Worship Our Redeemer (Destination: Bethlehem, Day 6)

At Christmas, we can refresh and grow in our knowledge of the One who came to earth to give Himself so that we might enter into a rich love relationship with our Savior.  Ephesians 1 gives
insight into the nature of this relationship:
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him.

We were once separated from God, but in His love, Jesus has made it possible for each of us to come to know Him.  Even though we did not deserve to know and experience that love, Jesus came to earth lived a perfect life, and became our Redeemer, a perfect substitute for us on the cross.  In His love, He invites us to come to know Him, to walk with Him, to experience a touch of His love and His Spirit, so that we might know Him and to go and grow deeper in that love.

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Our 4-week Christmas Advent-ure continues into its second week as we continue to look at the unfolding of the plan of God.  This year's series of Advent devotionals is called, "Destination: Bethlehem," and today we pay a visit to this special city, which would be the birthplace of our Lord.

You see, hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, there was a man named Boaz who lived there. He met a woman who had migrated to the area from the land of Moab.  Her name was Ruth - they meet under rather unusual circumstances, fell in love, and Boaz desired to make her his wife, but there was a small problem:  another man had the rights to Ruth's late husband's family inheritance.

In Ruth chapter 4, we read that Boaz attempted to work this out:
3 Then he said to the close relative, "Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech.
4 And I thought to inform you, saying, 'Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.' " And he said, "I will redeem it."
5 Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance."
6 And the close relative said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it."

So Boaz became Ruth's redeemer.

Now, to verses 13 and 17, where we read:

13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

17 Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi." And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

This story is thought to portray a stunning picture of the relationship of Christ the bridegroom with the church, His bride.  We also see that Boaz became what is called a "kinsman redeemer," who stepped in to claim Ruth for Himself.  During this Christmas season, we can together think about how Christ has claimed each of us - we now belong to Him, and He has shown great love for us.  

We need to keep a clear and accurate picture of this wondrous relationship.  

Religion News Service reports on an inaccurate, albeit inappropriate expression of the Christmas story.  It's called a “Zombie Nativity,” described in the story as "a new Christmas decoration/collectible/toy featuring a holy family, an angel and a donkey who are undead.." The promotional material says to put it up at Halloween and leave it there through Christmas.

The product is the first to be developed by NerdTalk Toys, a startup company that consists of two friends and workmates, Ashley Gojic and Justin Contre. She’s an atheist and he is a Catholic, but they both agree that Christmas is a time to have some fun with long-running traditions, like the creche.

The story quotes Kelly Baker, author of “The Zombies Are Coming! The Realities of the Zombie Apocalypse in American Culture,” says it isn’t a stretch to link religion and zombies — and our fascination with them may be a reflection of the pessimism of our current culture.

Baker is quoted as saying, "If the resurrection of Jesus is about hope and the promise of eternal life, zombies are an inversion. Hope is gone, and eternal life is life as a ravenous corpse."  She even links the current fad for zombies to the rise of the “nones” — people who, like Gojic, have no religious affiliation — because it speaks of a disenchantment with all things institutional, including religion.

A homeowner in Ohio has taken up this zombie theme.  According to WFMY Television, Jasen Dixon has set up his zombie nativity - again.  Last year, he said Sycamore Township officials told him he had to take it down since he didn't have a permit.

This year, he applied for the permit - but was denied. He was told he couldn't have the structure in his front yard because it violated zoning code. Dixon says, "I think it's the theme. It just rubs people the wrong way and it puts the spotlight on me. That's why they're coming down so hard on me."  He faces a $500 per day fine.

And, then Religion News Service reports on a group of Michigan Satanists who have announced their intention to stage a “live nativity” — with snakes. The report says:

Their slithering display is intended as a counterpoint to another live nativity — this one with homo sapiens — sponsored by Republican presidential candidate (and evangelical Christian) Ted Cruz. Both will be staged on the lawn in front of the Michigan state capitol in Lansing.

The point? Not to proselytize for Satan, but for religious liberty, the Satanists say. “We refuse to allow one religious perspective (to) dominate the discourse,” a leader of the Satanists said in a press release.

There are all sorts of pictures and interpretations floating around during the Christmas season about the meaning of the season, and there are those that would distort that meaning.  So, it's important that we stay focused, and studying the unfolding of God's plan to save His people, which includes the incredible story found in the book of Ruth, can give us a greater appreciation about what Christ has done for us.  It's not about how creative or countercultural your nativity scene can be or who has the brightest Christmas lights in your neighborhood - it's about how the light of the world came into the world to bring hope, light, and love!   Back to Ruth now...

Jonathan McLatchie writes on the Cross Examined website:

The most important symbolic manifestation of Christ in the story of Ruth is in Boaz’s role as guardian redeemer. In Boaz, we see Christ who has purchased the Church to be His bride. In Ruth 4:4-10 alone, the word “redeem” occurs a total of six times. In verse 10, Boaz explains that if one is to redeem the property, one must also wed the widow.

In order to have the right to redeem, our Lord Jesus had to become united with humanity, thereby becoming our fellow man. The name Boaz means ‘ability’. Our kinsman redeemer has the ability to save men to the uttermost. A kinsman redeemer must also be free of debt himself – likewise, Christ our kinsman redeemer was Himself free of sin.

He adds:

It is also of significance that the narrative unfolds in the town of Bethlehem, the city where Christ was to be born many hundreds of years later. Bethlehem, significantly, literally means “house of bread.” Jesus declares Himself to be “the bread of life” (John 6:48).

So, on this stop, #6 on our Christmas Advent-ure, we journey to where the birth of Jesus, our Redeemer occurred.   And, we learn from Boaz and Ruth that Boaz stepped up, representative of our Lord, and claimed someone who was not part of the Jewish lineage.  She was a Moabite who had married a Jewish man, a relative of Boaz.  We're reminded that we were all once apart from God because of sin, but we have the promise of a relationship with God through the redemption of Jesus Christ.  He enables us to have a relationship with Himself.   So, this Moabite actually became part of the geneaology of Jesus.

We also can relish the type of relationship that is possible through Christ.  Paul highlights in Ephesians 5 that the relationship between Christ and the church parallels the husband/wife relationship.  Boaz and Ruth underscore the fervent love that Jesus has for us and that we can have for Him.  They, in essence, are real people who experienced the reality of God's love.

And, one further note:  we can strive during this season to not be lured away from the distractions and distortions of the central message of Christmas.  There are wonderful traditions in which we can participate and that we can observe - we just have to be careful that our celebrations are centered on the joy and the significance of the Christ who came to earth, to live and die, and live again, so that we might experience His life-giving presence.