Week Nine ~ The Faith of a Foreign Woman

Week of November 4, 2012

Weekly sermon theme:  Series on Virtues

Weekly readings:  pages 121 ~ 127

3 comments:


  1. Point to ponder…

    In the iconic 1990’s comedy Dumb and Dumber, one of the main characters, Lloyd Christmas, falls for a woman named Mary. At a dramatic moment he finally asks her if there is any chance they will end up together. Here is their brief dialogue:

    Lloyd: What are my chances?

    Mary: Not good.

    The music comes to an abrupt stop and there is an awkward pause…

    Lloyd: You mean “not good” like one in a hundred?

    Mary: I’d say more like one out of a million.

    Another pause as Lloyd processes this information…then he speaks with exuberance.

    Lloyd: So you’re telling me there’s a chance…yah!

    What makes this so humorous is that everyone knows there is no chance in the world…except Lloyd. He is a hopeless optimist.

    As we continue through The Story we encounter, time-after-time, when things seem hopeless and impossible. From a Lower Story perspective we look and say, “This is a one-in-a-million chance…really no chance at all.” Then, beyond all reason, God speaks from the Upper Story and tells us there really is a chance!

    Think about a time you were honest with God about your pain and hurt. As you look back on that episode, what have you learned about God’s presence and faithfulness?

    The above is taken from The Story: Getting to the Heart of God’s Story, pages 61 and 63.

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  2. Questions to consider…

    1. Compare Naomi’s attitude at the beginning and the end of the story. How does her view of God and the Upper Story change?

    2. Look at Ruth and Boaz’s interaction with Naomi. What can you learn about the challenges and benefits of caring for an aging parent?

    3. The story of Ruth demonstrates laws that God had given Israel to take care of marginalized people (Deut. 25:5-10, Lev. 25:25, and Lev. 19:9-10). What do these laws and customs reveal about the heart of God for the poor, the widow, and the orphan? How could you or your church care for the less fortunate and thereby reflect the heart of God?

    4. What some people might call coincidence others call divine providence. What are some key examples of God’s divine providence in this story?

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  3. I pray that God speaks from the Upper Story in this election.

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