Lection: Ruth 3-4

November 10, 2024

Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Mark 12:38-44

“Two Small Coins”

When I shared with the children this morning about how I used to bring a quarter to church on Sundays for my offering, and I held that 25 cents in the palm of my hand, it felt so small. I rarely use change anymore – partly because I more often use a debit or credit card than cash, and partly because coins are worth so little. They seem almost useless.

You can’t use a quarter to make a phone call anymore, and even a grocery cart at the store requires a loonie these days. Perhaps in some places, quarters are still helpful if you need to go to a laundromat. But even there, you’d need an awful lot of quarters to get the job done.

But when Jesus was sitting across from the collection box for the temple treasury and observed the people giving their money, he pointed out that the poor widow who put in two small copper coins had given a lot. She’d given more than all the rich people with their large gifts.

In practical terms for the temple budget, Jesus’ statement simply isn’t true. The widow’s two coins wouldn’t have made much difference at … Read more »

November 7, 2021

Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17

“Hatching Plans & Taking Action”

This morning’s reading from the Book of Ruth incudes a couple more short sections from the story of Naomi and Ruth that we began last Sunday.

You may remember that Naomi and her family have been struck by one disaster after another, including first a famine, becoming refugees to a foreign land to survive, and then the deaths of all the men in the family, leaving the women alone and vulnerable as widows in that time and place.

Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Ruth, shows her faithfulness and courage when she returns with Naomi to Judah. It is likely the more tenuous choice for Ruth’s future, but her presence may give Naomi a chance at survival.

Chapter two, which the lectionary skips, tells of the women arriving in Naomi’s homeland and relying on the kindness of a relative who allows them to glean grain from the edges of his field. For the time being, they are okay.

One might pause and give thanks to God for this blessing, but their situation is still very precarious.

But rather than just waiting, praying, giving thanks for their daily bread, and hoping that God will continue to provide for their needs, Naomi hatches a plan.

Their … Read more »