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If you’ve been joining us on Sundays, you’ll know we are up to Ruth chapter three in our sermon mini-series this week. It’s a wonderful story!
So far, Ruth has shown undivided kindness and loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi. She chose to leave her home country to go with Naomi and made Naomi’s God her God. She served Naomi, going out to glean for food so neither of them would starve. Ruth and Naomi have discovered that Boaz, in whose fields Ruth gleaned, is a kind, generous and loyal man who is also one of their family’s “redeemers.” As it stands, Naomi will have to sell her family’s land to survive. But if Boaz marries Ruth, their problems will be solved! It’s not clear if Boaz will entertain the idea of marrying Ruth as she is a possibly infertile, poor widow, and a foreigner. If he does marry her and has a son with her, the child will be considered Elimelech’s heir not his own. Regardless of all this, Naomi comes up with a clever but risky plan to secure a marriage proposal from Boaz (Ruth 3:1). Ruth needs to get dressed up, put on expensive perfume, and then wait for Boaz to fall asleep after a big meal and a few drinks (Ruth 3:3). She should then uncover his feet and lie down next to him (Ruth 3:4). Though this kind of proposal sounds strange to us, it was culturally appropriate at the time. Ruth didn’t propose to Boaz because he was handsome or rich but to redeem Naomi’s family. We will unpack this more on this coming Sunday. I hope you can join us and hear how it turns out. Meantime, I encourage you to consider God’s loving kindness to us though Jesus Christ our redeemer. Out of loyalty to God’s promises of steadfast kindness, Jesus left his homeland and married a bride at great cost to himself (Ephesians 5:25). Jesus did not join himself with us because we are the best or most desired. Rather, he died for us because he is kind and loyal. He’s kind toward people in need and loyal to the promises he made. May this encourage us to go to him and lay at his feet this week. We can go to him and ask for help, and he will surely give it. We have a God who covers us with his wings. In Christ, Rev Tanya
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Last Sunday we launched our new mini sermon series on the book of Ruth. Apologies to those watching online, as the sound wasn’t working. We hope to be up and running again this Sunday.
In Chapter 1 we considered the sadness and the need for redemption for those who go their own way instead of God’s way and noted Ruth’s choice to come back from Moab with Naomi and make the Lord God her own God. Ruth committed herself to Naomi and her God completely. She was “All In” which is how God wants us all to follow him. Are you all in? This Sunday we will look at Chapter 2 which emphasises the hope that comes from God’s love and the fruit of His love in a believer’s life. His love is shown through His blessings and provision for both Ruth and Naomi. Also, by bringing them a relative of Naomi’s husband named Boaz, who would restore them as a “kinsman redeemer” (Lev. 27:9-25; Deut. 25:5-10). There are many lessons and truths we can discover in this chapter. So, join us for the next exciting episode this Sunday. In the meantime, you may like to reflect on this short devotion that my friend sent to me during the week; Based on Ruth 2:7 'She came and has continued from morning until now.' When you work, do your best! After ten years of sorrow and hardship in which she lost her husband and her support system, God introduced Ruth to her new husband, Boaz. He was the owner of the field that she worked in each day. One of the things that brought Ruth to Boaz's attention was her work ethic. The servant in charge of the reapers told Boaz, 'She came and has continued from morning until now' (Ruth 2:7 NKJV). Her work ethic moved her to a position of respect and honour. The Bible has heaps to say about the difference between hard work and laziness, excellence and sloppiness, punctuality and lateness, honesty and dishonesty, a positive attitude and a negative one. Read these three Scriptures: (1) 'Do you see people skilled in their work? They will work for kings, not for ordinary people' (Proverbs 22:29). (2) 'The lazy will not get what they want, but those who work hard will' (Proverbs 13:4). (3) 'A lazy person will end up poor, but a hard worker will become rich' (Proverbs 10:4). By expecting much and giving back as little as possible in return, we don't just short-change the person or the organisation we work for, we short-change ourselves. God promises to honour us when we give our best. His word says, 'You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things' (Psalm 128:2 NCV). So what now? When you work/serve, give your best! Know that you are pleasing God and that it will go well for you. In response to this devotion, I want to work more diligently and acknowledge those of you who do. I want to say 'Thank you' to all who work/serve here at MEAC. In particular I'd like to thank Ian and Rosemary who work tirelessly in our gardens. The wardens: Geoff, Jim and Sarnia and treasurer Ross who excel in all they do. They do a lot! Thanks to Kel overseeing the Ramp project, and to Peter overseeing the Hall Hire. To Amy and our Parish Council, to all who serve on Sundays, and to those behind the scenes - your service is noted and appreciated. To each one of you who serves the Lord and his people here, I want to say that your work ethic moves you to a position of honour and respect. Thank you for all you do. Yours in Christ, Tanya I’m delighted to begin a sermon series in the book of Ruth this coming Sunday. Ruth is a fabulous short story with a big message. On a quick read it could be viewed as just a love story, but when read with the original context in mind we learn that it’s a story about God and how he restores those who look to him with hope. It’s a story about God's faithfulness which contributes to the overall covenantal storyline of the Bible as a whole. It is also relevant to us today as it shows how God works in the everyday events in the lives of his people.
The story begins with highlighting the Judges theme of Israel and their need for a king. It explores the misery and emptiness that a family experienced during that dark time in history. All the males of a particular Israelite family who had left Bethlehem sadly died in Moab, leaving Naomi without a male relative to care for her. Naomi returns to Bethlehem with Ruth the Moabite who chooses to be loyal to Yahweh and Naomi. In Bethlehem, Ruth works hard gleaning in fields to support Naomi and there she meets Boaz. Boaz was a man of character and a kinsman redeemer for the family. Naomi plans to join Ruth and Boaz for good outcomes. She sends Ruth to present herself (as a woman of character) to Boaz at the threshing floor and Boaz says he will seek to redeem Naomi's family. Boaz marries Ruth, exhibiting his loyalty to God, his commandments, and his family. Naomi’s life is restored to all fullness when a son is born to Ruth and Boaz, continuing Naomi’s family line. This son would also become an ancestor of King David and the promised Messiah. Thus, we can see how this story fits in the bigger biblical narrative. Through it we can also see how God is at work in the day-to-day challenges we all face, such as death, moving, lack of financial resources, family responsibilities, and how he can bring redemption to each of our lives. It encourages us to view our day-to-day lives as part of God’s bigger plan for our lives and world. As we study it together, may we all become more fully aware of God's great big love for us and be encouraged to put our hope in him to get us through our darkest times. I hope you enjoy the sermon series. Yours in Christ, Rev. Tanya Cummings This Sunday we celebrate our mothers and say "Happy Mothers' Day" to all the mums.
Mother's Day isn't always a happy day for some. For some mothers or women who never became mothers and would have liked to, it can be a hard day. Thanks be to God, for giving us all a spiritual family in the church to make up for any lack in our lives. Hopefully we all have spiritual mothers in the family of God. Jesus told his disciples that whoever does the will of God is his brother and sister and mother (Matthew 12:48-50). He also told his disciples that whoever leaves their earthly family in order to follow him will receive 100 times as much as they gave up, in this life and in eternal life (Matthew 19:29). In Christ we have such a big family. We will do well to bless them and show our appreciation for them, as well as our own families of origin this Sunday. Who will you thank for being a spiritual mother, father, brother or sister in the Lord? God bless you and your earthly families too. Yours in Christ, Rev. Tanya Cummings There's a lot happening this Sunday on May 4th. In our 9:30am service we are focusing on the way Jesus cares for people and came to set the captives free. We will discuss how these biblical truths about him can be related to the issue of Domestic Violence.
DVSunday is an initiative of the Anglican Church’s Families and Culture Commission—a call to shine a light on domestic and family violence, and how we can serve those who are impacted by it in our churches. Domestic violence has no place in the kingdom of God, yet more than 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men in our churches report that they have experienced violence, with women far more likely to be impacted by sexual and physical assault and sexual harassment. We cannot stand by, so we are choosing to join many Anglican parishes in marking this Sunday as DVSUNDAY. This Sunday evening, we will begin our Alpha Course with approx. 24 participants signed up. We can't wait! If you are not going to join us in the large hall for this course starting at 6pm (please arrive slightly earlier), then please pray for us all. Pray specifically that all attendees will experience a fresh revelation of Jesus and that many will come to saving faith in him and receive the holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is essential for all Christians to fulfil our purpose and mission. He is the one to empower us to live God's ways for God's glory. Even Jesus received the Holy Spirit to empower him to do the works God had for him to do. In Luke 4:14-18 it records how he, led by the spirit, went to the temple, read these words from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” He then sat down and declared "These words are fulfilled today". By the spirit he sets people free. And if the son sets us free, we are free indeed, to live according to the spirit. I hope you will join us this Sunday as I speak more about this. In the meantime, you may like to pray this collect daily: God of liberation and light, your Son Jesus came to set the oppressed free and to proclaim the year of your favour. Open our eyes to see those who suffer in silence, give us courage to speak your truth with love and, by your grace, empower us to be agents of your healing and hope so that your church may be a place of safety and sanctuary, where all may find freedom from fear and the promise of new life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Yours in Christ, Rev. Tanya Cummings |
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