Winter, spring, summer or fall,
all you have to do is call
and I’ll be there.
You’ve got a friend.

James Taylor

Being that friend who will stick with someone no matter what, might just be one of the greatest gifts we can offer one another human being. Forging a bond with another person whether related by birth or not, yet referring to them as family is a such a beautiful thing. Deep relationships ground and balance us. It is so meaningful to connect with that person we haven’t seen in months, yet we sink in right away as though they never left us.

Ruth and Naomi have one of those special relationships that transcend kinship through ancestry and fully embraces what it means to be family (Ruth 1:1-22). Naomi has lost all the men in her life, most recently her two sons have died and all she has left as family are her two daughters-in-law. After offering them release, and an opportunity to return to their roots, Ruth vows to stay with Naomi.

“Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you stay, I will stay…” proclaimed Ruth and together they left Ruth’s homeland of Moab and traveled the fifty miles to return to the homeland of Naomi’s deceased husband.

Ruth will marry her deceased husband’s kinsman and the family name will be restored. The major genealogical importance from this story is that Ruth and Boaz’s son Obed is the grandfather of David. Yup, King David. Ruth, who is not an Israelite, is named in Matthew’s genealogy connecting Jesus with the house of David.

On Sunday we will explore this story deeper as well as the powerful role relationships within our church family touch us in ways that we don’t always have the words. I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube (as we are back up and running) this Sunday. We are serving God and community!

Brett