Living On Empty | Ruth 1

This semester we’re going through a sermon series entitled,  “Living In God’s Story As We Live In This World.”  As you go through life, it’s easy to forget who you are and what story you’re a part of. Alasdyre McIntyre reminds us that before we ask, “What do I have to do today?” we must first ask ourselves, “What story am I a part of?” The story you’re living in informs the choices you make in the world. 

The claim of the semester is this: if the story of Jesus is true, then His story completely changes how we live in this world. For we are not only a character in God’s story (because God’s story of redemption is still happening right now!), we are also a carrier of God’s story. We are called to carry God’s story of love and redemption into the world because we are also a character in the story who needed to be loved and redeemed too.

So every week we ask ourselves, “How does this biblical passage teach us how to live in God’s Story as we live in the world?”

This week we at what it means to live in God’s story when you feel empty. Naomi lost her husband and sons; she had no money and no prospects. In her own words, “I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty” (Ruth 1:21). We will learn from Naomi’s story that feeling empty in life is inevitable, gives us an opportunity to turn to God and trust in God, and can surprise us with its grace.

TEXT: Ruth 1