So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. –RUTH 1:19

Ruth and Naomi are coming into Bethlehem as exhausted widows, without family or means of support. They are the poorest of the biblical poor, widows, for whom the Bible is so solicitous. Met at

the city gate by Naomi’s old friends, they turn tired, worried faces to this welcoming circle.

Who needs a welcome from us today?