"A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David. Ruth 4:17
It's the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, the Third Sunday before Advent, and all are welcome! In the period from All Saints' Day to Advent Sunday, Sundays are designated 'before Advent', and bring together a cluster of themes that November provides - All Saints', the Departed, Remembrance, Thanksgiving and the Kingship of Christ. This brings the Christian year to an end with a celebration both of the reality of God's rule and of the final ingathering into his kingdom. In the cycle of the seasons such an emphasis at the end of the year leads very naturally into the beginning of the New Year, the season of Advent, when the same theme is developed from a slightly different angle. There is a long history of pre-Advent material that begins to anticipate what is to come, not least in the BCP provision for the Last Sunday after Pentecost [Christ the King].
Had not last Sunday been the feast of all Saints the Old Testament reading from the Revised Common Lectionary would have been Ruth 1:1-18. We have been using this lectionary since the First Sunday of Advent 2007. This lectionary is used in most of the Anglican Communion, the ELCA, the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches and many other Protestant churches, as well as the Roman Catholic Church (with variations). The continuous pattern of readings in Revised Common Lectionary provides the model for our lectionary. This Sunday the Old Testament reading continues with Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17. Ruth was the great grandmother of King David, of whose family Jesus Christ was born. This is noted in the genealogy given at the beginning of Saint Matthew's Gospel. Today at Fellowship Hour & Adult Discussion group with refreshments after the service we will be viewing, The Story of Ruth (1960) Directed by Henry Koster. With Stuart Whitman, Tom Tryon, Peggy Wood!
