The 18th Sunday after Pentecost - October 12, 2025 (Slides): Click on slides to open a new tab. Stream the service and follow along with the slides.
The M3 - Monday Morning Mail for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost
God is Committed to You
In Sunday's sermon I showed a video clip from the ESPN SC Featured Arthur. The clip featured the story of a stray dog that starts to follow an adventure racing team in Ecuador and sticks with them until the finish line. The dog happens upon a "rest stop," where the team takes time to eat. Every one is avoiding him because he has a large, infected wound on his back. After the team finishes eating the dog follows them and continues to do so. The clip showed the crucial moment in the race when the team starts to kayak. The race official tells them Arthur the dog can go no further. The racers understand, because their kayaking portion of the trip will last about 14 hours. In their mind there is no way the dog can come. They leave Arthur standing on the shore, only to notice that he starts to run along the bank of the water and eventually jumps in and catches up to them. They pick him out of the water and set him on the kayak. Arthur demonstrates his commitment to follow the team–all the way to the finish!
Verses 16b-17a of Ruth 1 made me think of this film clip that portrays visually commitment: "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. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried." The Moabite Ruth says this to the Hebrew Naomi. Such commitment Matthew recognizes in the beginning of his Gospel, incorporating this pagan woman into the geneology of Jesus in 1:5. In fact, the words of Ruth could very well be Jesus' words, too. He goes where we goe. He makes us part of his people. He gives us faith in his Father. When we die, we die in His name.
Baptism assures us of this. Remember Romans 6:4: "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." In baptism Jesus commits himself to us, putting his name on us (cf. Mt 28:19-20). Wherever we go, Jesus goes. Wherever we die, Jesus will be there. Ruth is a "type" of Jesus, pointing us to greater truths and realities that Jesus reveals in his incarnation!