The First Week of November
We Read…
Even though the stories in the Bible were written thousands of years ago, they still reflect our lives today! One theme we can see in this week’s passages is that of transition. We watch as Ruth declares her intentions to transition alongside Naomi, even though it wasn’t expected or requested. We also hear about how Jesus has enabled us to transition away from animal sacrifices, which were a huge part of Jewish life and faith.
Sometimes - maybe even most of the time - transitions can be really challenging. It is hard to let go of what we once knew, and it is hard to start a new life in a new place or new habits in an old place. Sometimes, we control our transitions; sometimes, we don’t. But we see that when God is our focus, and our transitions have God at the center of them, we can know that God is walking with us and supporting us as we go.
Ruth 1:1-18
1 During the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. A man with his wife and two sons went from Bethlehem of Judah to dwell in the territory of Moab. 2 The name of that man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the territory of Moab and settled there.
3 But Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died. Then only she was left, along with her two sons. 4 They took wives for themselves, Moabite women; the name of the first was Orpah and the name of the second was Ruth. And they lived there for about ten years.
5 But both of the sons, Mahlon and Chilion, also died. Only the woman was left, without her two children and without her husband.
6 Then she arose along with her daughters-in-law to return from the field of Moab, because while in the territory of Moab she had heard that the Lord had paid attention to his people by providing food for them. 7 She left the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law went with her. They went along the road to return to the land of Judah.
8 Naomi said to her daughters-in-law, “Go, turn back, each of you to the household of your mother. May the Lord deal faithfully with you, just as you have done with the dead and with me. 9 May the Lord provide for you so that you may find security, each woman in the household of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
10 But they replied to her, “No, instead we will return with you, to your people.”
11 Naomi replied, “Turn back, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Will there again be sons in my womb, that they would be husbands for you? 12 Turn back, my daughters. Go. I am too old for a husband. If I were to say that I have hope, even if I had a husband tonight, and even more, if I were to bear sons—13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you refrain from having a husband? No, my daughters. This is more bitter for me than for you, since the Lord’s will has come out against me.”
14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth stayed with her. 15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her gods. Turn back after your sister-in-law.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to abandon you, to turn back from following after you. Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do this to me and more so if even death separates me from you.” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her about it.
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord!
Let my whole being praise the Lord!
2 I will praise the Lord with all my life;
I will sing praises to my God
as long as I live.
3 Don’t trust leaders;
don’t trust any human beings—
there’s no saving help with them!
4 Their breath leaves them,
then they go back to the ground.
On that very same day,
their plans die too.
5 The person whose help
is the God of Jacob—
the person whose hope
rests on the Lord their God—
is truly happy!
6 God: the maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them.
God: who is faithful forever,
7 who gives justice to people
who are oppressed,
who gives bread to people
who are starving!
The Lord: who frees prisoners.
8 The Lord: who makes the blind see.
The Lord: who straightens up
those who are bent low.
The Lord: who loves the righteous.
9 The Lord: who protects immigrants,
who helps orphans and widows,
but who makes the way of the wicked
twist and turn!
10 The Lord will rule forever!
Zion, your God will rule
from one generation to the next!
Praise the Lord!
Hebrews 9:11-14
11 But Christ has appeared as the high priest of the good things that have happened. He passed through the greater and more perfect meeting tent, which isn’t made by human hands (that is, it’s not a part of this world). 12 He entered the holy of holies once for all by his own blood, not by the blood of goats or calves, securing our deliverance for all time. 13 If the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkled ashes of cows made spiritually contaminated people holy and clean, 14 how much more will the blood of Jesus wash our consciences clean from dead works in order to serve the living God? He offered himself to God through the eternal Spirit as a sacrifice without any flaw.
Mark 12:28-34
28 One of the legal experts heard their dispute and saw how well Jesus answered them. He came over and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
29 Jesus replied, “The most important one is Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, 30 and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 31 The second is this, You will love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.”
32 The legal expert said to him, “Well said, Teacher. You have truthfully said that God is one and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love God with all of the heart, a full understanding, and all of one’s strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is much more important than all kinds of entirely burned offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered with wisdom, he said to him, “You aren’t far from God’s kingdom.” After that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
We Think…
What stands out to you in these verses?
Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or in the church? What are you considering? What questions come to mind?
Why do you think Jesus says the most important commandments are to love God and love your neighbor?
We Feel…
What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
Where have you seen God today or this week? What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, a friend or adult that cares for you)?
What has God made new in your life? In your heart?
When has God restored or redeemed something in your life? How does that make you feel?
How would you feel if you were in Ruth and Naomi’s place?
When have you experienced a transition in life?
How was God present (or maybe silent) in those moments?
We Believe…
We believe that Jesus offered his life so that we could be forgiven. There are a lot of different beliefs under this larger one, even within denominations! It can feel overwhelming to try and understand all of the details about what Jesus’s death on the cross means, how exactly his sacrifice cleanses us, and at what specific moment we are atoned for, and it’s okay to ask these hard questions! But it’s also important not to feel so overwhelmed that we forget what matters - Jesus came to walk alongside us, Jesus willingly gave up his life for us, Jesus loves us, and that love drove him to be willing to give up everything, and because Jesus died and rose again, no other sacrifice is needed to make us right with God.
We Practice…
Take a few minutes to list out all of the transitions you have experienced. Maybe this involves moving to a new place or starting at a new school; maybe it’s something like changing bedrooms with your sibling or moving from elementary school to middle school.
Reflect on the emotions you felt amid those transitions and how you feel about them now. Do you look back with fondness?
Is it still hard to think about what you left behind? Consider how these experiences can draw you closer to God.
Consider how these experiences could help you empathize with someone who is also going through the same situation.
Finally, share your reflections from this week in a small group or with an adult you trust.
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