Dear Family at Christ Community,

     This Sunday we will focus on Ruth 4:7-12 in worship. Boaz pays the price to redeem not just Elimilech’s land and Ruth as his wife but also a heritage of hope from a dying family line. As part of our time together, we will participate in the Lord’s Supper at the invitation of Jesus to remember that we participate in this heritage of hope. This invitation is born of the Father’s love for us as His children whom He calls to hospitably invite others into this resurrected reality. He sent Jesus to live a holy life, die a sacrificial death, and rise victorious over all that separates us from Him as our Abba Father. Our redemption in Christ reflects His love and glory for our joy and for life of the world! We, as His beloved, get to share this with others even when it costs us something. The elements help nourish us to do this in the power of the Holy Spirit.

     As part of your preparation for the Lord’s Table, consider this Hannah Anderson quote from Heaven and Nature Sing: 25 Advent Reflections to Bring Joy to the World where she connects more than just the lineage from Boaz to Joseph:

So when the angel appeared to Joseph over a millennium later (following the marriage of Boaz and Ruth) and told him to take an already-pregnant Mary as his wife, God was inviting him to follow in the steps of his ancestor Boaz, to risk his good name and his own interests on behalf of another. God was inviting him to raise up a son who would redeem the family and the family land, saving his household from certain destruction. God was inviting him to mirror his own fatherly care.

     Just as God invited Boaz and Joseph to display His fatherly character for His glory, their joy, and the life of the world, He calls us to do the same in our spheres of influence. Jesus redeemed us for a purpose: to serve as ambassadors of our great God’s reconciliation! Pray for the Holy Spirit to remind you of God’s love so that you can serve as an instrument to help remind or introduce His love to others.

In Christ,
Cameron