Lectionary Scripture – Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17 (NRSV)
Naomi her
mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I need to seek some security for
you, so that it may be well with you.
Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been
working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your
best clothes and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known
to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, observe the place where he
lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to
do." She said to her, "All
that you tell me I will do."
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the LORD made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him." Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the LORD made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him." Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Reflection on the Scripture:
“I see that I have things to learn from you,” were the generous words
from the psychiatrist I work with at the clinic where I oversee intensive
outpatient mental health services for 900 consumers. A woman in her mid to late sixties with
obvious and painful arthritis, the doctor then added, “Everyone is so glad
you’re here. I wanted to be sure we met
and got acquainted.” Querying me as to
my background and credentials, we had a lovely but brief ten minute visit --
patients and clients to be seen and cared for.
I couldn’t leave our visit however without asking, “How is it that you
think you have things to learn from me?”
She then replied, “Ministry and public mental health, they’re much the
same aren’t they? You see, I have only
ever done private psychiatry. I’ve been
practicing here four years, mostly because the board members here know me and
asked me to do so and I do know most of them quite well. But I only participate in a very small part
of what makes all this run, Brad. Your
experience and practice has been far broader.
You’ve done it all. I’m glad
you’re here. Now let me take your
photo...” I had a photo spot on the staff
bulletin board that the psychiatrist maintains in the staff lounge so she
needed to get my picture taken. Discussing the staff photos she takes, the doctor said, “They all
come and go so fast, Brad, it’s hard to know who’s ever really here or not.” I nodded knowingly given the high staff
turnover clients typically experience in public mental health. With those words, the good doctor and I look
forward to further conversations. Suspecting
she’s got a bit of photographer in her, I was positioned perfectly for the
photo with the best light on my face and my head and chin tilted to just the
right angle.
As I left to return to my office, a joyful feeling began rising within
me. Finally, finally, I accepted the
truth the doctor’s words revealed and that I’d known in my heart for many years,
i.e. that ministry and public mental health are the same. Try as hard as I did in the domain of
organized religion as a denominational bishop and as a pastor with my lay
ministers and parishioners and denominational overseers, I could never get that
message home to the hearts and minds and souls of those I served and tried to develop. Always I was told that mental health work is
social work and social work is not church work because it doesn’t lead to new converts
-- and it certainly doesn’t lead to new congregations and that’s what was
mattered most.
Yet in my hearing this past month, in the kindness this gentle
psychiatrist offered me, she unwittingly helped me see that I had finally come
home -- and most of all that I had come home to myself. Not only that, but she helped me to see that
I had finally found my church home and it was not a formal religious organization,
but rather that it is the church that is life.
And while I was no longer an ordained minister of substantive standing
in the eyes of some religious institution, I was free now to fully embrace an
unencumbered faith – a faith free of the encumbrances of the world that have chained
the soul of organized religion today with need to compete among all its
various factions. Now I was free to
embrace the priesthood of all believers, whether those believers were Jews,
Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Native Peoples and their spirituality. It no longer mattered what faith. All that mattered is that I was giving my all
in a place of healing to bring and provide safety like Ruth did for Naomi. So now I cleave to a God who loves, honors, embraces
all wisdom and all spiritual diversity that seeks to be God’s Love in the world
-- that seeks a truly egalitarian way of life for each and every living soul on
the planet.
I can’t say that this kind of mindfulness would have been possible even
a year ago. It’s only possible because
of focused time spent with those who love and care for me, including a skilled
therapist, and twice a month sessions with a gifted spiritual director the past
year. She is also a doctor -- a doctor
of interfaith spirituality teaching here in one of our local universities in
Portland, Oregon. I have been so
fortunate to have her guide me through much needed, yet continuing, healing of
my soul. She helped me to overcome what
organized religion has done to me and to finally accept the responsibilities I personally
have in this life to be a mystic and a prophet. As she told me a year ago, “Sorry pal. God has chosen to work with you
directly. God does not need or want a
church between the two of you. You are a
mystic. You are a prophet. Time to step up to the plate. People don’t want religion anymore. They want Spirit. You have a responsibility to carry your
calling forward.” (See My RecentJourney, My God Encounter)
As with Ruth to Naomi, all I can say to God at this point in life is, “All that you tell me, I will do.”
May the Peace of all God’s prophets, teachers, healers, apostles, and
saints be upon you,
Brad
Brad Shumate, M.S., M.A., LMHC
Free of Encumbrances
Vancouver, Washington
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