Embracing God's Love Through Ruth's Story
Summary
In today's gathering, we reflected on the profound themes of confession, repentance, and God's unfailing love. As we enter the season of Lent, we are reminded of the significance of symbols in our faith journey, such as the Advent candles and the Christ candle, which symbolize the anticipation of Jesus' coming and His presence among us. These symbols guide us and point us towards God, serving as tools to deepen our spiritual walk.
We embarked on a new series exploring the book of Ruth, a story that highlights God's expansive love and inclusion of all people into His family. Ruth, a foreigner and outsider, becomes a central figure in God's plan, demonstrating that God's chosen people are not limited by nationality or ethnicity. This narrative challenges us to reconsider our perspectives on those who are different from us and to recognize God's love for all humanity.
The story of Ruth is set against the backdrop of a patriarchal society where Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, faces immense loss and bitterness. Despite her circumstances, Ruth's unwavering loyalty and kindness towards Naomi shine through. Ruth's commitment to Naomi transcends cultural and religious boundaries, showcasing a radical act of love and devotion. This story reminds us of the power of kindness and the unexpected ways God brings hope and restoration.
As we journey through the book of Ruth, we are invited to reflect on our own lives. Are we like Naomi, in need of hope and kindness, or like Ruth, called to extend love and loyalty to others? God's faithfulness often manifests in unexpected ways, and we are encouraged to be vessels of His kindness in a world that desperately needs it.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Power of Symbols: Symbols like the Advent candles and the Christ candle serve as reminders of God's presence and the anticipation of Jesus' coming. They guide us in our spiritual journey, pointing us towards God's love and faithfulness. These symbols are not just rituals but are imbued with deep spiritual significance. [31:09]
2. God's Expansive Love: The story of Ruth illustrates that God's chosen people are not limited by nationality or ethnicity. Through Christ, all are grafted into God's family, highlighting the inclusivity of God's love. This challenges us to embrace those who are different from us and recognize God's work in their lives. [37:03]
3. Ruth's Radical Commitment: Ruth's loyalty to Naomi is a profound act of love that transcends cultural and religious boundaries. Her commitment is a testament to the power of kindness and the unexpected ways God brings hope and restoration. Ruth's decision to stay with Naomi is one of the most radical acts of loyalty in Scripture. [52:32]
4. Hope in Unexpected Ways: Naomi's story reminds us that hope often comes in unexpected forms. While Naomi faced immense loss and bitterness, Ruth's kindness became a source of hope and restoration. God's faithfulness is often revealed through the kindness of others, even in the midst of tragedy. [55:14]
5. Being Vessels of Kindness: As followers of Christ, we are called to extend God's kindness to others. In a world that desperately needs love and compassion, we are invited to be vessels of God's mercy and faithfulness. This call to kindness is a reflection of God's love for us and His desire for us to love others. [01:00:11]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Confession and Repentance
- [02:00] - Symbols of Faith
- [05:00] - Introduction to Ruth
- [08:00] - God's Expansive Love
- [12:00] - Naomi's Loss and Bitterness
- [15:00] - Ruth's Loyalty and Kindness
- [20:00] - Hope in Unexpected Ways
- [25:00] - The Power of Kindness
- [30:00] - Reflection and Response
- [35:00] - Communion and Offering
- [40:00] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Book of Ruth
Bible Reading:
- Ruth 1:1-18
Observation Questions:
1. What significant events lead Naomi to feel bitter and hopeless in the first chapter of Ruth? [41:09]
2. How does Ruth demonstrate her loyalty and commitment to Naomi, and what are the implications of her decision? [49:14]
3. What role do symbols, such as the Advent candles and the Christ candle, play in the spiritual journey discussed in the sermon? [31:09]
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the story of Ruth challenge the traditional views of nationality and ethnicity in the context of God's chosen people? [37:03]
2. In what ways does Ruth's commitment to Naomi reflect a radical act of love and loyalty, and how does this compare to other biblical examples of faithfulness? [52:32]
3. How does the sermon suggest that hope can manifest in unexpected ways, particularly in the lives of Naomi and Ruth? [55:14]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt like Naomi, in need of hope and kindness. How did you find restoration, and what role did others play in that process? [57:26]
2. Consider someone in your life who might be different from you in terms of nationality, ethnicity, or background. How can you extend God's love and kindness to them this week? [37:03]
3. Ruth's loyalty to Naomi transcended cultural and religious boundaries. Is there someone in your life to whom you need to show similar loyalty and commitment? What steps can you take to demonstrate this? [49:14]
4. The sermon highlights the importance of being vessels of kindness. Identify a specific act of kindness you can perform this week to reflect God's love in your community. [01:00:11]
5. Symbols like the Advent candles serve as reminders of God's presence. What symbols or practices in your own life help you stay connected to your faith, and how can you incorporate them more intentionally? [31:09]
6. Naomi's story shows that bitterness can be transformed over time. Is there an area of bitterness in your life that you need to address? What steps can you take to begin that transformation? [55:14]
7. Ruth's story is one of inclusion and expanding God's family. How can you contribute to creating a more inclusive environment in your church or community? [37:03]
Devotional
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Quotes
"When we come together and we publicly confess our sins each week I invite you to respond this morning to our reading of confession Have mercy on me, oh God According to your unfailing love. Create in me a clean heart. Restore in me the joy of your salvation Dear God Almighty We thank you and we praise you so much For your great love for us For your great mercy that you have For your kindness You extend to us." [00:19:38]
"Every week there's lots of symbols. As we come into the church. And we try to be a little bit more liturgical. But I love the Advent candles. And this will be the last week that we have all four candles. Where it's the last week of what is known in the church calendar as Epiphany. Kind of that season of Christmas still. And leading up into Christmas, as we light the candles, it's the anticipation that Jesus is coming, that Jesus is born." [00:31:09]
"And so there's little symbols like that. The altars, the cross that we have, the candles, there's significance in candles and the communion, the sacrament of communion that we take every week. The sacrament of baptism when we do that also. There's these symbols, these reminders that are, they are symbols, but there's something even more than that too. That I think God's presence is actually here and is dwelling amongst us. And they are designed to guide us, to point us towards God and can be a significant tool in that." [00:32:37]
"God's story, God's story is a story about a people, the nation of Israel. And throughout the Old Testament, we have like the calling of Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. And from that, God builds this nation of people, the Israel. And even still today, we're like all throughout, you know, like, oh, we've got to stand with Israel. Israel is God's chosen people. Well, as we look at the whole story and the greater story of Scripture and of the Bible, we see that God's chosen people becomes more expansive." [00:33:34]
"In the book of Galatians, I love this book, but the Apostle Paul talks about the fact that through Christ, us Gentiles, most of us in the room today, are grafted into that family. And so that nation of Israel is no longer exclusive. It never really was, but it's expansive. And God's hope, God's plan, we see that the overarching story of Scripture is that God continues to add people to His people, to His chosen people, to His chosen nation." [00:34:02]
"Ruth is not an Israelite. Ruth was an outsider. She was outside of God's chosen people. But how God made allowances and how even still in the Old Testament, how you have the nation of Israel, but there's still people on the outskirts. There's still foreigners that we can learn from and that God significantly used to help bring about His kingdom." [00:34:45]
"Maybe we'll have a greater appreciation and love for those who do not look like us, talk like us, act like us. And to be able to acknowledge that God is at work, that God loves the foreigner. And whatever I get, national policies and all that, like that exists and that's for another day. But in here, we have to acknowledge God's great love for all of humanity and all of people. And so as we journey into this story, I hope, I hope that we can, it may just prick us a little bit." [00:36:31]
"Ruth's commitment to Naomi is maybe one of the greatest things in Scripture, one of the strongest affections, marks of loyalty that we see. But in verse 16, we read that Ruth's commitment to Naomi, it transcends even the bonds of racial origin, national religion. Naomi's people and Naomi's God will henceforth be hers. And then only death will break that. Ruth said, Naomi, stop it. Don't urge me anymore to leave. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving. For where you go, I will go." [00:50:18]
"Ruth aligns herself with Naomi and says, I ain't going anywhere. Your people will be my people. This is a foreigner. Ruth is an outsider aligning herself with Naomi. Now Phyllis Tribble, she's a biblical scholar of the 20th century. She observed that in the entire epic of Israel, only Abraham's himself marked such a radical commitment. But, he had a call from God and was a man in a man's world with a wife and a family for support." [00:52:32]
"Ruth stands alone. She possesses nothing. No God has called her. No deity has promised her blessing. No human being has come to her aid. She lives and she chooses without a support group. And she knows that the fruit of her decision may well be the emptiness of rejection, indeed of death. Consequently, consequently, not even Abraham's leap of faith surpasses this decision of Ruth's. And there is more." [00:52:52]
"Ruth confessed her undying love and her loyalty to Naomi, to her mother, her mother -in -law. She had this affection of a mother too. And as the story unfolds, we will see that that heart of bitterness begins to change. And how these two women in this man's world, how God honors that, and how God uses them in and through that." [00:56:32]
"It's a story that starts with tragedy, that offers a glimmer of hope, full of romance, and kissing. But more than that, above all of that, it's a story of kindness. It's a story of, as said, of God's loving kindness, of God's mercy, of God's faithfulness, and who God chooses to show that kindness through." [00:57:58]
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