During the series this month, I will invite your time for reflection in the Book of Ruth. We will see how God used the resources He has so graciously and generously placed at our disposal to engage ministries of restoration to members of communities who have or are experiencing “Mara” encounters that leave them broken, bitter and empty.
The community in its response to Naomi’s return to Bethlehem provides us with a model of how we ought to deal with those who return to our community in a broken state, in a worse state than they left us. Would they dismiss her with the refrain that she got what she deserved as she turned her back on God in pursuit of material prosperity? Or would she find upon her return a forgiving, tender-hearted and kind community that would embrace her and make available the requisite resources to help her recover from her MARA experience?
Reverend Donald Webley is the Pastor of Rosemount Missionary Church in St. James.