CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
May 12, 2024
RUTH: A Faithful and Loyal Woman
Ruth: 1:3-5, 8-9, 16-17; 4:13-17
Many of us are at least somewhat familiar with Ruth’s story. Her life has
many lessons for all of us. She was a tremendous example of what a
faithful and godly woman should be like. The Book of Ruth is only four
chapters long, so I encourage you to read it and see all the ways Ruth
speaks to us through her life and example. I shared several small
portions of scripture with you this morning, but they only scratch the
surface of this incredible life and story.
To set the stage for how everything happened, there had been a famine
in Judah where Elimelech and Naomi lived. For their survival, they
decided to move to Moab because things were much better there.
While there Elimelech and Naomi’s two sons married Moabite women.
One son married a woman by the name of Orpah and the other Ruth.
Before their marriages occurred, Elimelech had died. About 10 years
after Naomi’s two sons married these two women, the boys also passed
away. Namoi had no real family ties in Moab, so she decided to go back
to Judah. Naomi told her two widowed daughters-in-law to stay with
their families in Moab. She prayed the Lord would bless them with
husbands and children since they had been so good to her. Orpah
agreed to stay in Moab, but Ruth refused. In fact, Ruth said in chapter
1, verse 16, “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.
Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Remember the
Moabite people did not worship the same God as the Israelites. So,
Ruth was willing to leave everything she had ever known to go to a
strange land with her mother-in-law.
To fast forward through the story, there was a man in Bethlehem
where they went that was a relative of Naomi’s husband. He was a well
respected and successful man. His name was Boaz. Without Ruth’s
knowledge, she started picking up the leftovers in Boaz’s field for
herself and Naomi to eat and live on. Boaz took notice of Ruth and
when he found out who she was had tremendous respect for her
because of her love and devotion to Naomi.
There are several things that happen in this story in the second and
third chapters, but we are not going into those details. Before we finish
looking at this story and reflect on what it means to all women and
mothers, I would like to read for you part of chapter 4, verses 11 and
12.
If you remember last Sunday we read Tamar’s story. It says, “May the
Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachael and
Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing
in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the
Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of
Perez who Tamar bore to Judah.”
The last verses we read to begin with point out Ruth’s son was named
Obed who was the father of Jesse who was the father of King David.
The Bible is full of compelling stories of God using people who are
willing to think of others more than themselves.
Let us look at Ruth’s examples. First of all, to you women and also to all
of God’s people. Not to take anything away from Ruth, but the fact is
she was just an ordinary woman. She did not come from a rich and
famous family. She did not seek the limelight. Ruth was a woman who
had grown to love and respect her mother-in-law, Naomi. She had been
married faithfully to her husband for 10 years and when he passed
away, she was left with her family in Moab and her mother-in-law who
was not a Moabite. Naomi urged her to stay with her family where she
had lived her whole life, but she had grown to love and respect Naomi
so much and also was probably worried about her so much she said no.
I will go where you go. So off Ruth and Naomi went to a land Ruth had
only heard about and people who would be total strangers to her.
Throughout this story God blessed Ruth and brought together miracle
after miracle. The field she went to pick up in just happened to be
owned by the man who was her former father-in-law’s relative. If you
read the story, you will see piece after piece of this puzzle just
happened to fall into place.
What can you women in particular get from this story? As I look out this
morning at the women here today, I see in you many of the wonderful
traits Ruth exampled.
1.) Loyal. Whether to your families, to your church, to God, you
example the kind of commitment Ruth showed during her life.
2.) A willingness to keep moving forward while things may not always
work out the way you have wanted you have never lost faith. You
have been willing to trust in God for guidance and direction.
3.) Most of you have been willing to try new things even when you
were not sure how it would work out.
4.) A willingness to trust that God will see you through no matter
what. Ruth did not at first believe in the God of Naomi, but she
came to know and worship Him by her faithfulness and her
actions.
These are traits that make for great women and mothers. I trust
everyone of us here have had women and mothers who have been
examples that have helped to get us where we are today, godly women
who taught us important lessons in life. I thank each of you women
today for the example God has empowered you to be. We celebrate
the privilege of having you in our lives.
Ruth is a testimony of how God uses those who will be faithful in things
that at times may be small, only to have them turn into good things. I
am sure Ruth never knew what the impact of the choices she made
would be. That may also be true for you women today. On behalf of all
the men here today, I say thank you. You may never know how much of
a difference you have made in the lives you touch but God does.
Pastor Larry
Announcements:
Sunday School 9:00
Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study
May 19 Mary Jessup is preaching.
Council Meeting after worship
4:00 CGHS Baccalaureate
June 2 Strawberry Festival!—signup sheets in the back for pie
crusts and other supplies
June 6 6:30 pm Executive Committee
June 9 2:00 Peoria church—concert by Jocelyn Watkins
The Lord’s Storehouse rummage sale will be at the Brethren
Church June 7 and 8. No clothing donations will be accepted.
To drop off donations, make an appointment with Marcia
Cedarburg 217-412-0999 or Leslie Clark 217-358-0205.
Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362
Donation Box for May: VBS
First Sundays: Food Bank donations
Keep in Your Prayers
Graduates; Shirley Clarkson; Ava; Nora Hanaver; Larry Traxler;
Randy and Michelle West; Mike Gentry; Eli Brunner; Nancy Fansler;
Doug Larrick; Ron & Kathleen Petersen; Debbie Leibrock; Dorthea
Wood; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo & Darlene
Hanaver; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; many unspoken requests;
victims of disasters; victims of shootings; shut-ins; the Nigerian
church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine; Israel, Iran, the Palestinians;
Military and Other Services and their families
Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers
District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Champaign congregation and all
the churches’ ongoing efforts to be “Jesus in the Neighborhood.”
