This Week at Hope: Introducing Ruth
Dear brothers & sisters,
On Sunday, we will be introducing a short series on the little Book of Ruth. We zoom in on a family living in the Promised Land during the time of the Judges. Though they live in Bethlehem, the “House of Bread”, the Lord brings a famine. Rather than repenting, they strike out to find a new home in Moab. It was a sinful decision. Utter disaster comes in waves and Naomi is left destitute. But, she is not left entirely.
Through terrible tragedy, the Lord is quietly working His sovereign plan. Naomi has a Moabite daughter-in-law named Ruth that will be used of God in staggering ways. She meets a man named Boaz. As we will see, by the end the Lord turns Naomi’s sorrow into joy, her destitution into dancing. But that’s not all. In the end, we see that we are the real beneficiaries of this book. It turns out this story was more than an account of a family, but about how the God of heaven would bring about the salvation of His people through Jesus Christ, the Kinsman Redeemer.
As we gather, our focus will be on Ruth 1:1-5, then a summary of the rest of the book. As a family, consider reading the first chapter together.
This week, prayer will be at the Noahs.
Scott Brown will be doing the Sunday afternoon teaching as we begin looking at Social Justice.
A few upcoming dates to mark down:
- June 28: various men doing expository teaching at church in the evening
- June 29: a work day at the church (Alan Hillman is organizing)
- June 30: hymns & Turkey update meeting with Sovereign Redeemer
The songs we’ll be singing together this Sunday are:
Wondrous King, All Glorious
Creator God, Our Sovereign Lord
What God Ordains Is Always Good
Rejoice in the Lord
How Sweet and Awful Is the Place
Have a wonderful week!
In Christ,
—
Paul Carrington