Ruth: The Son

Now, let's turn in our Bibles to the Old Testament book of Ruth.

Ruth chapter 4.

Ruth 4 · chapter mention

And while you're turning there, just to remind you that next Sunday evening will look slightly different.

And that there's a chance for us, after we've thought about a big truth from the Bible,

and what it means for everyday life.

A chance for us to discuss in small groups.

You don't need to stay, but hopefully be a helpful time for us to work those truths into our hearts and lives.

So we're doing that for six weeks, and so everyone's very welcome to that.

Ruth chapter 4.

Ruth 4 · chapter mention

As we finish this wonderful story.

Meanwhile, Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian redeemer he had mentioned came along.

Boaz said, come over here, my friend, and sit down.

So he went over and sat down.

Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, sit here.

And they did so.

Then he said to the guardian redeemer,

Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimele.

I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people.

If you will redeem it, do so.

But if you will not, tell me.

So I will know.

For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.

I will redeem it, he said.

Then Boaz said, on the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.

At this, the guardian redeemer said, then I cannot redeem it.

Because I might endanger my own estate.

You redeeming yourself, I cannot do it.

Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other.

This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.

So the guardian redeemer said to Boaz, buy it yourself, and he removed his sandal.

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people,

Today you are witnesses.

I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilian, and Margo.

I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Malon's widow as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property,

so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his home town.

Today you are witnesses.

Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, we are witnesses.

May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family 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 Herod, whom Tamar bore to Judah.

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife.

When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

The woman said to Naomi, praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian redeemer.

May he become famous throughout Israel.

He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age.

For your daughter-in-law, who loves you, and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.

Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for her.

The woman living there said, Naomi has a son, and they named him Obed.

He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

This thing is the family life of Perez.

Perez was the father of Hezron.

Hezron, the father of Ram.

Ram, the father of Aminadah.

Aminadah, the father of Neshon.

Neshon, the father of Salmon.

Salmon, the father of Boaz.

Boaz, the father of Obed.

Obed, the father of Jesse.

And Jesse, the father of David.

Amen.

And that's how the book of Ruth ends.

So this week, as I was reading, especially the conclusion, I was thinking, how different would the book of Ruth look if Disney did Ruth?

We know that we'd done Moses.

What if they did Ruth?

Well, certainly they would focus on what we have in the story of Ruth.

We've got this on the boy meets girl.

We've got the romantic angle.

What we've seen is the story of Ruth is one of love across death grids.

Ruth is from Moab, a foreigner to Israel.

You can imagine Disney would like the rescue.

We've spoken of Boaz as a redeemer.

So the idea of a heroic rescue, perhaps.

And certainly, Disney, they would all live happily ever after.

Then we come to the true story, to the Bible story.

We see that some of those things are there, but there's also some surprises.

So we have got a rescue.

We have got a redeemer.

But there's not so much in the way of dramatic rescue.

It's taking place in a courtroom.

And we do have a happily ever after, but there's a surprising focus to it.

Because it's almost as if Ruth and Boaz are going to disappear out of shot.

And the focus is on Naomi.

And then it's on the nation of history.

So we're given a happy ending, but it's a surprisingly big one.

Because this story began in the dark days of the judges.

And what we know about the days of the judges is that everybody was doing just whatever they wanted to do.

So there was moral and spiritual, religious chaos.

And in the days of the judges were told that there was no king.

So the hope at the end of the judges is that God would provide a king as the answer to the darkness.

And how does Ruth end?

Ruth ends with a family line that leads us to King David.

So the hope in the story of Ruth comes first of all in that God provides a redeemer, this man called Boaz.

But he also does that so as to provide for a king called David.

And so we take the whole story of Ruth in view, especially when we come to chapter 4 here.

And we see again how this helps to highlight for us God's redeeming love.

That this is much more than a happily ever after for Naomi or for Israel.

That through Jesus, the redeemer, who is also God's king, there can be good news for each one of us.

There is hope extended to a world that is lost in sin, that is knowing much hope, brokenness and confusion, just like the judges.

We can find hope in the sending, in the promise of Jesus.

So let's look at this story together for a little while.

Looking first of all at this first scene, which takes place in the courtroom.

So we can see a family rescue that is taking place in the first 12 verses here in the courtroom in Bethlehem.

And I guess we, as a culture, we enjoy a good courtroom drama.

We have some classics, the 12 Magnum Ends, Kill a Mockingbird, we have our John Grissoms, we like.

Courtroom dramas.

This one takes place in Bethlehem.

And it takes place at the city gates.

So let's dive into this.

And let's see, first of all, the preparation for the courtroom.

We see in verse 1, if you have your Bibles, Boaz goes up to the town gate.

And the town gate in that day was the courtroom of his day.

That's where community business happened.

So he deliberately goes to the town gate.

And then we see, again, God's guiding hand.

Boaz is just sat down, just as the guardian redeemer he had mentioned came along.

So just as we've seen all throughout the book of Ruth, God is guiding action so that Boaz might serve as redeemer.

So what does Boaz say?

He says, come over here, my friend, and sit down.

And that's not, let's sit down for a cozy chat.

This is sit down, let's transact some legal business here.

And we see that because the next thing that Boaz does, verse 2, is he calls 10 of the elders of the town to sit.

So they act, in that sense that we think about that, during the act as witnesses to all that's about to unfold.

So the preparation has been made.

And now in verses 3 to 8, we can see it here.

We've got a report of what happens in the court.

And it's very much driven by the words of Boaz.

And so he says to his friends, here's the situation.

There is Naomi.

She's part of your family.

She is in poverty.

She's needing to sell the family land.

You're in the legal position to buy it, to act as her protector.

Are you willing?

So this unnamed actor, and I think it's deliberately unnamed because he serves as a contrast to Boaz.

He's thinking, okay, I'm being asked to care for an old lady.

And when she dies, I will receive her land.

And I can add it to my inheritance.

So he says, yes, I am willing.

And at that stage, Boaz turns to him and says, well, there's one more complicated factor.

When you buy the land, you also will inherit a new wife, Ruth.

And you have to raise a family with her in order to keep that land, to keep the family line of Elimelech going.

And at that stage, this unnamed guardian or kinsman redeemer said, no, no, thank you.

I can't do that.

It seems like perhaps the cost was too high.

I can mean the financial cost was too high to care for Naomi, to care for Lou.

Perhaps he certainly thought that there was a risk of his estate being weakened.

Boaz also deliberately draws attention to the fact that Ruth is from Moab.

Perhaps he felt there was a risk to his status to take to his own home someone who is from outside of Israel.

But either way, he says to Boaz, I am not willing to be the redeemer.

You do.

And then we come to that unusual bit in verse 7 and verse 8.

We find that legal practice of the sandal swap.

Legal practices, I guess, adapt over time.

We discover that even here in the book of Ruth.

This idea of taking off your sandal and giving it to the other party.

Say, here's a transfer that's now taken place and being formalized.

They didn't do that in the time of writing anymore.

But with that sandal being taken and handed over, the deal is now sealed.

There is an agreement that Boaz is going to function as the kinsman redeemer.

He is going to pay the price to secure the land for Naomi.

He's going to commit to Ruth and to raising a family with her.

And that takes us to Boaz's response in verses 9 and 10.

And what does he do?

He asks the elders and all the people who were gathered to be witnesses.

To be witnesses to those two realities.

The one who will act as the kinsman redeemer to secure the family land.

But also that he's going to take Ruth as his wife.

To preserve Maraul's family name.

And then we get verses 11 and 12.

The reaction in the courtroom.

Where they announce that they are willing to be witnesses.

And then what we see is that they seek blessing from Boaz.

One of the wonderful features of Boaz is that in every scene he is regarded as honorable.

He is presented to us as a man of faith.

And so this crowd, the elders and others, they seek this blessing from Boaz.

And it's got some significant features.

And so they want that Ruth, this Moabite foreigner,

would have as significant a part in the story of Israel as Rachel and Leah.

And they're mothers of the first twelve.

And they became the twelve tribes of Israel.

And may the Lord make the women who's coming into your home like Rachel and Leah.

And together build up the family of Israel.

They seek a blessing and a legacy of faith on Boaz.

May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.

And then in verse twelve.

It says,

Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young man,

may your family, a bit like that, of Perez,

whom Tamar bore to Judah.

And this is interesting.

This is another one of those Old Testament legal details.

Tamar, this woman Tamar,

is the other famous,

it's called a leperate marriage in the Old Testament.

And so where there is a widow who dies without children,

and it's the responsibility of a family member,

a brother,

to raise a family for the dead man.

Tamar,

Genesis thirty-eight,

is the other famous story.

And there's some parallels,

and then some significant differences.

But we get to verse twelve,

and we get to the end of this courtroom scene.

And what we discover is that Boaz,

the hero in our story,

he has,

and that's it,

won his case,

and there's honour that's given to him.

And we can imagine the courtroom breaking into cheers,

perhaps.

And they ask for these wonderfully large blessings

to come to Boaz.

But little did they know

how God would answer so far above and beyond their expectations.

That God's plans for this family in Bethlehem

would include the future king of Israel,

the king after God's own heart.

Little did they know

that Ruth would be in the family line of the Lord Jesus.

Little did they imagine

how God was going to use this little family

to demonstrate God's covenant faithfulness

far beyond Bethlehem

to all peoples everywhere.

Now before we leave the courtroom,

maybe a couple of lessons to draw.

First of all,

thinking about Boaz.

And to think about Boaz

as an everyday hero of faith.

You know,

we think about,

maybe we think about our Sunday school heroes.

They're usually known for very courageous,

brave acts.

Maybe in battle,

we think of our Gideons

and our Davids even.

But here is Boaz,

and he's just a wonderful,

upstanding man of faith.

He is a model employer

who seeks God's blessing

on those who work in his fields.

He protects and cares

for those who are vulnerable

as they work.

He shows mercy

to an outsider.

He extends hospitality.

We see him absolutely committed

to this work of

being a redeemer

for Naomi and Ruth

and honoring Ruth

for her covenant loyalty

in the dark days.

In the dark days of the judges,

boy,

that shines bright

for his faith.

And isn't that a wonderful

call to us

as the people have gotten

an encouragement to us?

To be faithful

in the everyday

stuff of life.

So much of this

isn't spectacular

in that sense,

but called

to be faithful

to honor God

in what

we're given

to do.

And do you know

we do that

understanding

that God

has his plans

for how he will

use them.

Now, we don't know

what those plans are,

but God does.

What does he call us to do?

He calls us

to be faithful

in the everyday

stuff of life.

Knowing that that's

how he is able

to work

in and through

us.

Let's also think

about the sacrifice

of Boaz.

Because we meet

Boaz in chapter 2

and never once

do we find Boaz

asking what's in it

for me.

He is committed

to serve,

to honor,

to love.

Never thinking

about the cost

to himself.

Or the things

are affected

because he's

willing to pay.

And he stands

in stark contrast

to this guy

who was supposed

to act as the

guardian redeemer.

I would say,

no, that risk

is too high,

that cost is too high

I'm unwilling to pay.

I'm unwilling

to care for

this old lady.

I'm unwilling

to extend

her family life.

I wonder

if we recognize

something of that

dependency

in our own

hearts and lives.

Perhaps

to be asking,

well, what's in it

for me when it

comes to

serving the church?

what's the cost

going to be?

Is this going

to be too much

of an inconvenience

for me and my

family for the

things that I

want to do?

I think Boaz

stands as a

wonderful reminder

of that call

that we have

knowing how God

has been so

kind to us

and served us

that he calls

us to serve

others,

to care for

others,

to have a heart

for those who

are needy.

so we don't

want to be like

that,

but we want

to be like

Boaz.

But then to

think about

the way

that Boaz's

story goes

and we find

him in this

courtroom scene

taking the

initiative to

function as

the redeemer,

that also helps

us to think

about the

gospel and

it helps us

think about

God's amazing

grace.

Because we

find legal

language being

used at the

gospel,

we find the

idea of the

judge and a

judgment being

used in the

storyline of the

Bible.

And what we

need to understand

as people is

that our place

in God's

courtroom by

nature,

our standing

in the drama

of human history,

where do we

find ourselves

in God's

courtroom?

We would

find ourselves

by nature

in the

dog,

standing before

God the

judge guilty

as charged.

guilty of

pride,

that we

live without

God,

guilty of

idolatry,

where we

would make

other things

to be as

important and

more important

to us than

God,

guilty of

rebellion,

where we

ignore God

as king and

turn our

back on his

law.

All of those

realities the

Bible calls

sin, so we

would stand

in the dog

guilty as

charged and

we would

have no

case for

the defense.

As the

Bible says,

every mouth

will be

silenced

before God

the righteous

judge.

That's us

by nature

without God's

intervention.

And then we

need to see

how Boaz

points us

to the

coming of

Jesus,

because into

this courtroom

drama steps

Jesus, and

Jesus is

willing to

become our

legal

representative.

He is the

judge, but

he enters

the dog and

he takes

our place

and he

takes our

punishment.

That there

on the cross

the judge is

judged for

us.

He is

condemned so

that we

might be

forgiven and

set free to

enjoy peace

with God.

That faith in

Jesus means

that we receive

the declaration

over us that

we are

righteous, that

we are not

condemned.

Jesus, the

judge who

has taken

our place,

he is ready

to honour

us and to

take us

home to

where he

is.

And so

great is

his love

for us, a

great love

that far

exceeds that

even of

Boaz.

The story

of Ruth

and the

story of

Boaz, it

also reminds

us about

how wide

God's

grace is.

Because in

God's

kingdom we

discover there

is grace

and there

is a

welcome for

Ruth.

Yes, she

is from

Moab and

yes, she

was serving

other gods

but now

she has

come to

faith in

the one

true God

and there

is grace

for her.

And in

God's

wisdom and

God's

mercy, she

is in

the family

tree of

Jesus.

How is

Jesus known

when he

came to

live among

us?

He was

known as

the friend

of sinners.

Some people

hated him

for that.

Religious

people should

just stay

with religious

types.

And Jesus

would just

come for the

good.

God would

just want to

say that

that wasn't

Jesus'

pattern.

Others

loved him

for the fact

he was

friend of

sinners,

especially

those that

everybody else

despised.

Those that

were on the

margins, they

flocked to

Jesus because

they knew

they were

by mercy

and grace.

Yes, they

would be

confronted about

their sin, but

they would also

have the

prospect of

forgiveness and

life of God

through him.

And what we

see in the

gospels is

his deliberate

kindness to

the least and

to the most

unlikely.

And it's

what we see

all through

the Bible,

it's what we

see in the

story of

grace.

And so as

we think

about that,

if that's

God's

pattern in the

Old Testament,

that plan

right from

the beginning

to extend

his blessing

to all

the nations,

and if that

was the

pattern of

Jesus,

it makes

us ask

some practical

questions of

ourselves.

Who is my

welcome,

brothers?

How is the

mercy and

kindness of

God expressed

by me to

others?

What is our

attitude to

the poor?

What is our

attitude?

to those who

come from

other nations

to live

among us

and to

worship

with us?

Where we

be as

broad as

our King,

as loving

as King

Jesus.

Well,

let's move

from the

courtroom to

where our

story closes

in the

family home

of Boaz

and Ruth.

I hear the

focus isn't

just on the

rescue of

this family,

the focus is

now on the

royal family

line.

In a sense,

we might

expect

chapter 4,

verse 13,

to be where

the story

would end.

This is the

happy ending

we expect.

We've been

looking forward

to seeing

Boaz and

Ruth be

married,

and then

nine months

later,

as the

drama moves

on,

a son is

born.

If this

was dizzy,

you'd hear the

big song,

to be

incredibly

credited.

That's not

where we

finish.

Rather,

what we

see is the

director of

this story

having this

wide-angle

lens on

joy,

so that

we also

find joy,

verse 17,

in the fact

that Naomi

has a

son.

So we're

back to

thinking about

God's

provision for

Naomi.

And then

in verse

17 and

verse 22,

we're left

with the

good news

that the

nation has

a king.

Obey was

the father

of Jesse,

and Jesse,

the father

of the

king.

Verse 13

is also

significant.

Because it's

only the

second time

in the

story where

God is

named as

an actor.

We see

him directing,

as it were,

behind the

scenes,

guiding in

providence,

but here we

see the

Lord enabled

Ruth to

conceive.

In chapter

1 and

verse 6,

the Lord

had come to

aid of his

people by

providing

food.

And now

the Lord

has come

and provided

a child

for Ruth

and for

Boaz.

She had

been married

for 10

years to

Madeline,

and no

child ever

here,

by God's

grace,

she is

able to

conceive.

And again,

to highlight

God's glory

and God's

grace,

we find this

theme throughout

the story of

the Bible.

Women who

are unable

to have

children,

they're enabled

by the

grace of

God to

conceive.

We find

it back

with the

story of

Abraham and

Sarah,

we find

it with

Rebecca and

with Rachel,

we find it

with Hannah

and we find

it with

Ruth.

Whenever

there is

an act of

God to

enable someone

to conceive

and give

birth to a

child,

we know

that God

is going

to use

that child

for his

own purpose.

And that

prepares us

for the

beginning of

the New

Testament

for the

greatest

miraculous

conception

when God

by the

power of

the Holy

Spirit

would cause

Jesus to

be conceived

in the womb

of the

Virgin Mary,

the great

Redeemer,

the great

King has

come.

But back

to our

story,

verses 14

to 17,

what we

find is

Naomi's

friends

gathering

in the

family home

and it's

very much

her story

that's in

view,

we would

probably

expect

Boaz and

Ruth to

be in

view,

but the

focus is

on Naomi.

Naomi

who left

many years

before with

a husband

and two

sons.

Naomi

who came

back with

Ruth to

Bethlehem

and she

came back

bitter,

came back

empty,

came back

feeling the

Lord's hand

was against

her.

Now her

friends are

saying,

praise thee

to the

Lord who

this day

has not

left you

without a

guardian

redeemer.

They can

see just

as Naomi

can see

God's

gracious

hand at

work in

her life.

Now in

chapter 2

and 3 the

focus of

the guardian

redeemer was

Boaz,

but did you

notice as we

read chapter 4

how it

switched?

None of the

guardian

redeemer in

Naomi's

like,

it is this

little child

who has

been born,

little

Obeg.

And why

is he the

kinsman

redeemer?

Because for

this elderly

widow,

having a

son in

her family

was for

her a

source of

security.

Obeg,

when he

grows up,

will be

able to

work to

provide for

Naomi and

for Ruth.

And through

Obeg,

the family

land will

be killed.

So we

have this

wonderful

story where

Naomi is

really moved

and motivated

towards,

at the

beginning,

finding a

place of

rest,

a home,

and security

for Ruth.

First of all

telling her to

go back to

her own land

and her own

people,

and then to

seek that

rest from

Boaz.

And God

provides for

Ruth through

Boaz,

but also has

provided for

Naomi.

His kindness

is so much

wider than

Naomi could

anticipate.

And then we

look at the

request and

the prayer of

blessing from

Naomi's

bride.

Verse 14,

may he,

may this

child,

Obeg,

may he

become famous

throughout

Israel.

And again,

God's going to

answer that

prayer above

and beyond.

They're asking

as Obeg

becomes the

grandfather

in the

fullness of

time of

King David.

Just as

a, in a

sense, as

a by-the-by,

God

encourages

our

dependent

prayers,

and God

encourages us

to pray

big.

Because our

God is

powerful,

and our

God is

generous,

and we

will never

out-ask

our God.

And so,

stories like

this, and

prayers like

this, as we

see their

fulfillment,

encourage us,

should encourage

us to pray

and to keep

praying for

God's kingdom

to come and

his will to be

done in our

church, in our

city, in our

families, in our

world.

And then

verse 15,

notice the

praise that

Ruth has

given.

If you're

a doctor

in law,

who loves

you, and

who's

better to

you than

seven sons

is given

birth.

And again,

what's in

view here,

it is the

covenant love,

the faithfulness,

the loyalty,

the love in

action of

Ruth.

The whole

book is

full of

covenant

faithfulness,

from Ruth,

from Boaz,

and ultimately

from God

himself.

Verse 17,

we come to

a naming

ceremony.

name.

The women

living there

said,

Naomi has

a son,

and they

named him

Obeg.

And the

name Obeg

means he

serves.

And so the

natural question

to ask is,

who is it

that Obeg

serves?

And there

are two

ways, I

think,

the story

of Ruth

invites us

to answer.

First of

all,

Obeg

serves God,

and serves

God's purposes,

because he

becomes God's

agent to

remove that

bitterness and

that emptiness

from Naomi,

providing a

future and a

security for

her.

And so he

serves God,

but he also

serves Naomi

by functioning

as that

redeemer,

by being that

source of

security and

rest.

And so

what do we

would expect?

Wow, okay,

so here's Ruth

and she's got a

child, and Naomi

has a son,

and she's got

this kinsman,

and we would

expect a

happy life

after here.

But we're

still not

done.

And we're

not done

because the

author of

the book of

Ruth has

taken us

all the way

from the

dark days

of the

judges to

the wonderful

kindness of

God in

giving the

king after

God's own

heart,

King David.

And so the

true happily

ever after

doesn't come

until we move

beyond God

providing the

redeemer at

the time of

the judges

to providing

the king

through David

and through

this royal

family.

And so we

finish with

a genealogy.

That's never

how we would

expect a great

love story to

finish.

But it's so

important to the

people of God

to see God's

faithfulness working

through the

generations,

working through

Ruth and Boaz

to take us

to David.

David.

When Matthew

came to

write his

gospel,

that's when

he started

with a

genealogy,

taking us

through this

family to

the coming

of Jesus.

In the

dark times

in which

Jesus came

to a world

lost without

God,

that genealogy

reminds the

world that

God is

faithful,

that God

is working

out his

covenant

purposes,

showing covenant

faithfulness,

working out

his plan.

And so we

leave the

wonderful book

of Ruth

behind,

having celebrated

in every

chapter God's

covenant love,

God's

redeeming love.

chapter 4

finished with

a wedding

and with

a family

tree.

And with

the covenant

commitment of

Ruth and

Boaz,

with them

coming together

and with

Obed being

born.

When we

think about

our wedding

services,

and we

have a

husband and

a wife

coming to

make vows,

with four

family,

with four

friends,

with four

children,

with four

God,

committing for

richer and

for poorer,

for sickness

and in

health,

and better

and for

worse till

death do

us part.

It's a

covenant

relationship,

binding,

lifelong,

covenant

love.

Now when we

think about

Boaz and

Ruth, we

learn what

covenant

love looks

like.

It looks

like active

service,

it looks

like sacrifice,

for the

other.

It looks

like devotion

and hard

work and

generosity

and hospitality.

And one

of the things

that we're

laying with in

the book of

Ruth is

these wonderful

figures to

admire and

to aspire

towards.

In our

marriages,

in our

families,

in our

friendships,

to be

showing this

love and

loyalty,

this active

loving

service.

But we

don't want to

stop just

for the

human

actors.

And we

need to

see God

and his

covenant

faith

with him.

That he

is committed

to loving

and to

saving sinful,

rebellious

people.

So committed

that he

will work

his plans

through history

to give us

a redeemer

who is a

king,

whose name

is Jesus.

Jesus who

came to

establish the

new covenant

with his

church by

giving his

own body

and blood

for us.

Do we

know this

love?

Do we

rest in

the covenant

love of

God?

Do we

all know

this love

for ourselves?

Let's pray

together.

Lord God,

thank you

for this

wonderful story

that we've

been able to

reflect on

for the last

few weeks.

We thank

you for

the many

pictures of

covenant

love and

faithfulness

we see in

the human

actors.

We thank

you too

for the

covenant

faithfulness

we see

from you,

our God.

Thank you

for your

work of

providence

in guiding

and directing

so that a

redeemer was

found,

so a king

would come,

ultimately

so that

King Jesus,

our great

redeemer,

would come.

Lord,

help us to

enjoy his

love and

give us the

help we

need to

reflect that

love, to

demonstrate that

love to

one another.

Lord, as we

go into a

new week,

we thank you

that if we

have faith in

Jesus, we

know that you

go with us,

that you are

absolutely

committed to

our welfare,

come what

may.

And so we

ask that we

would trust

you and

worship you.

In Jesus'

name we

pray.

Amen.

Now we

will close

singing from

Psalm 147,

the first

seven verses.

Let's stand

to sing.

tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.