Called to Care (Isaiah 1:10-17, Ruth 1:6-19)

 I’m going to read two scriptures today. The first, from Isaiah, is from the lectionary; the second, from Ruth, is suggested by our stewardship materials…

Isaiah 1:10-17

Hear the word of the Lord,

    you rulers of Sodom!

Listen to the teaching of our God,

    you people of Gomorrah!

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

    says the Lord;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

    and the fat of fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls

    or of lambs or of goats.

When you come to appear before me,

    who asked this from your hand?

    Trample my courts no more!

Bringing offerings is futile;

    incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocation—

    I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.

Your new moons and your appointed festivals

    my soul hates;

they have become a burden to me;

    I am weary of bearing them.

When you stretch out your hands,

    I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

    I will not listen;

    your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

    remove your evil deeds

    from before my eyes;

cease to do evil;

    learn to do good;

seek justice;

    rescue the oppressed;

defend the orphan;

    plead for the widow.

Obi Wan Kenobi could have been talking about Sodom and Gomorrah when he said: "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

(I’ll get to the second reading shortly; first let me talk about Isaiah, and what Isaiah said about Sodom and Gomorrah…)

In biblical literature, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are synonymous with sin and evil.

Unfortunately…

The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah isn’t what many people think. Many people have been told that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexuality. But that’s a lie told by those who twist what the Bible actually says in order to justify their own prejudice and hate.

No; Isaiah says quite plainly that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is failure to seek justice; failure to rescue the oppressed; failure to defend the orphan; and failure to plead for the widow.

In other words, failure to protect and care for those who are vulnerable.

The prophet Ezekiel says much the same thing. In Ezekiel, chapter 16, verse 49, it says (and I quote): “this was the guilt of Sodom: [they had] pride, excess food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.”

The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was having excess resources, and not aiding the poor and needy.

But let’s look at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah itself, which is found in Genesis 19. 

In Genesis 19, we read about two travelers from another land—two men who were, one could say, “not from around here.” Two men who probably dressed a little differently, and who spoke with an accent.

First, they visited Abraham, who did care for them, offer them protection—doing everything one was supposed to do to show hospitality to travelers, foreigners, and immigrants. 

When Abraham saw them arriving, he ran to greet them. He gave them water to drink and to wash with, and some bread to eat. He also prepared some meat for them, and served it to them.

That’s how one is supposed to treat those arriving from another land.

The day was young, so those travelers then continued with their journey. They arrived in Sodom in the evening. When the man named Lot saw them, he showed them the same care and hospitality Abraham did. He fed them, and–because it was now late–invited them to spend the night, offering them protection in accordance with ancient laws about showing hospitality to strangers.

Showing hospitality like this was an important practice, because travelers from a foreign land were particularly vulnerable. Lot and Abraham were following God’s ways, by offering hospitality and protection to these vulnerable men, so far from their homeland.

But…

When the village of Sodom finds out about these visitors from another land, they demand that Lot hand over these two travelers, so that they might abuse them and take advantage of them. 

Lot says no. Lot had assured the travelers of his protection. He will not go back on his word. So Lot offers his own daughters instead. His own daughters!

Now, that sounds terrible. But I think this story engages in a bit of hyperbole here to show how important it is to protect and care for those who are vulnerable, including and especially those who are far from their homeland.

The moral of the story is that nothing should ever prevent us from caring for and protecting those who are vulnerable. 

The town of Sodom failed to honor and protect the two travelers, so scripture condemns them. The people of Sodom failed to act justly, so God says that no amount of offering or sacrifice could ever make up for their abusive behavior. Isaiah says that God refuses to acknowledge their prayers or accept their praise… because of how they have mistreated these men from another land.

Isaiah’s condemnation on those who fail to protect the vulnerable or uphold justice is echoed by Amos. In Amos chapter 5, God says basically the same thing: “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you present to me offerings and sacrifices, I will not accept them… Not until you let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.”

So far, we’ve seen, already, how the importance of protecting and caring for those who are vulnerable is highlighted and emphasized in Genesis; in Isaiah; in Ezekiel; and in Amos. Now, let’s turn to the book of Ruth, and see what it has to say…

Ruth 1:6-19

Then she [Naomi] started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had considered his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.” Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

So she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said,

“Do not press me to leave you,

    to turn back from following you!

Where you go, I will go;

    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.

May the Lord do thus to me,

    and more as well,

if even death parts me from you!”

When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”

In this story, we have Naomi, who had been living in Moab as a foreigner. An immigrant. 

After the deaths of her husband and her sons, she decides to return to her homeland. 

She knows how hard it is to be a foreigner, an immigrant, so she urges her two daughters-in-law to stay in Moab, since that is their homeland. One daughter-in-law agrees, but Ruth is determined to go with her.

Naomi tries to convince her otherwise. Despite the Biblical commands to show hospitality to foreigners, Naomi’s people do not look fondly upon Moabites like Ruth. Old animosities that refused to die have led to prejudice and discrimination against Moabites. Naomi knows that there will be many challenges for Ruth if Ruth comes with her. Yet Ruth still insists on going with Naomi. 

Wherever you go, I will go. Your people will be my people.

So Naomi returns to her homeland where she is no longer an immigrant; but Ruth, who has come with her, is now a foreigner living in a land that is not hers. 

Many of us love this story. We admire Ruth’s dedication, and her commitment to her mother-in-law. 

Many immigrants today also move to a new land out of loyalty to their families, to reunite with them, or to provide for them a better life… just like Naomi and Ruth.

And just as Naomi and Ruth experienced, being a foreigner in a land that is not your own or that is not the home of your ancestors makes you vulnerable. You are vulnerable to prejudice, xenophobia, fear, misconceptions, misplaced anger and hate.

As we’ve already seen, the Bible instructs God’s people to care for and protect those who are vulnerable. In addition to the forms of hospitality that Abraham and Lot offered, the Bible also commands landowners and fieldworkers to leave behind some of their crops, so that the poor could gather up what the workers left behind. 

That is an important part of this story, because Ruth goes out to glean in the field–to gather up some of the crops that were left behind–so that she and Naomi might have something to eat. It happened to be a field owned by a relative of Naomi’s, and Naomi hoped that this would provide some protection for Ruth—which, in fact, turned out to be the case.

Boaz was a good man, who showed mercy and compassion… even to a Moabite like Ruth.

So the story of Ruth is the story of an immigrant—a vulnerable person—who needed, and found, protection. She needed and found the same protection that Abraham and Lot offered; the same protection that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah failed to provide.

The Biblical call to protect the vulnerable is something Jesus also teaches. Jesus declared that his mission was to proclaim good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. Jesus commands us to serve him by serving the least of these: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison.

When we in the church lift up and exalt the powerful and the wealthy, instead of the poor and vulnerable, we are committing the sin of Sodom. 

But when we are faithful, and when we dream God’s dream, we bear witness to God’s vision of a world where the poor and vulnerable are cared for, protected, and lifted up.

Here at First Christian Church, we work to resist the temptation of wealth and power. 

We repent of the sin of Sodom, the sin of turning our backs on those who are vulnerable. 

And we take seriously our call to do what Isaiah said: to seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow. We do our best to provide care for those in need.

As our congregation’s mission statement says, we are called to serve our community with passion. We are called to care.

And your support unites you in this mission.

This, friends, is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. It is the hope that our world so desperately needs today. It is the antidote to all the poisonous hatred in the world today. It is life in a world filled with death and destruction.

Next week, we are inviting everyone to make a pledge to support our ministry in 2026. Never has a ministry of a church like ours been more needed. 

And yet, never has it been more difficult to sustain a ministry like this and to carry out our mission. 

Which is why this year’s stewardship campaign is so important.

The gospel that has been entrusted to us needs to be heard. The ministry we have—a ministry of care and compassion and mercy and love—must be sustained. 

Our neighbors—especially our vulnerable neighbors—are depending on us, just as we ourselves depend on this ministry, to help us dream God’s dream, follow Jesus, and be the people God calls us to be.

So I invite you to consider carefully how you can support our ministry in 2026. May God continue to guide us as we seek to be a church that cares for ALL God’s people, and especially for those who are vulnerable and in need of mercy.

A Sign of Hope and Love (Luke 10:25-37)

 ⬛ I’ve been working with other religious leaders in town to plan the upcoming multi-faith Thanksgiving worship, which will be held on Sunday, November 23 at 3pm at the Y. 

Like last year, we will provide the opportunity for those who attend to contribute to an offering that will be given to a local non-profit, as a way of expressing gratitude through action.

My part in this year’s Thanksgiving worship will be to introduce the offering, and to extend the invitation to give.

⬛ I don’t mind talking about money, and inviting people to give… as long as what that money is going toward is something worthwhile, something I truly believe in… something that changes people’s lives for the better.

I know that I myself—like many of you—am always trying to discern how best to use my money. I’ve mentioned before how I define money as life energy; we give up our life energy in exchange for a salary—so that money is our life energy converted into dollars.

And since it is our life energy, it makes sense that we want the use of our money to mean something.

I do not want to waste my money on things that do not contribute to my joy and wellbeing, or to the joy and wellbeing of my family, or to the joy and wellbeing of my community or world.

So if I’m going to invite people to give money to a cause, I’m going to make sure that the cause is, in fact, something that contributes positively to the joy and wellbeing of people.

⬛ So when I talk about stewardship in the church, it’s important for me to emphasize that stewardship is more than keeping the doors open and the lights on. I’ve heard stewardship statements like that too many times, emphasizing that just maintaining the property—keeping the doors open and the lights on—is an end in and of itself. 

The property, the building… are tools that help us carry out our ministry; tools that help us do what’s really important, which is bringing wholeness to this fragmented world, and changing lives by sharing with people in word and in action the limitless love of God.

Last week’s stewardship moment was given by Jaci, and she talked about the ministry of our congregation, and also the ministry that takes place at Camp Walter Scott. 

Camp Walter Scott (just to be clear) is our camp. It’s not just a camp we send kids to. It’s our camp. We at First Christian Church own and operate Camp Walter Scott, in partnership with the other congregations of the Illinois/Wisconsin region. 

And I think we all see in Jaci, and in everyone else who grew up going to church camp, the life-changing impact that our camping ministry has. It is hard to overstate how significant this is. As Jaci said, it helped make her who she is today. 

And I know kids whose very lives have been saved by camp. If it weren’t for the love and affirmation they received at church camp, they very well might not have made it to adulthood.

That is something worth talking about when we talk about stewardship.

Jaci also mentioned that, for her, the church is not just a building, but a home.

First Christian Church is a home. Camp Walter Scott is a home. Both, in the very best sense of the word home.

And home is so much more than just a building. It’s so much more than just open doors and lights that are on.

And that is what stewardship is all about. It is making sure that the opportunity to experience home, and all that a home should be… to experience affirmation, to experience God’s limitless, life-changing love, is available to present and future generations.

⬛ And there are so many other ways that we do this. Last Tuesday I had lunch with our Fibers of Love group—and, yes, I call them “our” Fibers of Love group—and those ladies expressed to me their thanks and gratitude that we have provided them a home, a place where they feel welcome, and affirmed, and where they can carry out their important, life-changing ministry, bringing wholeness to our world in a way that is uniquely theirs.

⬛ For the past month we’ve been hearing about the Helping Shelf, and the lives that are changed through that part of our ministry. And in our encounters with some of those who visit the Helping Shelf, we realize that it’s not just about the food or clothing or hygiene supplies; it’s about people coming and feeling noticed, that they aren’t forgotten, that maybe there is still some love for them in this world. They may even think of First Christian Church as a home, even though their only experience of church is through the Helping Shelf. That, too, is life-changing.

And I could say the same thing for the other ministries and organizations and events we support and partner with through our ReachOut team, or through our Open and Affirming team, or through our team that provides funeral meals.

Ministry is so much more than a building. Ministry is so much more than “keeping doors open and the lights on.”

And because of this, I have probably not given church buildings the credit they deserve. I may have downplayed the importance of buildings and property a little too much. Hearing too many stewardship moments that focused solely on keeping the doors open and the lights on, I have probably taken that pendulum and swung it too far in the other direction.

I was made aware of this when I was reading through our stewardship theme material.

⬛ In the stewardship material there is an article about a large, old church which wasn’t named, but which I recognized, because it was in downtown Long Beach, California, and I had been there multiple times for community meetings, interfaith events, pride events, and even a stage production of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, where Ethan worked backstage handling props for the actors.

That congregation was founded by the Bixby family—Long Beach’s version of William T. Major and his family—and that church’s sanctuary (the one they still use today) was built back in 1914.

The sanctuary holds over 1,000 people. It has survived multiple earthquakes. And, at 111 years old, it requires a lot of ongoing maintenance.

The article in the stewardship material was written by a former pastor of that congregation. I recognized her name, which is how I knew what congregation it was referring to. 

In the article she talks about the many blessings of that building, and the incredible amount of time and energy it takes to maintain it. 

And then she said that she and that congregation were like innkeepers for God. 

That’s how they saw themselves. Innkeepers for God.

She wrote that “We had the blessings of many assets, including high public regard. When the wider community considers your congregation a gem, you are a lucky church. And…you are also an innkeeper.”

The innkeeper she’s referring to is the innkeeper in the story of the Good Samaritan.

⬛ In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan shows compassion and mercy to a poor injured man by taking him to an inn, and giving the innkeeper money, to house him and care for him.

And the innkeeper, we assume, does just that. He uses that money to provide a place for the poor injured man to rest and receive the healing he needs. 

The injured man’s healing was made possible not only by the Samaritan, and not only by the innkeeper, but also by the inn itself, the shelter that provided him a safe space to recover from his wounds. 

Without the inn, the poor injured man would not have found shelter. Without money to run and maintain the inn, there would not have been a place for him to rest and find healing. And without money to buy food for him, and to clean his room, pay the staff, and keep the inn open, the inn would not have been there when the injured man needed it.

The inn itself became a vessel of empathy and mercy. 

I had never thought of the role that the inn itself played in this story. Yet for this injured man, it was essential that there be an inn—a place with the doors open and the lamps lit—where he could rest and recover, and be restored back to health.

⬛ Our church is more than just a building.

But the building itself is a sign of hope and love, and don’t you know, hope and love are what the world so desperately needs these days…

This building is a sign of hope to people in our community.

This building is a sign of stability.

This building is a sign of community revitalization.

A neighbor walking by sees this building, sees it being cared for, and feels just a tiny smidgen of God’s love because of that… and if seeing this church in their neighborhood makes them feel that God is near, that God hasn’t given up on them quite yet…

THAT is ministry. That is gospel. That is life.

For people who enter our building to attend a community event… one of the theater groups, or the bridge club, or fibers of love…the building itself speaks of God’s love, God’s affirmation, God’s welcome.

So much gospel is shared, so much good news, so much love, so much hope… just because we are able to keep the doors open and the lights on… just because we plant flowers in the spring and have lights illuminating the rose window on cold dark winter nights. Taking care of this building is a sign of our love for God, but it is also a sign of our love and God’s love for our community; a sign of love for our neighbors.

Yes, it costs a lot of money to maintain a building like this… and the costs keep going up as the building ages. Maybe one day, we will leave this building. We’ve moved into a new building four times before in our congregation’s 188-year history, so doing so wouldn’t be anything new.

But this is the building we have today. 

And it is, as I said, a blessing to so many in our community and beyond.

So stewardship does, I guess, also include keeping the doors open and the lights on… and the roof repaired…and the floors replaced…and the heat running…

Because all these things help make this building a home… an inn… a place where people can know God and God’s love; a place where people can experience God’s love and God’s healing in so many life-changing ways.

The innkeeper took care of the inn. The innkeeper used the money he received to maintain the inn, so that it would be there for those who need it. 

We are the innkeeper, charged with maintaining a place of refuge, rest, and healing, for all who need it.

And we are also the Samaritan, showing our love for our neighbor by tending to the wounded, and providing the funds needed so that they have a place to find the healing and wholeness they need.