Ruth, Pt. 1: Scripture
Leader Note: Tonight’s Practice will include an invitation for everyone in your Community to reflect and respond by writing a few things down. People are welcome to use their phones to jot down notes, but having devices out might be a distraction, so ask ahead of time that everyone brings their Bible and consider having some pens and paper available.
Note for Communities with families: The Family Guide for Scripture just came out! You can find it here and practice reading scripture together with your kids this summer.
Take Communion
Leader Note: Begin your gathering by taking communion together, whether as a full meal together or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, have someone lead through this guided prayer:
Holy Spirit, as we begin our time tonight, would you bring to our minds a moment in which we heard your voice really clearly this last week?
(Leader Note: Pause here for a moment.)
God, we remember that you are kind and that you love to speak to us.
We remember that you are patient and will continue to teach us to hear you.
We remember that you are gracious, gentle, and good.
And, for all of this, we are thankful.
Amen.
Review the Last Practice
Leader Note: As you review the last Practice, it may be helpful to remind everyone that this is a space to simply notice how it went, not to be hyper critical or judgmental of yourself or others.
Before we jump into tonight’s Practice on Scripture, let’s take a few minutes to hear from one another how it went last week practicing Intercession for those in our community.
Does anyone have an update from a lament or request that was shared with us during the previous series?
Who in the room chose to pray for one of those requests? Which of the three gifts (silence, groaning, or tongues) did you practice when interceding for that request? What was your experience like?
When reflecting on the time spent interceding for others, how have you grown in compassion? Along with that, are you noticing yourself more attuned to God’s heart and voice?
How has this practice impacted the way you might pray for others in the future?
Read This Overview Aloud Together
The book of Ruth is a story about the lives of 3 people, told over just 4 chapters. But when you look closer, you’ll see that this short story actually contains the whole story of the Bible. This narrative emphasizes the biblical refrain of the renewal of all creation, through the ordinary lives of ordinary people. This means that the story of Ruth is an invitation to wonder at the ways God might use our ordinary choices—our everyday lives—to bring about redemption.
In the first chapter of Ruth, we get a hard look at life outside of Eden. Famine and death bring us to the grief of three women left behind in the aftermath. As we observe each woman’s response to their nearly identical suffering, we are confronted with the reality that the stories we believe, the habits we cultivate, and the community we keep deeply form us and shape who we become. Tonight, as a community, we will re-enter the story of Ruth together. As it is read aloud, we will listen for the ways God might be moving in the ordinary details of our lives. Through the practice of reading scripture (lectio divina) we learn to listen to God's voice, recognize his presence and see where he is at work in and through us.
Do This Practice Tonight
Leader Note: If you want to follow along in your BREAD book, we’ll be using the prompts on page 6. It could be helpful to ask someone else in your Community to read Ruth chapters 1-4, so that you and/or your Co-Leader can guide everyone through the prompts below.
As we build a habit of reading the Scriptures, we learn to find ourselves in God’s story. The Scriptures begin to help us see the world the way God does and be formed into his image. There are many ways to engage Scripture—like reading, studying, memorizing, and praying it—but tonight we are going to use the process of BREAD to encounter the Spirit through the book of Ruth.
BREAD is a modern take on lectio divina, which is a time-tested way of meeting with God in the pages of Scripture. So, as we do this, simply notice where you sense the Spirit speaking to you through the text. Pay attention to how your heart is postured, doing your best to open yourself to God’s voice and let the words you hear challenge, shape, and bless you. We will follow these five prompts to guide our time: Be Still, Read, Encounter, Apply, and Devote.
Leader Note: Be sure not to rush each prompt. So pay attention to how people are doing in the room, and pause for 1-2 minutes between each.
Be still: To begin, let’s put away our devices or any distractions and get into a comfortable but alert position. Let’s take a few moments to breathe in and out deeply, centering ourselves before God.
Read: Now, let’s read through the book of Ruth. After a minute or two, we will reread the story. As we read, take notice of what stands out and perhaps even write it down.
Encounter: Now, we’re going to meditate on what God highlighted to each of us by reflecting silently on the question: What might God be saying to me?
Apply: Next, we are going to name and write down what God might be inviting us into. How might we practically engage this invitation tonight, tomorrow, and in the week to come?
Devote: Finally, we’ll take a moment to write or silently pray a prayer, committing ourselves to what God has been revealing to us and how we want to be transformed by him and his truth. Through this, we get to surrender and entrust our deepest formation to the Spirit of God.
Leader Note: Pause before moving on.
Let’s take a moment now to turn to the person next to us and share anything you’d like about your experience tonight with this practice. After your neighbor finishes speaking, simply thank them for sharing and when everyone is done we will reconvene to pray.
Leader Note: Be sure to close in a prayer of gratitude for how God was present in this practice and how he chose to uniquely meet us in it.
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead
This week, we want to continue this Practice by setting aside intentional time to read the Scriptures daily. Keep in mind, the Practice of reading Scripture is aimed more at growing a relationship with God than gathering information about God. If you don’t have a regular Practice of reading the Bible, consider picking up a copy of BREAD and/or BREAD for Kids at church this Sunday.
The next time we meet, we’ll take time to hear about how this Practice of daily reading the Scripture went for each of us.
End in Prayer
Leader note: Close your time together in prayer, asking God to continue teaching your Community that the renewal of all creation comes through our ordinary lives and the Practice of Scripture.