THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Ruth 1-4

REMINDERS

THANK YOU – Magnify Church Group Leader Appreciation Day – May 17

Groups are core to the disciple-making process. The ability to share our lives with others and love one another with those we do life together with is life-making and life-changing.

Thank you for all the many ways that you work to lead the way for our groups to be able to receive the love of Christ, to share it in your group, and to then let that pour outward to the world around us.

We are going to CELEBRATE all that God is doing in Groups this coming May 17, between our 1st and 2nd service (10:15-11am) at the Rockford and Northview campuses to say THANK YOU to our group leaders.

Please stop by the kiosk in the atrium spaces to let us shake your hand, pat you on the back, and offer a token of our appreciation to you for the work you do to lead in love.

Reach out to Trent with any questions you may have (theaton@magnifychurch.org).

Summer at Magnify

The gears of summer planning are turning and the activities are about to begin!

We have many ways that we gather together as a church – from little kiddos through our “Just Older Youth (JOY)” groups. We want to help all our church family grow in community and in Christ.

Be sure to check out the events page for the Summer at Magnify details.

You can keep up with all our current news and events through our online bulletin.

See the events page on the website for more updates.

TOGETHER IN LIFE.

• Ruth didn’t have to commit to Naomi; Boaz didn’t have to redeem Ruth; Jesus didn’t have to redeem
  us. Is there a situation when you didn’t have to, but you did?

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

Please watch this 5-minute presentation from The Bible Project.
https://bibleproject.com/videos/loyal-love

KEY QUESTION: How does this story foreshadow the work of Jesus?

QUESTIONS:

• “Khesed is one of the most common descriptions of God in the Hebrew Bible, and it is almost
  impossible to translate into any other language. This word combines the ideas of love, loyalty, and generosity. Meditating on the meaning of this word can shape our understanding of God’s  character.”
• Hesed: kindness, covenant love, kindly, loving devotion, loyalty, steadfast love

Scene 1 “Naomi’s Girls” Read Ruth 1:1-15, 16-17

• How have Ruth and Orpah shown hesed to Naomi and their dead husbands?
• How does Ruth’s declaration show that hesed is more than love and affection?

Scene 2 “Boaz” Read Ruth 2:8-16, 20

• From this passage, how does Boaz display hesed? Does he have to do this? Why would he?

Scene 3 “Naomi’s Plan” Read Ruth 3:6-18

• A kinsman redeemer is a close relative who could redeem a family member sold into slavery; land
  which needed to be sold under economic hardship; and/or the family name by virtue of levirate
  marriage.
• John MacArthur: “Naomi instructed Ruth to put on her best appearance and to propose marriage to
  Boaz by utilizing an ancient Near Eastern custom. Since Boaz is a generation older than Ruth (2:8),
  this overture would indicate Ruth’s desire to marry Boaz which the older, gracious Boaz would not
  have initiated with a younger woman. Ruth demonstrated moral excellence in that she did not engage in immorality, she did not remarry outside the family, and she had appealed for levirate redemption to an older, godly man.”
• Where do you see hesed?
• How is this NOT a steamy romance story?

Scene 4 “Boaz in Action” Read Ruth 4:1-12

• How did Boaz make good on his “yes” in the dark of night?
• How does this story foreshadow the work of Jesus?

TOGETHER IN PRAYER & ACTION

• Pray and thank God for specific ways you see His covenant love, loving devotion and loyalty in your life.
• Meditate on the meaning of Khesed and ask God to better shape our understanding of His character.