Intro

• Baseball & Christmas Seasons
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• George was so caught up in dispair that he couldn’t see the blessings.

Recap

• Focus on Naomi
• Naomi was in a pit she couldn’t see her way out of. [[[ CLIP: REN & STIMPY ]]]

18 She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal.

19 “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the Lord bless the one who helped you!”

So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”

20 “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband.[a] That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.”

21 Then Ruth[b] said, “What’s more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.”

22 “Good!” Naomi exclaimed. “Do as he said, my daughter. Stay with his young women right through the whole harvest. You might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him.”

23 So Ruth worked alongside the women in Boaz’s fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she continued working with them through the wheat harvest in early summer. And all the while she lived with her mother-in-law.

EXPLAIN IT

• Naomi is George Bailey on the bridge
• Sees Ruth walking up with 22 pounds of barley. [[[ VACATION ]]]. 
• Naomi knows Ruth didn’t do it alone. 
• Naomi is really excited about the food? No!
• She is excited about the kinsman redeemer!
  • Repurchase property
  • Pay slavery debts
  • Aid is lawsuits
  • Bear sons to carry on the name
  • Avenging death! [[[ AVENGE ME ]]]
• Naomi changes gears from wallowing in a sad state of self-pity to being an active participant.
• Naomi makes two suggestions in verse 23:
  • Worried about Ruth’s wellbeing. She could be attacked, assaulted. Suddenly Ruth’s head is in the game. She is an active participant again. (Baseball, head in the game).
• What has brought about this change?
• Ruth! Ruth saw the state that Naomi was in and did what needed to be done.
• What needed to be done? Naomi needed some hope. Ruth provided some hope, right? She showed Naomi a way out of the hole they were in.
• Phil 2:1–2
• About disunity in the church, but I think it makes good advice in these situations as well.
• We should be a Ruth when we have the chance. 
• Sometimes that’s easier than others. There are certainly grades of grief. Sometimes it’s small stuff, but sometimes, it’s big stuff.
• Naomi, having lost everything, her home, her husband, her children, was certainly in a position to be grieving. And that’s okay. 

But if you are trying to be a Ruth to someone who is experiencing deep grief like Naomi, how can you do that? Some practical tips…

Grieving

Tip 1: Understand the grieving process – There is no right or wrong way to grieve. – Grief may involve extreme emotions and behaviors. – There is no set timetable for grieving.

Tip 2: Know what to say – Acknowledge the situation. – Express your concern. – Let the bereaved talk about how their loved one died. – Ask how your loved one feels. – Accept your loved one’s feelings. – Be genuine in your communication. – Be willing to sit in silence. – Offer your support. 

Tip 3: Offer practical assistance – Groceries, meals, forms, bills, babysitting, housework

Tip 4: Offer ongoing support – Continue your support over the long haul. – Don’t make assumptions based on outward appearances. – The pain of bereavement may never fully heal. – Offer extra support on special days.

But what if you are the Naomi?

Grieving is normal and okay. There’s nothing wrong with you for grieving! But you cannot live there. And the majority of the time, when we are down and looking like Stimpy in that clip I showed at the beginning, it is over much smaller stuff.

Kelly and I both missed out on good job opportunities in the realtively recent past, but my hope is not in work, my hope is in Jesus.

Just yesterday Mike found out our Metro Kids bus had been stolen, but our hope – and the hope we share with the students at our programs – is not in a bus, our hope is in Jesus.

Kelly and I hit a rough patch, monitarily back in early 2020. But our hope wasn’t in cash. Our hope wazs in jesus. 

Is Jesus not enough for you?

Naomi spring to life when she heard about Boaz. She recognized him instantly. But he was there all along. How did she forget about him? 

Are you missing the blessing because you are focused on the negative? 

A merry heart