The story of Ruth: using your platform

Twelve days after Donald Trump became president, a dear friend and fellow minister preached on the privilege and power we see in the story of Ruth. In this story found in the Hebrew Bible, we read about Ruth and Naomi- Ruth was married to Naomi’s now deceased son and both left without a person to care for them. So they decide to move to a bigger city to seek help. Ruth being the younger of the two goes to find work in the wheat fields and because it is the law for field hands to leave behind enough wheat for the poor to pickup after harvest, Ruth is confident she can provide something for her and her mother-in-law. Boaz- the landowner notices Ruth and commands the field hands to leave more wheat behind than normal. Boaz used his privilege and power to go beyond what the law required of him.

I am a Mexican-American Baptist woman in ministry. I also grew up overseas and while not rare, I recognize the liminal space I take up and how I daily interact within different cultural contexts. It is almost like being multilingual in that one is constantly interpreting context and culture in what a person is saying.

I recognize the platforms I have been given and placed in to speak up. And I have promised to use every single one of them to be an advocate. My hope is that other ministers- Baptist, Latino, Women, and more use their platforms to advocate. Our faith narrative is woven with many stories of refugees and vulnerable peoples seeking refuge, and had it not been for people like Boaz, the daughter of a Pharaoh, or an innkeeper, our faith story might look a bit different. So how will you use the privilege and power you have to aid the immigrant or the refugee? It could be as small as an extra portion of wheat and as big as a room in your home- what matters is that you continue the faith narrative of refuge and hope!