Still Small Voices

You protect me under your wing...

To-day Lynn comments about a family removed in a dawn raid...

The BBC Scotland News tells of an absolutely apalling death of an asylum seeker who set himself on fire before his appeal hearing after living 6 years in Scotland, see BBC Scotland.

The story from March 14 tells of living and leaving one's own country in fear to an uncertain future (see earlier post)

Let me  return to the book of Ruth. There at one point Boaz who is to become her 'kinsman redeemer', says to Ruth, Chapter 2:12  -

'May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge'.

Later when Ruth goes to Boaz and seeks marriage she says to him, Chapter 3:9

'Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer'.

Here in Ruth 3:9 the phrase used is the same as in 2:12 and can be translated as 'wing' - with Ruth saying essentially - you have spoken about a God of protection and blessing...now you be that to me, you protect me under your wing, make that blessing real in your practice!

In this story of Ruth the actions of God and the actions of people come together in one story.

I noticed a comment from Sojourners today that a number of churches in some USA cities are forming a 'Sanctuary Movement' to unite churches together to protect 'illegal aliens'.

It seems to me that here again in Scotland is an issue that churches need to find a way to unite on, both in prayer and in being the means by which those prayers are answered.

I write this to-night in memory of Uddhav Bhandaria, a man who I never met, but who died alone in a country in which he had taken refuge, my country, a wealthy country...that such should happen is not right...may God have mercy on us all.

Categories

This is just a bit of blog house keeping so you can see some of the categories that we hope to have posts on. If you think that there are some glaring omissions in this list then leave a comment - hey we may not follow through on it, but we will give it some consideration.

Ruth and the Peacable Kingdom

Some time ago I had to engage in a pretty in depth study of the OT book of Ruth. I loved it. It is a fantastic and beautiful story and in part a powerful critique of a policy of the rejection of those who are different, strangers, foreigners.

In Ruth chapter 2 Ruth's 'difference' is highlighted again and again as she is labelled, not least when she is doubly described in her difference as 'the Moabites from Moab' (v6). Implicit and explicit in this chapter is her poverty, isolation, desperation and vulnerability as a 'stranger' in anothers land. In the background stands a history of emnity between the Moabites and the Israelities and the popular folk opinion that Moab women had lose morals. The stigma of story is apowerful reinforcer of discrimination and could very well have been an invitation to the workers in the field.

Yet, what changes all of this within the biblical narrative is the giving and receiving of 'kindness' between the main characters. A kindness that goes beyond what is demanded and or expected by law or culture and even family obligation. A kindness that takes on concrete expression in actual help, protection, hospitality - and out of which grows relationship and love. A kindness rooted in God's kindness as the blessing and protecting God - this being the theological framework within which this all happens. (The word for kindness used in this passage is the OT word 'hesed' which is used to represent God's covenant kindness to Israel).

The outcome of this practice of kindness, well you know the story, is not only changed lives for the main characters Naomi, Ruth and Boaz, but at the end of the story in the period of Judges, an hard and harsh period in Israel's history, in Bethlehem we get the image of a peacable kingdom as one bible commentator calls it. But more thanthis as the theological implications are drawn out of this story we see that the kindness expressed has an impact not only for the main characters and Bethlehem but also Israel (see Ruth 4:18-22) and in turn the world as Jesus is born of this family line (see Matthew 1:1-17).

Why am I involved with this blog. Well if the story of Ruth as Scripture is to be our story, it seems clear to me that the responsibility of Christians is to offer that rich concept of biblical 'kindness' (and to receive such from) the strangers, the powerless, the foreigner, the asylum seeker in our midst. The first question for the Christian is not what should the government be doing or the country be doing, but what should we be doing. For me - we should be doing kindness as expressed in protection, friendship, provision and hospitality. That established we should then bear witness to this understanding as that which should be followed by wider society in their treatment of asylum seekers.

From the Scriptural record of Ruth centred in the story of Christ, 'faith' invites us to believe that the practice of kindness towards the stranger and marginalised is the way to a peacable kingdom, God's kingdom, and the way in which Christians should live and bear witness to in wider society.

Stuart