The Book of Ruth ends with what, to our modern ears, sounds like a boring anti-climax: a list of names we can’t pronounce in a family tree we don’t understand. But when we read through the lens of an original reader and remember what we know about ancient cultures, we find that the author of Ruth makes a meaningful point with this list of names: God is writing a bigger story than you or I could imagine. How will you be a part of God’s cosmic story?
Know the God Who Knows You
In Ruth 3 Naomi instructs Ruth to take a very unusual—and some may say, suspect—series of actions. Though they had the best of intents, we might wonder at the wisdom of their actions. The text is vague enough that we don’t know for certain, but could the story of Ruth 3 still point us to Christ, and perhaps even more effectively, if Ruth turns out to be less savory than we thought?
What's Next?
In Ruth 2 we see two pictures of active faith from two very different perspectives. Naomi and Ruth demonstrate their faith from a position of weakness, while Boaz demonstrates his faith from a position of strength. Does your faith feel weak right now? Strong? Somewhere in between? This morning we ask how a simple question—“What’s next?”—can act like starter fluid for our faith.
Bitter Mercy
The story of Ruth is a story of bitterness and mercy. This morning we ask, “How could Ruth still follow the God who had allowed so much bitterness into her life?”