Ruth, Pt. 3: Scripture
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
Before we jump into tonight’s Practice of Scripture let’s take a few minutes to hear from one another about how the practice of daily Scripture reading went.
What did your time in Scriptures look like this week? Did you take advantage of BREAD in your time of meditation? If so, was it helpful? If so, what was helpful about it?
What was something God spoke to you about through Scripture this week that you found particularly encouraging, or convicting?
Was there any particular way that you felt led to practically respond to God’s voice this week (i.e. generosity, obedience, sacrificial love for another, forgiveness, etc.)?
If the practice of Scripture is more irregular than you’d like or feels hard to integrate, what might be helpful to change this week in pursuit of greater consistency?
Read This Overview Aloud Together
Tragedy and death. Feeling forgotten by God. Being victimized by disasters outside your control. The book of Ruth opens with truly devastating circumstances for Naomi and Ruth — deaths of sons and husbands, famine, and feeling forgotten and without hope. By the close of the book, we see each and every plot line that interrupted the lives of these two widows transformed by redemption — where there was death, new life. Where there was lack, abundance. Where they felt alone, they experience loyalty, honor, and love.
While God is not frequently talked about by name in the book of Ruth, God’s providence is behind every scene of this story, weaving together circumstances and faithful actions to produce kingdom realities. God is not interested in playing games with us or being a puppet master. He deeply desires to redeem and restore every plot line in our lives, and he’ll do it through our circumstances, through others, and through the small, faithful choices we make that we think go unseen. Ruth shows us that even if we hold real feelings of bitterness or fear, believing that God is out to punish or abandon us, we’re invited to trust a truer reality: if God has not redeemed a situation, then God isn’t done yet.
God weaves together the faithful obedience of his people to bring about his redemptive purposes in the world. And that is the real and true ending of Ruth. Chapter four’s genealogy shows that Boaz & Ruth’s son Oved was the grandfather of King David, from whom came the lineage of the Messiah. And so, all of a sudden, all of these seemingly mundane ordinary events in the story are woven into God’s grand story of redemption of the whole world. So, we too are invited to consider how God might be at work in the very ordinary, mundane details of our lives as well.
Do This Practice Tonight
Tonight, we are going to take some time to Practice praying Scripture together. Praying Scripture for ourselves or even for one another can lift the burden from our own shoulders and place it directly on God’s, and giving us words to pray where we may not have them Praying Scripture is one of several ways to enter deeply into the text, possibly becoming attuned to a unique and personal word from God. So, we’re going to pray Ruth’s great grandson David’s words in Psalm 139 tonight.
We’ll begin in the quiet, simply noticing God’s love. Then we’ll have a few folks read Psalm 139 out loud over us, and we’ll end our time by sharing what you’re sensing God saying to you.
Leader note: Before starting the Practice, ask if there would be one person willing to read Psalm 139v1-12, and then a second person to read Psalm 139v12-24.
Get Comfortable. Before we begin, let’s take a moment to get comfortable. This can involve putting our phones aside, making sure the kids are doing ok in the other room, and getting into a posture that helps you feel open to the Spirit.
Breathe. Let’s become quiet and take a moment to breathe. Welcome God’s love for you. Give yourself permission to let go of any of your own agendas. And let’s open ourselves to the wonderfully human prayers given to us in Scripture. If it’s helpful, you’re welcome to close your eyes, place your hands open in the posture of receiving, or place a hand over your heart as you welcome God’s nearness.
Psalm 139. Let’s have (name) read Psalm 139v1-12, and then (name) read Psalm 139v12-24 aloud and slowly. We’re not in any hurry. Any words and verses that catch our attention can become invitations to simply be with God and hear his voice. We want to slow down Scripture reading to a pace that serves listening.
Prayer of Gratitude. Offer a brief prayer of gratitude thanking God for hearing us, leading us, and showing us how to listen to his voice with our whole and honest selves.
Respond. If anyone would like to share, what words or verses stood out as Psalm 139 was read aloud? What did you sense God saying to you? Has there been any specific situation or area in your life that you’re longing for God to redeem? How did you sense God leading you into prayer?
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead
This week, we want to continue this Practice by setting aside intentional time to read the Scriptures and stay in Psalm 139. You could substitute your own name where the text says me and I. For instance, insert your name or someone’s name who you are praying for on a regular basis (a friend, your child, someone else) in the blanks: For you created _______’s inmost being; you knit _______ together in _______’s mother’s womb. _______ praises you because _______ is fearfully and wonderfully made…
Similar to the last few weeks, the heart of this Practice is two-fold. First, it’s to allow God to shape our prayer life through the words of Scripture. Secondly, it helps us consider that God is at work in the very ordinary, mundane details of our lives for his redemptive purposes.
The next time we meet, we’ll take time to hear about how this Practice of praying 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 redemption of all creation comes through our ordinary lives and the Practice of Scripture.