A Love Story Begins

Good morning. That was pretty good, actually.

Great to be here together with everybody, and a privilege for me to be delivering God's Word to you today.

So as Kevin did mention, this is my first time preaching,

and as I was talking to the elders about potentially preaching today,

to be honest, I was a little bit hesitant, kind of like a little bit anxious, a little bit apprehensive,

but actually the elders were very encouraging.

They said, you know what, Oscar? It's not your work. It's not your Word. It's not your voice.

It's the Spirit of God that speaks to us and leads us. Isn't that so true?

And then one of the other elders, who I won't name, was also very gracious,

and was also being very encouraging, and then he said to me,

Oscar, you know what? Tim Keller said that his first 200 sermons were rubbish.

So I thought about that, and I realized what that means is that if I preach once every six months at Watermark,

which don't get any ideas, Kevin and Chris, okay?

But if I preach once every six months at Watermark, in 100 years, I'll have a decent sermon.

So come back in 2118. Mark your calendars for that.

And with that, let me pray for myself and for us.

Father God, you know me.

You know that with my own strength, using my own ability, I cannot deliver your Word this morning.

So Father, I beg you, I desperately need you to speak through me, Lord.

I desperately need for your Spirit to inspire me.

I pray that your Word, your Word would be front and center of my mind, God,

and that your voice would be heard today, God,

and my voice would actually just fade into the background.

I pray that our hearts, our minds will be open to hearing your Word today, Lord.

I pray that we'll see, Father, how much we need you,

and how beautiful and majestic our Lord Jesus Christ is.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

So, we've been doing a sermon series on the book of Ruth.

And last week, last Sunday, we studied Ruth chapter 1.

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

And in chapter 1, we learned that Ruth was set in the time of the judges,

where Israel had no king, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

And it was with that mindset that Naomi, her husband Elimelech,

and their two sons left Bethlehem, the promised land of God,

to try to find food in the land of Moab.

But Moab was an enemy of Israel.

Its people were founded upon incest.

Its woman in days past had seduced the men of Israel

and caused them to worship pagan gods.

And in Moab, tragedy struck.

Naomi's two sons married Moabite woman.

But ten years later, her sons die.

Naomi was left with her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.

And when Naomi hears that God brought food back to Bethlehem,

she decides to return, but tells Orpah and Ruth to stay in Moab.

She says to them,

in Moab, at least you'll have a chance of finding a future.

At least you'll have a chance that someone would marry you,

someone will continue on your family line.

Orpah says, great, I'll stay in Moab.

But Ruth, she clings to Naomi.

And in Ruth chapter 1, verse 16,

Ruth 1:16

we read that wonderful, timeless statement of commitment,

faithfulness, and loyalty.

As Ruth says to Naomi,

don't urge me to leave you.

Where you go, I will go.

And where you stay, I will stay.

Your people will be my people,

and your God will be my God.

Where you die, I will die.

And there, I will be buried.

And so Naomi, along with her daughter-in-law, Ruth,

the most unlikely couple,

journeyed to Bethlehem,

the house of bread,

in search of food.

And they returned just at the right time,

just as the barley harvest was beginning

in early spring in Bethlehem.

And that is where we find ourselves,

in Ruth chapter 2.

Ruth 2 · chapter mention

Where Ruth 1 was chaotic and tragic,

in chapter 2, the narrative begins to shift.

Light begins to shine on a dark situation.

Harvest time means food for the people.

And of course, Boaz shows up.

Oh, Boaz,

the man every father wants his daughter to marry.

I think about that stuff just a little bit

now that I have a daughter of my own, Kiva.

Is the book of Ruth a love story

between Boaz and Ruth?

Yes, it is.

Sure it is.

It's a wonderful love story

of how Boaz showers unprecedented favor on Ruth.

But if we think of Ruth

as just a traditional love story,

we will miss the deeper meaning.

The book of Ruth tells a much bigger story.

It's about how in the midst of despair,

in the midst of hopelessness,

in the midst of tragedy,

God wants to redeem us.

In the midst of pain and brokenness,

he wants to draw us close to himself.

He wants to shower us

with his loving kindness.

It's a story of the whole Bible, isn't it?

And for today's passage in Ruth chapter 2,

Ruth 2 · chapter mention

what I hope we'll see

is that God is constantly working behind the scenes,

showering kindness upon Ruth.

And this man, Boaz,

this guardian or kinsman redeemer,

he's there to show us

a glimpse or a shadow

of the ultimate redeemer to come,

our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's dive into it.

Let's go to Ruth chapter 2,

Ruth 2:2

verse 2 and part of verse 3.

And Ruth, the Moabitess, said to Naomi,

let me go into the fields

and pick up the leftover grain

behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.

Naomi said to her,

go ahead, my daughter.

So she went out

and began to glean in the fields

behind the harvesters.

So, we start chapter 2

with Naomi returning to Bethlehem

and Ruth by her side.

And one day,

Ruth decides to glean in the fields

behind the harvesters.

God gave Israel the law of gleaning

as a way of providing for those in society

that were financially broken,

specifically orphans,

widows, and foreigners.

And it meant that landowners,

instead of maximizing profits

by picking every last bit of grain,

would leave some for the poor

to pick up or to glean.

And this was intended

to reflect God's mercy on people

that did not have the economic means

to support themselves.

But for Ruth,

gleaning in the fields

was dangerous.

And that is why,

in verse 8,

Boaz tells Ruth to,

stay in my fields.

And he also says to her,

in verse 9,

I have told the men

not to touch you.

He said this

because at that time

in Israel's history,

at the time of the judges,

lawlessness abounded.

And so,

though there was a law

to allow for gleaning,

women who gleaned in the fields

were oftentimes abused,

physically, emotionally.

But in spite of these obvious risks,

Ruth had the courage

to step out

into the barley fields

to glean.

Why?

Well, first,

she was hungry.

She had a real need.

She was a normal person

who had a normal,

everyday need.

And second,

Ruth had made a promise

to be faithful to Naomi,

and her gleaning

and gathering barley for food

was a way for her

to show love

and kindness

to Naomi.

She was looking after her.

She was keeping her promise.

But the amazing thing here

is that Ruth

wasn't doing this alone.

God was right there.

Ruth did not choose this field.

God chose this field.

Let's look at the end

of verse 3.

It says,

As it turned out,

she found herself

working in the field

belonging to Boaz,

who was from the clan

of Elimelech.

I love that phrase,

as it turned out.

The literal translation

is chance chance,

which is an exaggerated

expression

to convey

just how unlikely

it was

for Ruth to stumble

upon Boaz's field.

As Ruth took that step

of faith

to go out

and glean in the fields,

it was clear

that God

had paved the way

for her

and allowed her

to meet Boaz

and to find favor

with him.

Of all the fields

she could have stumbled upon

in that dark land,

she finds herself

in the one field

owned

by a godly man.

This wasn't just chance.

This was God's intervention.

Ruth was just going

about her day,

trying to put food

on the table,

being faithful

to Naomi.

Naomi,

and God

met her need.

And where did he lead her?

Right to Boaz's field.

Now let's rewind

for a second

and go back

to verse one.

Let's look at Boaz.

Now Naomi

had a relative

on her husband's side

from the clan

of Elimelech,

a man of standing

whose name

was Boaz.

Three things here

to mention

about Boaz.

Number one,

in terms of family relations,

Boaz was a relative

of Elimelech

from the same clan.

Now in Israel,

there were the twelve

tribes of Israel,

the sons of Jacob.

Below that

were the clans

of Israel,

and below that

were the families.

Boaz was from

the same clan

as Elimelech.

Second thing is,

the text says

that he was

a man of standing.

So Boaz

was a landowner.

So he was wealthy.

We know that.

But he wasn't

just some rich guy.

The Hebrew

for man of standing

can be roughly

translated as

a man of wealth,

but also

a man of character

and of integrity.

Third,

what does he say?

What are his first

words?

You can tell

a lot about a man

by what he says.

Look at verse 4.

I love

his first words.

He arrives

back from Bethlehem,

and I can imagine

Boaz standing

at the edge

of his fields,

looking out

at his harvesters

and saying,

the Lord be with you.

He blesses them.

How many bosses

in Hong Kong

do you know

that bless their colleagues?

I hear Pat laughing

over there.

Most bosses

in Hong Kong

lord over

or domineer

over their

subordinates

and colleagues,

but not Boaz.

Boaz is kind

to them.

And the best

example

of Boaz's kindness

is how

he treats

Ruth.

In verse 5,

Boaz notices

Ruth in his

body field,

and when he

realizes who

she is,

the Moabite

widow and

daughter-in-law

of Naomi,

he immediately

showers her

with kindness.

What does he do?

First,

Boaz

protects Ruth.

Verse 8

and 9,

Boaz says to

Ruth,

don't go

and glean

in another field

and don't go

away from here.

Stay here

with my servant

girls.

Watch the fields

where the men

are harvesting

and follow

along after

the girls.

I have told

the men

not to touch

you.

Now we know

Ruth needed

to gather

food for her

and Naomi,

but the only

way she could

do so safely

was if someone

protected her.

And Boaz

offered that

protection.

But you know

what's so powerful

is that in

coming under

Boaz's protection,

Ruth was actually

coming under

the protection

of God

himself.

Look at

verse 12.

Boaz,

in acknowledging

Ruth's loyalty

to Naomi,

he says to her,

may you be

richly rewarded

by the Lord,

the God

of Israel,

under whose

wings you

have come

to take

refuge.

Under whose

wings you

have come

to take

refuge.

As Ruth

gleaned

in Boaz's

field,

she thought

she was

coming under

Boaz's

protection,

but in

actual fact,

Ruth was

coming under

the protection

of God,

under his

wings.

God was

right there.

And the

second way

that Boaz

shows kindness

to Ruth

is that

he accepts

Ruth.

Boaz

didn't tell

Ruth,

hey,

stay in my

fields,

you can glean

as you

like,

my guys

will take

care of

you,

but I

got to

go take

off and

do the

financial

audit because

it's the

year end.

No,

Boaz

takes another

step and

invites

Ruth to

dine with

him at

his midday

meal.

Verse 14,

at mealtime,

Boaz said to

her,

come over

here,

have some

bread and

dip it in

the wine

vinegar.

When she

sat down,

he offered

her some

roasted

grain.

In any

culture,

when you

invite someone

to dine at

your table,

you project

a sense of

inclusion,

belonging,

acceptance.

You eat

with who

you want

to be

associated

with.

I can

imagine

guys like

Boaz,

landowners,

they would

dine with

other landowners

or perhaps

with customers

to whom

they want

to do

business.

Actually,

it's not

that different

from modern

day Hong

Kong,

is it?

And third,

Boaz

abundantly

sustains

Ruth.

As we

just saw,

at the

midday

meal,

Ruth eats

right at

Boaz's

table.

Verse 14

says,

she ate

all she

wanted

and had

some

left over.

Ruth

wasn't just

full after

eating with

Boaz.

She was

given so

much food,

she had

leftovers.

And then,

after the

meal,

verse 15

16,

Boaz

instructs

his men

to pull

some stalks

of barley

from the

bundles

and to

leave them

out in

the field

for Ruth

to pick

up.

He made

her job

so much

easier for

her.

He doesn't

just allow

Ruth to

glean in

the traditional

way according

to the

letter of

the law.

He works

behind the

scenes to

give Ruth

abundantly

more.

And at

the end

of that

day,

in verse

17,

Ruth

gleaned

about an

ephah

of barley.

An

ephah

of barley

is roughly

10 to

15 liters,

which is

10 to

15 times

more than

one person's

daily ration

in those

days.

And if that

wasn't enough,

Boaz goes

further.

Because of

his protection

and favor

upon Ruth,

Ruth was

able to

safely glean

through both

the barley

and the

wheat harvest,

which was

about seven

weeks.

And therefore,

at the end

of seven

weeks,

she would

have gleaned

about eight

months worth

of food.

What favor?

What blessing?

At the

beginning of

Ruth chapter

two,

Ruth went

out to

glean because

she was

hungry.

She had

no food.

But by

the end

of the

two months

of gleaning,

she had

more than

she needed

because Boaz

had abundantly

sustained her.

Look at

Ruth's

response.

She says

to Boaz

in verse

10,

Why have

I found

such favor

in your

eyes that

you notice

me, a

foreigner?

She is

genuinely

surprised at

Boaz's

kindness,

confirming

that Boaz

has indeed

given her

so much

more than

she expected.

And then

later on

in verse

13,

she says,

You have

given me

comfort,

have spoken

kindly to

your servant,

though I

do not

have the

standing

of one

of your

servant

girls.

Ruth

comes to

Boaz

with such

humility

and no

sense of

entitlement.

She never

thinks she

deserves

favor.

She never

thinks she

can earn

favor.

She

recognized

who she

was,

foreign

widow,

someone

unworthy

of even

being called

a servant

girl,

someone

broken,

someone in

need of

grace.

And in

verse 18,

Ruth returns

to Naomi.

Naomi.

You can

imagine Naomi

sitting there

waiting for

Ruth to

return,

unsure if

Ruth would

be successful

that day

in gleaning,

unsure if

God would

provide,

bitter,

resentful

against God

for the

predicament

that she's

in.

But all

of a sudden,

Ruth returns

home with

this massive,

huge bounty

of barley,

and she

tells Naomi

she has

gleaned in

Boaz's

field.

Naomi can't

believe it.

She tells

Ruth,

this man is

our close

relative.

He is our

kinsman

redeemer.

There is hope

after all.

Now,

we'll be

unpacking this

very important

concept of a

kinsman

redeemer or

guardian

redeemer in

detail in the

next two

weeks, so

you'll have to

wait for that.

But just to

give you a

quick preview,

the concept

of a kinsman

redeemer was

based upon

the Jewish

law.

Under the

law, male

clan members

had certain

responsibilities

towards their

relatives.

They had the

responsibility

to help out

a fellow

clan member

who faced

certain adverse

circumstances.

Two in

particular.

One, if a

relative fell

into extreme

poverty such

that he was

forced to sell

himself or

his land to

repay a debt,

a kinsman

redeemer, a

relative, was

expected to buy

back the

family member or

buy back that

land, whatever

the case may

be.

And second, if

a male relative

died, the

kinsman

redeemer was

expected to

marry the

widow to

carry on the

family name of

the male

relative.

But as you

can imagine,

both of these

things were

costly.

And Naomi

recognized that

Boaz was a

relative of her

dead husband,

Elimelech, and

therefore was one

of her family's

kinsman

redeemers.

You can sense

the excitement

and anticipation

from Naomi.

Could it be,

could God be

calling the

kind and good

man Boaz,

our close

relative, our

kinsman

redeemer, to

redeem our land,

to buy back

our dignity, to

carry on our

family line, to

save us?

Maybe God is

at work in our

lives after all.

Maybe Ruth

happening to

stumble upon

Boaz's field

wasn't random.

Did you

notice that

in the entire

chapter 2,

there isn't

even one

instance of

God intervening

in an obvious

supernatural

way?

God didn't

speak audibly

to Ruth

or to Boaz

like he did

to Abraham.

He didn't

appear to them

like he did

to Moses

in a burning

bush.

And yet,

God was

very much

still at work.

Of all the

barley fields

outside Bethlehem,

God led

Ruth to

Boaz's field

at the exact

time Boaz

showed up.

Even though

we don't

audibly hear

God's voice

or we don't

visibly see

him in action,

God's fingerprints

are all over

the narrative

of Ruth.

Proverbs

16.9

says,

I love this

passage,

a man's

heart

plans his

ways,

but the

Lord directs

his steps.

I don't

know about

you this

morning,

but that

verse is

very comforting

to me.

I feel

like

recently I've

had to

make so

many big

and small

decisions

about my

family,

my job,

a lot of

things going

on in my

life.

Recently we

decided to

move,

we decided

to send

Kiva to a

certain school,

so many

things going

on.

My day

job,

it's just

taken up

so much

of my

mental

capacity.

And on

top of

that,

my wife

and I

are expecting

twin boys.

Thank you.

Praise God.

We're very

excited about

this and feel

very,

very blessed.

But you

know,

with the

twin boys

coming,

to be honest,

I have more

questions than

answers.

I was talking

to my wife

the other day

and we're just

saying to each

other,

how are we

going to get

to church

on time

on Sunday?

How are we

going to get

anywhere on

time?

But you

know,

when I look

at Ruth,

I realize

God cares

about every

decision we

make.

He cares

about every

aspect of

our lives,

even the

mundane,

everyday

details.

I think

oftentimes we

think God

only cares

about the

really big

things in

our lives,

so therefore

we only

pray when

we're really

in trouble.

But when

we fail

to believe

God is

working in

the everyday

aspect,

everyday

aspects of

our lives,

we end up

complaining.

When we

fail to believe

God is

working,

we oftentimes

put more

undue

pressure on

ourselves to

do things

with our

own strength.

faith.

Or maybe

some of us

feel God

is so far

away,

he's up

in the

clouds,

and so

therefore we

lose hope

and we

drift away

from him,

from the

church,

from our

community

groups,

from reading

his word,

from pursuing

him.

But if we

look at

Ruth,

that morning

she seemed

to make a

mundane

decision to

go glean

for barley.

But God

honored that.

And God

was right

there,

directing her,

guiding her,

even in this

small decision.

And he led

her right

to Boaz,

where God

blessed Ruth

through Boaz.

When we

believe that

the sovereign

God of the

universe is in

control,

we don't worry

about our

decisions.

We don't worry

about the

outcomes.

We go through

our day

knowing that

he cares

about every

mundane

event and

our hearts

are at

peace because

he cares.

He cares

about that

conversation

you're having

tomorrow with

your boss.

He cares

about where

you're going

to send

your kids

to school.

He cares

about the

dinner you're

going to

have with

your in-laws.

I know

life in

Hong Kong

is often

a grind.

But be

encouraged that

God is not

just there in

the big

things.

He's there

in the

thousand

small moments

of every

single day

working in

our lives.

So as we've

seen in

Ruth chapter

two,

Boaz

was a

faithful man

of God,

a good

man,

a kind

man.

Remember,

Boaz was

merely a

man.

Boaz just

gives us a

glimpse of the

redeemer who

was to come

over a thousand

years later who

would redeem

not just one

family but the

world.

Boaz was just

a type and

shadow of the

greatest

redeemer,

Jesus Christ,

God himself,

who would

redeem mankind

from our

greatest tragedy,

our own

hearts,

our own

brokenness,

our own

fractured

nature.

You see,

in many ways,

you and I

were like

Ruth.

Ruth was not

a Jew.

She was a

Gentile.

When she first

came to Israel,

she was a

foreigner,

without rights,

without hope.

She was an

outcast,

looked down

upon by

society.

The

apostle Paul,

he writes in

Ephesians 2

that we too

are Gentiles

by birth

and that

before we

knew Christ,

we too

were excluded

from citizenship

in Israel,

foreigners to

the covenants

of promise,

without hope

and without

God in the

world.

Like Ruth,

without Christ,

you and I,

we too,

are broken.

We too are

in desperate

need of a

savior.

But unlike

Ruth,

we weren't

just struggling

with hunger.

We weren't

just victims

of our

relatives'

misfortune.

Before we

knew Christ,

you and I

were enemies

of God.

Every time

we said in

our hearts,

I want to

do this my

way,

I want to

be in

charge,

we are

guilty of

mocking

Christ,

of beating

him,

of setting

that crown

of thorns

upon his

head.

But we

have hope.

In that

same passage

from Ephesians,

Paul goes

on to say,

Paul goes

on to say,

but now

in Christ

Jesus,

you who

were once

far away

have been

brought near

through the

blood of

Christ.

Without

doing anything

on our own

accord,

without

justifying

ourselves,

we who

were once

far away

have been

brought near

to God

through the

blood of

Jesus Christ.

Ruth's

redeemer

was

Boaz,

but our

redeemer

is one

who is

far

greater.

Our

redeemer

is Christ

himself,

who is

seated at

the right

hand of

God

in heaven.

Boaz

protected

Ruth and

said to

her,

stay in

my fields.

And

remember,

in verse

12,

he acknowledged

that Ruth

came to

Bethlehem

to seek

refuge under

the wings

of the

God

of

Israel.

What did

Christ say

about this?

In the

Gospels,

as Jesus

lamented how

his Jewish

brothers rejected

him as

their Messiah

and Savior,

Christ,

he cries

out in

Matthew 23,

he says,

how often

I long

to gather

your children

together as

a hen

gathers her

chicks under

her wings,

for you

were not

willing.

The

theologian

N.T.

Wright

said this,

he said,

this image

is of a

barnyard

fire.

When the

fire breaks

out,

the mother

hen would

gather her

chicks under

her wings

to protect

them.

But when

the fire

had run

its course,

there will

be found

a dead

hen,

scorched

and blackened.

but the

chicks will

be alive

and well

under her

wings.

It's a

picture of

Christ,

God in

flesh who

would protect

us under

his wings,

taking the

punishment

of death

for us,

even when

we had

rejected

him.

Now,

Boaz,

he accepted

Ruth at

his dining

table.

He welcomed

her,

he included

her.

But Christ

says,

my father

has prepared

a banquet

for you

in heaven

where we

will dine

together for

eternity.

Christ

says,

my father's

house has

many rooms

and I

am going

there to

prepare a

place for

you.

Christ

says,

you are

welcome,

you belong,

and he

says,

because of

me,

my father

sees you

as my

brother

and my

sister.

You are

my family.

Now,

Boaz

sustained

Ruth with

a huge

bounty of

barley.

He fed

her for

weeks and

months at

a big

cost to

himself.

Boaz

could have

sold that

barley for

money.

But Christ

sustains us

with his

very body.

Christ

says,

I am the

bread of

life,

and I

give you

my body

on the

cross.

I've

paid the

ultimate

price.

Boaz

was a

good

man.

You

could even

say he

was a

great

man.

But

Jesus

Christ

is a

hero of

this

story.

He

embodies

loving

kindness.

Jesus

Christ

is

loving

kindness.

So as

we close

Ruth

Ruth 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2,

let's

ask

ourselves

a

question.

How has

God called

us to

share his

loving

kindness to

those around

us?

As we've

seen this

morning,

God displayed

his kindness

to Ruth

through Boaz.

Ruth,

the Moabitess

widow,

Gentile,

an outsider

in Israel.

She saw

the kindness

of God

through this

God-fearing

man,

Boaz.

So,

who are

the Ruths

around us?

Who are

the outsiders?

And how

will they

experience

the kindness

of God?

There are

people around

us every

single day,

even right

here at

church on

Sunday,

that the

world would

judge as

outsiders.

others.

But let's

ask ourselves,

can Watermark

Community Church

be a place

that welcomes

all peoples,

all nations,

all demographics?

Can our

Sunday service,

our CGs,

be a place

where every

man and

every woman

is equally

shown the

kindness of

God?

God?

Jeremy and

Soda talked

about social

justice earlier.

out there

in the city,

there are

so many

people crying

out for

the kindness

of God.

There are

so many

pockets of

society here

in Hong Kong

that struggle

economically or

socially.

Think about

the women

that work in

the red light

districts,

minorities that

have few

rights,

the elderly,

the widows,

the orphans,

single mothers.

As Christ

followers,

God has

called us to

care for

and to

show kindness

to these

people.

Otherwise,

how are they

going to

receive kindness?

You see,

when we

truly understand

the kindness

of Christ,

when the

truth of

Christ's

sacrifice,

pain,

what he

went through

for us on

the cross,

when that is

so deeply

rooted in

our hearts,

then we can

show kindness

to the people

around us,

just like

Ruth showed

kindness to

Naomi,

and Boaz

showed kindness

to Ruth.

Ordinary people

living faithful,

extraordinary lives.

God using

faithful people

to show his

kindness to

the world.

So this week,

as you go about

your daily lives,

at home with

your families,

at work,

when you meet

strangers on

the street or

in the MTR,

can you allow

God to

display his

kindness

through you?

Let's pray.

Father, we do

thank you for

your word,

which is living,

which is active,

and powerful.

Father, I pray

that as we

receive your

message,

as we receive

your word,

and as we

digest it

this week,

Lord,

I pray,

Father,

that at first,

Lord,

we would see

our own

brokenness,

Father,

our own need

of you.

You would see

how we're like

Ruth.

Before we knew

you,

we were a

foreigner,

to your

kingdom.

But,

Father,

through the

blood of

Christ,

through his

sacrifice,

through the

cross,

we have been

brought near

to God.

And I pray,

Lord,

that as we

think about

and meditate

upon the

kindness

that we see

in this

passage

that Boaz

has shown

to Ruth,

I pray,

Father,

that we'll just

see the

kindness of

God through

that.

infinitely

greater

than the

kindness

that Boaz,

that good

man,

showed to

Ruth.

And I

pray,

Lord,

that we'll

just see

the beauty

of Christ,

that we'll

be more

in awe

of him.

God,

that we'll

do it.

And I

pray,

Father,

that as we

go out

into Hong

Kong during

this week,

wherever we

are,

Lord,

Monday to

Friday to

Saturday,

I pray,

Father,

that you

would use

us to

show your

kindness to

those around

us,

Lord,

in every

situation,

Father.

And,

Lord,

for some

of us,

that's

difficult.

that's a

challenge.

Sometimes,

Lord,

I admit,

it's hard

to be kind

to those

that are

not kind

to me.

But then

I look at

Christ,

and I

see,

on the

cross,

on the

cross,

that you

were beaten,

Lord Jesus.

You were

mocked,

you were

whipped,

you bled

for me,

God.

You showed

me,

you showed

all of us

ultimate

loving kindness

through what

you did.

And I pray,

God,

that we would

receive that

message today,

Lord,

and we would

go out into

Hong Kong

and to show

your loving

kindness

to those

around us,

to those