Scripture: But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and you God will be my God. – Ruth 1:16
-- Greetings --
Yesterday was Chinese New Year. So happy Chinese New Year. It is a time to celebrate a new beginning. It is a time to celebrate the love of family, love of friends, and love of community. Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. Do you know what is traditionally done today?... Yes, we visit the in-laws.
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Happy Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate the love of a couple. The love of parents. The love of family. And the love of community and friends.
-- Ruth’s Story --
Today we are going to review a story that has all those components.
Love is a middle-class family with a father, a mother and two boys. They had a lovely life. They had fields to farm. They had many friends that loved them. There was a famine in the land so out of love, Elimilech took his family to a foreign land leaving their friends, family and their God behind.
Love is being loyal to family.
Love is a single mother, Naomi, raising his two young boys all by herself in a foreign land without God, family or friends. You see Elimilech passed away shortly after arriving in the foreign land. As the boys grew-up, this loving mother found her two boys two loving wives. The small family was whole and happy again. The five live lovingly and happily in this foreign land of Moab.
Soon tragedy struck again. Mahlon and Kilion, the two sons both died leaving Naomi and his two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, all by themselves. Loyal love is Naomi deciding to release her two daughters-in-law so they can remarry and go back to her own people to live a life of poverty all by herself.
Loyal Love is Ruth deciding to stay with Naomi. Loyal Love is saying those famous words: “But 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. 17 Where 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.’” Ruth 1:16-17
Loyal Love is Ruth leaving her family, her friends, and her god for an unknow future, for a future of poverty and suffering.
Naomi returns to the protection of God and accepts God’s Loyal Love towards the Children of Israel.
Loyal Love is laboring every day to take care of Ruth’s mother-in-law. Loyal Love is going into the fields everyday to collect the few grains of wheat and barley just to survive. This Loyal Love is so great that everyone in the whole town of Bethlehem knows about the story of Naomi and Ruth.
Obed rewards this Loyal Love with generosity.
God established a path to show Loyalty to family. Loyal Love is Boaz showing his responsibility as the next of kin. He marries Ruth then they give their first born to Naomi as her son so she may have someone to take care of her.
Naomi took this son, raises him to the heavens and declares: “Naomi has a son!” Ruth 4:17.
And Boaz is the father of Obed.
Obed is the father of Jesse.
Jesse is the father of David
Jesus is the Son of David.
-- Psalms 23 --
What is this Loyal Love? Loyal Love is a loving another person more than yourself. Loyal Love is being a fiduciary. A fiduciary takes care of the other person before he or she considers their own wellbeing.
David in his Psalms identifies the components of this Loyal Love.
Let us turn to Psalms 23.
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” - Loyal Love can be summed up in the actions of a good shepherd.
2 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” - Loyal Love provides.
3 “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” - Loyal Love heals and restores us spiritually, mentally and physically.
4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” - Loyal Love protects
5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies” - Loyal Love edifies
“thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” - Loyal Love sanctifies and consecrates.
6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” - Loyal Love is merciful
“and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” - Loyal Love is forever
-- Love Letter to God and your Valentine --
Today is a day to rejoice. We have new year and Valentine. God has taken care of us through this past year. He has blessed us and we live in His Loyal Love.
You also have love ones that has been loyal to you. This person has also been with you through the year.
You have a piece of paper. If you are at home, go get a piece of paper. On the top of your piece of paper are the words: “Dear God,” and in the middle of this piece of paper is the word “Dear”
I like you to write two letters as Helen comes up to sing. The first letter is to God and the second is to your valentine. After you finish, fold the paper and tar it in half. There is a basket in the back where you can drop off your letter to God. Then give your second letter to your valentine.
< song – Ruth’s Son, Where You Go I Will Go >
-- Today’s Loyal Love --
What is loyal love to you? What does Loyal Love look like today? We express loyal love today?
Loyal Love is a single mother taking care of taking care of her son.
Loyal Love is a son leaving his job to take care of his dying mother for eight years.
Loyal Love is some young adults visiting a senior citizen every week.
Loyal Love is a church taking of their senior citizens by taking food to them during this pandemic period.
Loyal Love is a husband remaining faithful to his wife.
Loyal Love is the mother’s constant prayer for her sons to come back to church.
We see this type of loyal love around us all the time. We need to honor. We need to be grateful for their love.
I’m sure you can name a few people in your life that has shown you loyal love.
During New Year and Valentine, we should honor them and communicate our gratification.
-- God’s Loyal Love --
There is another person that has shown us Loyal Love. That person is our God – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
God’s Loyal Love is his constant provisions towards us.
God’s Loyal Love is the restoration He has done in each of lives. And he continues to transform us to the heavenly being we will eventually be.
God’s Loyal Love is His protection even when we don’t know we are protected.
God’s Loyal Love is the honor He has bestowed on us. He has given us the reputation of being His sons and daughters.
God’s Loyal Love is God consecrating and sanctifying us for our heavenly life.
God’s Loyal Love is forgiving us of all our sins.
Today is the second day of New Year. Let us not forget our God’s blessings his has granted us. We do not thank Him and praise Him enough.
In Psalms 22:3 David praises God – “Thou are holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises Israel.”
When we praise God, he comes and places His throne where we are.
All praises be to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
-- Closing --
Let’s pray:
Lord you are the great Shepherd.
You have led and provided for us.
You have restored us and given us righteousness.
You are our protector.
You have honored us in front of our enemies.
You have consecrated and sanctified us.
You have been merciful towards us.
You have prepared a heavenly home for us so we can live with you forever.
We praise you forever and ever.
Amen
