Sermon Companion
Scripture to Read:
Ruth 1:1-5
Judges 2:7-10
Judges 21:25
Acts 2:42-47
On Sunday we began a study in Ruth, a book about Ordinary Faith – how God moves His plan forward through people who are in progress. The story of Ruth is a beacon of hope in an otherwise pretty dark period for God’s people, a time when they had turned away from God’s good law and commandments and were trying to pursue the good of their lives and their nation on their own terms. It led to all kinds of darkness.
This is likely what led Naomi’s family into Moab because of famine. It was the continued compromise of a compromising family. Contrast this with what we read of the early church in Acts 2, which was characterized by glad and generous hearts, faithfulness, togetherness, self-sacrifice. And God was working openly in their community. Even though there was hardship, they had joy, purpose, and provision.
This week we’re going to assess the community we have in our lives. Do some serious meditation on these questions throughout the week. Don’t just think about them. Actually answer them. Write down names. And if you find yourself lacking in meaningful community, begin to pray for it first, and second, reach out to a pastor, elder, or staff to take a step toward it. Just get the ball rolling.
Reflection Question:
- Who helps keep my ungodly impulses in check by checking in with me, speaking truth to me, and helping me grow past those impulses?
- Who is growing spiritually and personally alongside me?
Scripture to Read:
Ruth 1:1-5
Ruth 1:6-18
Romans 12:1-2
We tend to treat God’s will as a kind of mystical message that comes from the heavens directly to our brains. We want specifics. And while God does sometimes communicate to us a very specific step in a moment of solitude, that’s probably not what we should consider to be His normal means.
Most of the time when scripture speaks of God’s will, it talks about things like doing good (2 Peter 2:15), acting without grumbling/being blameless (Philippians 2:14), giving thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), being holy and growing in sanctification (becoming more like Jesus) (1 Thessalonians 4:3) just to name a few. Scripture talks much more about God’s will as being the kind of people we should become rather than as a fully detailed roadmap of life.
Many of us have considered verses 1 and 2 of Romans 12. Many of us can quote them. But have we considered that while each person’s own mind is being transformed, it’s happening in the context of a group? The letters of Paul are addressed to groups of people who are all working out their calling and purpose together. How can we think that we’ll find God’s will for us differently? Why would we want to?
Reflection Questions:
- Who do I turn to when I need to make a wise decision and I need to talk it through?
- Who discerns God’s will for my life with me?
Scripture:
Ruth 1:19-21
Galatians 6:1-2
James 5:16
We often think of healing as something God does, whether that is physical, mental, or spiritual. And this is true – God holds the ultimate keys to our healing. But typically, we don’t see God zap us to instant healing. More often in scripture, and in life as we experience it, healing happens in the context of the ordinary systems that God has put in place. Our bodies, for example, repair themselves or we use medicines to augment our immune systems through the understanding of those who have studied how biology works. Sometimes God does something miraculous, but this is not the typical pattern.
Mentally and spiritually, healing so very often has a connection to community as well. Confession to someone trusted, therapy with a wise professional, talking something out with a friend, all of these things are God’s beautiful, ordinary grace to us. Combating lies of the Enemy, dispelling false beliefs, hearing the truth, and receiving mercy and forgiveness, all of these things happen within community. We heal together. We learn about ourselves, and we’re given the opportunity to be spiritually formed more into the image of Jesus by practicing forgiveness, mercy-showing, love, and patience in community.
Reflection Questions:
- Who prays with me and for me?
- Who helps me process my thoughts and feelings in wise, God-ward ways?
Scripture:
Ruth 1:16-17
It’s better to build a guardrail at the top of the cliff, but sometimes you need the hospital at the bottom of it too.
Crisis and suffering will happen. Live long enough and we will all experience it. It’s part of life in a fallen world. In Ruth 1 Naomi’s grief and bitterness were very practical, not so much philosophical or theological. To be sure, in our suffering our theology matters. It matters immensely. What we really believe about God, humanity, sin, brokenness, and the why of suffering forms the backbone of our faith and our ability to endure. Without it, hope has no foundation, and we ultimately crumble.
But when we’re in the middle of it, the moment of crisis, it’s not the philosophical answer that we’re REALLY interested in. We need something to grab onto. We need the hospital at the bottom of the cliff. We need someone to show up and we need them to stay. We need them to be a person of khesed – someone who stays because of loyal, steadfast, generous love.
The question is, do we allow others to see our needs and show up for us? Showing up in suffering is not just a gift to the person suffering. It can be a gift to the person providing care – becoming more like Jesus in the caring.
Reflection Question:
- Who would show up for me and my family when the worst happens?
Scripture:
Judges 2:7-10
Hebrews 12:1-3
2 Timothy 1:3-14
“There arose a generation after then that did not know the Lord or the work that He had done…”
What an incredibly sad statement. May we never be content to simply get what we can get, and then run out the clock on our lives in comfort. Running out the clock is never the goal. Scripture describes the Christian life as a race to be run until the very end. Yes, we do receive rest along the way, and rest is a gift. But the life of faith is an endurance run with joyful purpose. And we’re not done until we’re done.
Our call is always to be looking at the generation that will come after us. Mentoring, guiding, challenging, parenting, helping them to know Jesus and experience his healing – and to train them to do the same for the generation after them.
Paul had Timothy. Naomi had Ruth. Elijah had Elisha. Moses had Joshua. Each mentoring and training up the next generation. It’s not enough for us to experience healing and freedom. We each have different capacities and different gifts. We will raise the next generation in different ways. What is true of each of us is that we can and must become people of khesed, people of steadfast love, for those who come after us. We must plant trees whose shade we will never get to sit in. Each generation will experience their own challenges. It’s not our job to protect them from these challenges, but to teach them to rise to them and to be rooted in Christ always.
Reflection question:
Reverse this week’s previous questions (see below). Could you do these things for others? Who are you doing it with?
Who do I turn to when I need to make a wise decision and I need to talk it through?
Who helps me process my thoughts and feelings in wise, God-ward ways?
Who helps keep my ungodly impulses in check by checking in with me, speaking truth to me, and helping me grow past those impulses?
Who discerns God’s will for my life with me?
Who prays with me and for me?
Who would show up for me and my family if the worst happens?
Who is growing spiritually and personally alongside me?