Ruth Series: Life in a Hard Life
Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER: For those from whom we are separated
O Lord our God,
you are in every place,
and no space or distance can ever part us from you;
take into your holy keeping
those from whom we are now separated;
and grant that both they and we,
by drawing nearer to you,
maybe drawn nearer to one another,
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Order, 1940, Church of Scotland
Read:
Ruth 1:3-18. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
3Now
Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
6When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”
Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”
11But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”
14At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
16But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
(Ruth 1:3-18 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
I can’t read this without my heart going out to Naomi. She has received so many hard blows in life. No wonder she thinks “the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”. Wouldn’t you be tempted to think that in her position? She had a vibrant grown up family that had overcome the odds by migrating out of a devastating drought. Now she has lost not only those who were precious to her but the unborn grandchildren she will now never know. Her grief is doubled by the fact that being single in a family obsessed society meant her future was always going to have this shadow over it. Everything seems bleak except for one thing; Ruth.
Her daughter-in-law is determined to stay with her even to the point of leaving her community, wider family and religion out of love for Naomi. What is happening here? It is love. This reveals what sort of person Naomi is. In a world where people love their blood relatives more than those who marry in to the family, Naomi has proven exceptional. She has loved and included her daughter-in-laws so much that Ruth is willing to sacrifice all else to stay with this beautiful person.
Bitter experiences make some people hard but Naomi shows us that it doesn’t have to be so. She retains her inner kindness regardless of what life throws at her. Perhaps you and I could sit at Naomi’s feet and learn.
Ruth Series: Where’s Wally/God?
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER: Glory to God
The poor and the needy will praise you, O Lord.
Glory to the Father,
glory to the Son,
glory to the Holy Spirit, who spoke through the prophets.
God is my hope,
Christ is my refuge,
the Holy Spirit is my shelter. Amen.
Excerpt from a prayer,
St Auxentios, 3rd century
Read:
Ruth 1:1-5. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
1In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
2The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,
5both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
(Ruth 1:1-5NIV)
Thought for the Day:
The little book of Ruth plays an important part in God’s plans for the whole world. It is through these lives that you are reading about that God develops the lineage that leads to Jesus. These are his ancestors and King David’s.
Yet when you read this story of drought, migration, tragedy, love and death and hope you may be asking “Where is God?” It is the seeming absence of God combined with the significant choices of ordinary people that makes the story intriguing, mesmerising and provocative. How does God work?
May this story of courageous and caring women fill you with questions and hope.
Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash
Eternal Life?
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER: An instrument of God’s peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
for your mercy and truth’s sake.
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
A 19th century prayer in the spirit
of St Francis of Assisi
Read:
John 3:16. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
Eternal Life can be looked at as a quality of life or as a quantity of life (i.e. never ending). Which way did you read it?
When you read it as a quality of life then the word “eternal” refers to the quality of life experienced in heaven that you can now begin to experience on earth. It is John’s equivalent to the Lord’s prayer “…on earth as it is in heaven.” This is what God is gifting us through “his one and only Son”.
But if “perish” and “eternal life” are a matched pair then perish must also be referring to a quality of life. John does not explain it but possibly he does not need to if he is referring to a commonly felt human experience. We can experience dying on the inside when no matter how much we grasp after happiness for ourselves we end up hurt, disappointed with failure, and wounded by others. God does not want this to be our experience of the precious gift of life. So in his great love for us he sent Jesus. Eternal life begins here with him.
The Micah Challenge
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER: For the peace which the world cannot give
Eternal God,
from whom all holy desires,
all good purposes, and all just works proceed:
give to your servants that peace
which the world cannot give,
that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments,
and that free from the fear of our enemies
we may pass our time in trust and quietness;
through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book, 1978
Read:
Micah 6:6-8. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
6With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
with your God.
(Micah 6:6-8NIV)
Thought for the Day:
This passage is a contender for a summary of the Scriptures. (except that it leaves out the vital motivation that we love because God loves us first.) Why? Because it includes:
1. our attitude to relationships which is justice
2. our attitude to hurt and brokenness which is mercy
3. our attitude to God which is open to learning from God and is also a journey.
Often we read this and heart leaps at one of these three which is our favourite. I wonder which is was for you? But this is not a multichoice question but rather a statement that a balanced life in God’s sight includes all three. Are all three part of your life? Is there one that needs more attention than the others at the moment. Listen to the Spirit right now (humbly).
If you are interested in looking at an Australian Justice organisation based on this Micah challenge go to https://www.micahaustralia.org
Jesus, the Vine
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Sacred secateurs
O sacred secateurs, be quick
cut down the muddle of my ways
then burn the rubble where it lays
the remnants dead, of seasons gone
and growth that branched
too far from home
and when the winter’s worst is past
may buds of hope swell full and keen
upon my limbs of tender green
where once the deadwood
held its sway
may new fruit greet the awakening day
(Jennie Gordon in Dad and Daughter)
Read:
John 15:5-8 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Thought for the day:
Slow your reading and your breathing. If you can, spread your arms out wide. Imagine that your arms are vine branches, winter-dormant. Feel the sap of spring begin to flow, seeping to the very tips of the smallest twigs. Feel the awakening of life and energy. Become aware of the strong and vital trunk to which you are connected. As you breathe in, focus on the strength that comes from your connection to the vine. Breathe out the silent words “Thank you, Jesus”.
Then, as you slowly breathe in and out, dwell on the words of Jesus “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit”.
(Photo by Sophie Backes on Unsplash)
Jesus, the Way
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Loved into being
Loved into being,
hell, fen and field:
loved into being,
ocean flood and fish;
loved into being,
each plant and each tree;
loved into being,
you and me.
(Kate McIlhagga in The Green Heart of the Snowdrop)
Read:
John 14:1-7(NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Thought for the day:
John is writing to early Christians to share his conviction that Jesus is the way to God as Father. When we know Jesus, we know what God is like. Like Thomas we sometimes get confused and think that Jesus is talking about a physical path, a set way, with rules to follow. One of the many delights (and challenges) of Christianity is that there is no set way. Instead, by following Jesus, we grow into a relationship of love with God our Father. Be aware of allowing your day to be shaped and guided by the knowledge that we are “loved into being”. Praise God!
Image: Bibbulmun Track, WA, Wayne McDonald
Jesus, the resurrection & the life
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Signs of Life
Risen Christ,
as ice melts and rivers flow
when spring comes,
breathe your life-giving Spirit
into our frozen hearts.
Set our minds on fire
and our feet running,
to seek and to serve your truth.
Free us from all that captivates us.
Give us a deeper understanding of your truth.
Increase our wisdom.
Remind us that you have written our names
on the palms of your crucified hands
and help us to know that you call us by name.
(Kate McIlhagga in The Green Heart of the Snowdrop)
Read:
John 11:25-27 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
Jesus said to her (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Thought for the day:
With Jesus as “the resurrection”, death has no power over us. With Jesus as “the life”, there is nothing in life that we need to face alone in our own power.
Jesus’ resurrection affirms that, in the words of Desmond Tutu,
"Goodness is stronger than evil,
love is stronger than hate,
light is stronger than darkness
life is stronger than death.
Victory is ours, victory is ours,
through him who loved us."
Finish by rereading the prayer.
Image: After the fire, Kinglake, Ros McDonald
Jesus, Good Shepherd
(Devotion compiled by Ros McDonald)
Prayer:
God our Father, we have long known you to be the shepherd of Israel, but in Jesus we know you know us. He has spoken and speaks now through the Spirit words of nourishment and guidance in the Scriptures, and in words of friendship and counsel by his sisters and brothers with us. He has bound us together uniquely to be his family in the world, loving and serving others as he has loved and aided us. Holy and Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ forever.
(Ron Gordon in Dad and Daughter)
Read:
John 10:11-15 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Thought for the day:
… - will you hear
the shepherd’s voice?
he calls, he cares, enfolds you
in his snares of love
he holds you, like a newborn child
then whispers; ‘this is what I give’
and lays his life down
so that you might live
(Jennie Gordon in Dad and Daughter)
Image: near Sille, Turkey, Ros McDonald
Jesus, gate for the sheep
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Gate for the sheep
Lord Jesus, gate for the sheep,
we thank you for the security we find in you and in you alone.
We ask your forgiveness for those times
when we have hidden away safely behind the walls of the sheep-pen
instead of walking the world in your name.
Lord Jesus, gate for the sheep,
we thank you for the fullness of life that you offer.
Forgive us when we settle for half measures or less,
thinking that eternal life is for the hereafter
rather than here and now.
Lord Jesus, gate for the sheep,
we pray for those who feel that they are not so much living as existing
and for those who feel vulnerable and alone at this time.
May they find the fullness of life and the eternal security that you offer to all.
(VirtualMethodistBlogspot)
Read:
John 10:6-10 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Thought for the day:
Slow down your reading and your breathing. Imagine a gate that separates an enclosed space from an open space. Jesus is standing at the gateway. In the enclosed space you are safe, for Jesus is close. When you are ready, go through the gateway and enjoy the freedom of the open space. Whenever you become unsure or frightened, you can return to the safety of the enclosed space. Know in the depths of your being that Jesus’ invitation is for you to have life and to have it to the full.
Finish by asking Jesus to watch over you this day.
Image: Sheepyard, Turkey, Wayne McDonald