
became one. Of widows, the most
miserable are the old, she was elderly.
Of old widows, the poor are the least fortunate – she didn’t have much. Of poor widows, those who have no children
have no future – Naomi had none. Of
childless widows, those who had children and lost them are the most miserable.
It seemed like all possible sorrows climaxed in Naomi’s life. It was a double
desolation – a dead husband and two dead sons. And now we see three widows in
one house, three widows on one road. Each of them had her own sorrow, her own
memories and her own burden and grief, her unspoken words to her husband and
her hidden “Whys?” to the almighty God.
How would you react if
you had to start from this very stage – widowhood? Is there any hope, any future?
Is there much sense in everyday living? It is interesting to note that the head
of the family was gone but his name was still with them as a promise: “God is
King”. This name was a guarantee of a supply and protection. It was like an
umbrella covering all three widows under a beautiful slogan. Let’s think about
it. Without such a promise, any loss or grief would break us. But with this
faith in God as a King of the whole universe and my own life we can keep
moving. The only question is: In what direction?
Daily bread and daily pilgrimage
We saw Elimelech’s
family moving in the beginning of the story and after a while there were three
widows going slowly along the road. The beginning of the book reminds me of all
of us. We all are in constant motion. Our pilgrimage starts from different
places. Some are born in religious families and start from
What is also
interesting: our daily pilgrimage is about a constant search for bread. Bread
for daily living. Looking for it we can be so busy that we forget the Bread
Divine. Daily bread serves our body. Heavenly Bread can feed the soul. With the
first, we will hunger again; with the second, we won’t.
Nevertheless, our
daily routine is for our daily bread. And sometimes we can be so busy that we
do not have a minute to stop and to think about, to meditate on or to eat the
Bread Divine. I think that we can resemble busy bees. Do you know that to
produce
Let us return to our
story. Is it not striking that sometimes the city of
In our daily
pilgrimage we all are driven by hunger. Hunger can lead us to foreign
countries. Hunger can force us to leave the House of bread, and it leaves us
hungry for more and better. This story shows us that we can be hungry for
physical bread but at the same time “be full” because we have everything that
creates home. We can come to the city in the time of harvest but “be empty”
because our home is gone. Yes, we can fly from famine, but not from death.
Change of circumstances is a common incident in human life.
Somebody said that one
cannot build a house on a bridge. How true, although most of us are trying to
do exactly this in our daily pilgrimage. We all, especially women, dream of
having a nice house and a sweet home. And sometimes, only when it is swept away
by the rolling waves, we realize that we have not yet completed our journey.
Why do we face so many
troubles in our journey? Why we should deal with them in our everyday life?
Maybe because, otherwise, we will settle on a bridge or in the
But what matters more
in our journey? It is the people who create a family for us. With them we have
the best that life can give. Because going together with them in our
pilgrimage, we carry home with us. There is something worse than famine, worse
than moving from a home, it is a loss of those who created home for us. And
book of Ruth is not only about journey, it is about relationships.
We see three widows in
their journey to the Promised Land. They were going to the city with foundation
and walls where they could find rest. In times of trouble, we have to decide
what direction we should turn. Maybe we have to turn to our God Who is our
refuge.
Relationships
The book of Ruth is
also about relationships. On this road of life we have people around us going
together with us along the road. Some are going the same direction to
Art of good relationships
The book of Ruth
reveals that to establish and preserve good relationships is a true art. We can
admire Naomi because it’s doubly difficult to have good relationships with
people outside your culture and your religion. Especially when you live
together within one family. But these difficulties can be overcome by kindness
and love. And Naomi did it. Her reward?
The deep devotion of her daughters-in-law.
The Bible uses an
interesting word to describe Ruth’s attachment to Naomi – “Ruth clung to her” (
May be because she was
always giving them a freedom of choice. Ruth witnessed a full confession of
love and devotedness. She decided to go to an unknown town by an unknown route
to dwell in an unknown home and make it her own. From this example, we see that
love and kindness are never in vain. It returns as it happened with Naomi.
In the book of Ruth we
also see the unselfish character of Naomi. She wished her daughters-in-law
well, she insisted that they leave her and return back to their parents. She
thought more of them than of herself. She also treated Ruth as if she were her
daughter. She created and thought through a good plan for her. Good relations
are created by thoughtful love that is seeking the good for others.
Power of virtuous character
The book of Ruth draws
the picture of two godly and virtuous women: Naomi and Ruth. Ruth was eloquent
not only in words, but also in her deeds to her mother-in-law. She was careful,
devoted. She saved for Naomi a piece of bread from her lunch. She cared. She
was also a respectful good worker. Watch her on the field. “She came and has
remained from the morning until now; she has been in the house for a little
while,” the servant told Boaz (2:6). Her piety and fidelity were recognized by
others. “For all my people in the city know that you are a women of excellence”
(
In the book of Ruth we
also see a picture of godly man. Note Boaz’s salutation to the reapers “May the
Lord be with you” and his blessings to Ruth “May the Lord reward your work and
your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have
come to seek refuge” (2:12).
Benedictions in our life reflect piety and our relations with the Lord.
Watch for religious people with pure character. A good husband is one who
respects God and takes good care of his people. We also see mutual dependence
on God both by the master and the workers, who replied “May the Lord bless you”
(2:4). We see their good relations and
mutual respect.
Mortality and value of a home
As we already
mentioned, the book of Ruth teaches us to cherish people who are dear to us
because all of us are mortal. This is a book of human mortality. We can build a
nice house without people but we cannot create a nice home without them. Naomi
described home with the word “rest”. We can conclude that it is something wrong
when our home is not a “rest” to its family members. Life without a home is
unrest. We long to find a place where we can rest from our pilgrimage,
happiness that can cover our sorrow, good companionship that will support us in
our daily route. But let us remember that a person can find true rest only in
God.
Picture of the Lord
The book of Ruth is
also a book where God is pictured in a beautiful way. In our daily pilgrimage
it matters a lot what kind of picture of our God we carry with us along the
way. Our theology will shape our attitude to the people around us, to the
circumstances, to our losses and gains. It reflects our inner struggles. It can
make it even more intensive. It can also resolve it.
God as a King of all the earth
and all the people
In the book of Ruth we
meet God Who reigns over circumstances, Who is a King, Who is sweet, Who is
powerful enough to lead us through difficulties, and provides for us a true
home and happiness.
A woman like Naomi,
whose picture of God Who is sweet, was able to spread a sweet aroma around her.
In her sorrow, she remained sweet and tender to her daughters-in-law. The grief
and sorrow did not make her harsh, rude and unpleasant. She remained sweet
because her Lord was sweet even when she thinks He dealt bitterly with her. She
could treat others with sweetness because she knew the sweetness of the Lord.
Naomi knew that her
God had a big heart. Big enough to include Moabite people. That is why her
heart was big enough to accept her heathen daughters-in-law and gave a room to
them in her heart. Her God was big enough to rule over all territories, He was
a King over all the earth. That was why He could bless in the
Ruth had never been to
a synagogue or temple, but the character of God in the life of her
mother-in-law was so attractive that she decided to belong to this Lord. In a
foreign land, Naomi lived such a devoted life that Ruth could say: “Thy God
will be mine God”. Ruth came and began to live according to the customs of
God Who provides
In the book of Ruth we
also meet the God Who provides. He visits His people. He provides bread to
them. He provides Ruth for Naomi. He provides a kinsman for Ruth. He provides
rewards already on this earth to those who lives according to His principles.
He provides conceptions, He gives children.
As an old widow, Naomi
became a provided pilgrim. Sometimes we can feel as empty as Naomi. But God
provides. And He is able to provide us with people who will become our home and
rest. A young Ruth became a provided bride. She was rewarded by an honorable
position and a happy life.
We can see that God’s
provision comes when we have faith in Him as the Lord Who provides. There was a
religious foundation in Naomi’s faith; there was a religious basis in Ruth’s
trust and fidelity. She decided to follow
Him and His instructions even when it seemed she was loosing. True religious
principles enable people to do the right thing. And they will bring a true
reward. The burden of an ephah of barley was a burden of blessing. A kinsman
became a redeemer for a a widow’s bitter destiny. A touchy drama of home life
became a wedding song of a sweet home with the cry of a newborn baby.
When we follow God’s
way, we need to do our part with faith and when we have done our part then it
is time for God to act. Then we can stand still and wait.
God as Emmanuel
In the book of Ruth we
meet God Who is E
God Who is E
God Who leads us home
In the book of Ruth we
meet God Who leads us back home. Maybe Naomi would have never returned to
God wants us to have a
happy end in His home which is full of bread. And even when we are passing
through valleys of sorrow, let us not forget the true point of our destination.
He longs to fulfill our hopes and give us a true rest in His beautiful home.
The book of Ruth is about happy and sad circumstances in our life.
Circumstances that force us to make decisions how to live our daily life, where
to move, where to settle, where and whom to marry, where to spend our senior
years. But above all circumstances that could seem ruling there is One almighty
Ruler of our life – God Who reigns over all the earth, Who provides, Who is E
Each of us has a
The book of Ruth
closes with a lineage of David, with genealogy, in other words with a
connection to Jesus. What kind of connection to Jesus do we have? What kind of
relations?
Let us remember that
these relations will shape our influence. And the influence of a godly woman
will live long. We can feel the influence of Ruth even today. Do you smell the
beautiful aroma in the life of the Rose of Moab who became a Rose of Bible? Be
such a rose in your land and among your people! Spread this aroma in your daily
life, in your daily pilgrimage till we reach heavenly
Galina I. Stele.
D.Min, Euro-Asia
Division.
Bibliography
The Pulpite Co
Tyndale Old Testament
Co
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Biographical Information on the Sermon Writer: Galina I. Stele is the Shepherdess Coordinator for the Euro-Asia
Division in