This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. --James 1:27
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they out of all their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." --Luke 21:1-3
She is the other woman of Bethlehem. Her husband was gone. So, too, were both sons. All three died while the family was living in another country. Her daughter-in-laws were not of her people, and one had already (tearfully) left her. Soon the other would leave, and the older widow would need to make the lonely trek.
She would be going home...to Bethlehem.
But not alone! Her second daughter-in-law, Ruth, would brook no thought of leaving her. Young enough to marry again, she instead chose to journey to Bethlehem with Naomi, uttering those words which stir in us immense passion as we sense immovable loyalty and unyielding devotion: "Do not urge me to leave you {or} turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people {shall be} my people, and your God, my God." (Ruth 1:16)
Widow helping widow. Ruth had no way of knowing what lay ahead for her. In fact, her prospects were dim as she began to gather the leftovers from the fields to feed Naomi and herself. Left to gather in fields where she would be at the mercy of rough field-hands who might taunt her, or worse. The book of Ruth in the Bible tells us the rest of the story...one full of drama, romance, business negotiations and happy endings. For Boaz would find her, admire her strength, barter for the right to redeem her, and marry her.
Boaz and Ruth got married, and their baby was Obed, whose baby was Jesse, whose baby was David, the King of Israel. Bethlehem would forever be known as the city of David, the very city where Mary and Joseph would carry a baby, themselves strangers in a faraway land, swept up in a story bigger than them. History reminds us that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because they were of the family of David, who was of the family of Ruth.
The Bible is full of admonitions about our responsibility to widows and orphans. We find them in Deuteronomy...in Isaiah...in James. It is exceedingly clear that the followers of Christ are expected to honor widows and orphans.
Honor them, not cast our unnecessary items to them. Visit them in their distress, not send somebody something to send to them. Care for them, not refer them to someone who can refer them to some help. The widows and orphans among us are harder to find today, partly because we trust the government to find them and care for them, and partly because we call them by different names sometimes.
We should have no misconceptions about widows...they are pictured in Scripture often, and they are most often pictured as strong, as giving, as faithful, as sacrificial, as examples of faith to be emulated, not people to be pitied. We should have no misconceptions about children...they are pictured in Scripture as treasures, as fragile vessels to be guarded, not trophies to be trained for us to live through vicariously, not interruptions to our own life journeys, not wards to be left to the care of the state.
It is true that the poor will always be with us...but it is equally true that the poor among us, the people God places in our church, in our workplace, in our community, are often the strongest of His strong. You have but to study the life of a single parent to know the tenacity, the creativity, the sheer ability to stave off exhaustion that marks their journey. We should be tripping over ourselves to be part of their journey, racing to lift them when they falter, not just so we may help, but also so we may learn from their strength...view life's priorities from their perspective.
It is time for us to discover that in our weakness He is strong. Among those we view as weakest are found some of God's greatest treasures...strongest souls. In a season where giving is a tradition, let it be more than that. Let it be a journey to reach into the lives of people we sometimes pity, and see the strength we never saw before. Let it be a journey outside ourselves to see the dignity we never recognized as such.
It is time for us to discover that in our plenty we become proud, failing to remember what the widow and the orphan know already...security only, only, only comes from God.
Let us look to those among us as Ruth looked to Naomi, and as Boaz looked to Ruth, remembering that Ruth's journey led to the birth of a king, whose own children's children witnessed the birth of the KING.
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they out of all their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." --Luke 21:1-3
She is the other woman of Bethlehem. Her husband was gone. So, too, were both sons. All three died while the family was living in another country. Her daughter-in-laws were not of her people, and one had already (tearfully) left her. Soon the other would leave, and the older widow would need to make the lonely trek.
She would be going home...to Bethlehem.
But not alone! Her second daughter-in-law, Ruth, would brook no thought of leaving her. Young enough to marry again, she instead chose to journey to Bethlehem with Naomi, uttering those words which stir in us immense passion as we sense immovable loyalty and unyielding devotion: "Do not urge me to leave you {or} turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people {shall be} my people, and your God, my God." (Ruth 1:16)
Widow helping widow. Ruth had no way of knowing what lay ahead for her. In fact, her prospects were dim as she began to gather the leftovers from the fields to feed Naomi and herself. Left to gather in fields where she would be at the mercy of rough field-hands who might taunt her, or worse. The book of Ruth in the Bible tells us the rest of the story...one full of drama, romance, business negotiations and happy endings. For Boaz would find her, admire her strength, barter for the right to redeem her, and marry her.
Boaz and Ruth got married, and their baby was Obed, whose baby was Jesse, whose baby was David, the King of Israel. Bethlehem would forever be known as the city of David, the very city where Mary and Joseph would carry a baby, themselves strangers in a faraway land, swept up in a story bigger than them. History reminds us that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because they were of the family of David, who was of the family of Ruth.
The Bible is full of admonitions about our responsibility to widows and orphans. We find them in Deuteronomy...in Isaiah...in James. It is exceedingly clear that the followers of Christ are expected to honor widows and orphans.
Honor them, not cast our unnecessary items to them. Visit them in their distress, not send somebody something to send to them. Care for them, not refer them to someone who can refer them to some help. The widows and orphans among us are harder to find today, partly because we trust the government to find them and care for them, and partly because we call them by different names sometimes.
We should have no misconceptions about widows...they are pictured in Scripture often, and they are most often pictured as strong, as giving, as faithful, as sacrificial, as examples of faith to be emulated, not people to be pitied. We should have no misconceptions about children...they are pictured in Scripture as treasures, as fragile vessels to be guarded, not trophies to be trained for us to live through vicariously, not interruptions to our own life journeys, not wards to be left to the care of the state.
It is true that the poor will always be with us...but it is equally true that the poor among us, the people God places in our church, in our workplace, in our community, are often the strongest of His strong. You have but to study the life of a single parent to know the tenacity, the creativity, the sheer ability to stave off exhaustion that marks their journey. We should be tripping over ourselves to be part of their journey, racing to lift them when they falter, not just so we may help, but also so we may learn from their strength...view life's priorities from their perspective.
It is time for us to discover that in our weakness He is strong. Among those we view as weakest are found some of God's greatest treasures...strongest souls. In a season where giving is a tradition, let it be more than that. Let it be a journey to reach into the lives of people we sometimes pity, and see the strength we never saw before. Let it be a journey outside ourselves to see the dignity we never recognized as such.
It is time for us to discover that in our plenty we become proud, failing to remember what the widow and the orphan know already...security only, only, only comes from God.
Let us look to those among us as Ruth looked to Naomi, and as Boaz looked to Ruth, remembering that Ruth's journey led to the birth of a king, whose own children's children witnessed the birth of the KING.
---Randy Kilgore
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