RVCC Pastor's Sermon

Sermon - November 1, 2009

“All-Saints’ Remembrances”

By Rev. Nancy Foran
Ruth 1:1-8

The Book of Ruth is one of those oft-forgotten tales in the Old Testament. It is a poignant short story only four chapters long tucked between the histories of the more famous Judges and the first accounts of Samuel, the priest.

It is the story of the great-grandmother of King David himself, and it happens at an in-between time in Jewish history. Moses and Joshua are gone, and the powerful kings of Israel have not yet arisen. These are years marked by continuous war – and all the devastating costs of war.

The story of Ruth begins in tragedy. The setting is in the Promised Land and specifically in Bethlehem. How ironic that this tale occurs in the midst of a famine – ironic because the word, “Bethlehem” literally means “house of food or bread.”

But there is neither food nor bread, and so we find Elimelech and his wife Naomi journeying with their two sons and their wives, Ruth and Orpah, to seek relief and refuge.

Now it is important to realize that Ruth and Orpah are Maobites – foreigners - and, although such intermarriage was not strictly forbidden, it was certainly a compromise in family lineage. In other words, neither Ruth nor Orpah are exactly welcomed.

The pain of the story comes with the untimely deaths of all three men. There it is in a nutshell. Three women are left with three dead husbands and no means of support. They are destitute, and there is no possibility of work, food, or a home.

Surely we know by now that Biblical history is not kind to women left alone. That is why Naomi feels her only choice is to send her daughters away to seek the mercy of their own homelands and families, just as she herself must also find compassion from her own people.

And so amidst a river of tears, Orpah goes her own way. Ruth, however, chooses to stay and says to Naomi those beautiful words we earlier sang. “Wherever you go, I shall go. Wherever you live, so shall I live.”

The story of Ruth begins with unbearable loss. There are no miracles in sight to save the three women, no angels on the road to point the way. For them, there is nothing but emptiness.

Because of their loss, they have only themselves to depend on. They have only the spirit of God to lead them on through a world that has little place for them. Everything they had, everything they ever thought they wanted, is gone. As Benedictine sister, Joan Chittister, wrote, “Faith in the ultimate logic of God in life is the only real resource they have to draw from at times like this.”

Moments of devastating loss throw a person back on their own inner resources. Ruth and Orpah and Naomi now find themselves faced with this question: Who am I when I am no longer who and what I was? Who am I when I am no longer a wife? Who am I when my life will never be the same again? Who am I when all I have known, almost unconsciously, often for years, to be good—to be familiar, to be sure, to be certain—is gone? Who am I when everything I took for granted now shifts and tilts and weakens beneath me? Who am I when all is lost?

However, in answer to that last question, Joan Chittister would say all is not lost. She writes, “loss…once absorbed is a precious gift. No, I cannot be what I was before, but I can be—in fact I must be—something new.….We learn, just when we think we have nothing, that what we do still have is ourselves. We have, deep down inside us, what no one can take away, what can never be lost:…we have the self that brought us to this point—and more…We have within us the raw material of life,” and I would add that, in the end, that raw material is worth forging into something new. In the end, the life we are given is for living.

That I what I have discovered every time I do a 3 Day walk for breast cancer, and that is why I keep walking. Oh, there is a time for grief, to be sure, for grief is part of the grace of loss.

As Joan Chittister continues to say, “Grief has its place in life. It consecrates the past to its place in memory. What we do not grieve was surely not worth having to begin with. The measure of the pain it gives us is the measure of the love we’ve had.

But grief does more: it also frees us for the future by giving closure to the past. It is a launching pad for possibility that (lets us ask this) question…. what is it in (me) that lies unfinished…that I alone can do if the will of God is ever to be completed in (me)?”

On All-Saints Sunday, it has become a tradition here to acknowledge and stand by those among us who grieve. And we do that by remembering loved ones who have died during the past year.

What is behind this tradition? Perhaps it is our way of assisting in their burial. After all, as the disciples discovered, it is only the grave of something we love that we viscerally experience resurrection. It is in embracing the tragedy of the past that the future with its endless possibilities is fueled. It is in burying the dead that the creative forces of new life will bubble up inside of us.

EDITH BAILEY – Edith was a wonderful gardener and an excellent cook. She was a loving and generous grandmother. Once – along with her husband – Edith was a part of this church family where she was known as a woman who was sustained by her deep Christian faith.

RICHARD CRANFORD – Born and raised a Baptist and known to his friends as “Cranny,” Richard was a highly creative craftsman of fine jewelry. He once said of his job, “Oh, I don’t work, I just play all day long.” All his life, Cranny was an active voice for justice. He was a man of great faith with a passion for equality, and he worked tirelessly for the cause of welcoming and affirming churches. Cranny sang baritone in our choir for the years he was part of our church family.

ALICE DURGIN – For many years, Alice was an exceedingly generous, active, and energetic member of our church family. She was our former organist and choir director. Alice is perhaps most fondly remembered for coordinating the summer musicals which were so popular for a number of years. She was vivacious, enthusiastic, and excited about everything – including getting everyone up here on risers singing and/or performing in a variety of skits and presentations. Alice was always cheerful. As Ann told me this week, she was like sunshine.

ALBION ROWE – We shall remember Al as a quiet and gentle man with extraordinarily strong faith. He was one who knew the Bible chapter and verse. Transformative for Al’s faith and discipleship was the missionary work he did in Brazil for the Wycliffe Bible Translators. Al loved gardening, fishing, and woodworking. He was a volunteer for the Raymond Fire department, a loving family man, and a longtime active member of our church.

Al was an Elder, a Deacon, and an Adult and Sunday School teacher. Al was someone who lived the essence of his faith and was always ready to help someone else.

GWEN STEWART – Part of Gwen’s obituary read, “our diminutive little Gwen had a big heart giving selflessly of her means to those in need.” People will remember Gwen as a wonderful lover of life and all its adventures. She was a collector – be it old bottles or petrified wood. Gwen was an active member of our church and was always one of the first to volunteer for fund-raising projects. Gwen was a loving follower of Jesus who conducted her life with integrity and was always there to treat others with kindness and love.

TAYLOR NILS SMITH-PETERSEN – Taylor was a man of great courage and optimism. The manner in which he approached his illness is evidence of that fact, for he never let his cancer get him down, and he continued working right to the end. Taylor served in the Air Force in Viet Nam, flying 25 combat missions. He thrived on risk-taking, be it in business when he started Rowe Special Credit or as a motorcyclist, which was his ultimate passion. He rode year round in enduros, motor cross, dirt tracking, and ice racing.

Married to Beverley, Taylor always reached out to help others – through organizing fundraisers for Camp Sunshine or giving a beginning rider a few pointers.

DANIEL SULLIVAN, SR. – Daniel was Frank Sullivan’s father. He grew up as a farm boy here in Maine and served in the army in India during World War II. Daniel was loyal to his job as a trucker for Hannaford for 35 years. Frank described his father as a good provider and family man. Daniel clearly instilled solid family values and a strong work ethic in his children. He was a loving husband - and in addition to all that, he was a big fan of the Bruins.

May God bless the stories of these men and women in our midst who have died, for surely they are saints. May God bless their accomplishments and the legacy they leave us. And, above all, may God bless the new life that we pray will emerge in those they deeply loved who experienced the pain of their loss.

Sermon - November 1, 2009

“All-Saints’ Remembrances”

By Rev. Nancy Foran Ruth 1:1-8

By Rev. Nancy Foran
Ruth 1:1-8