Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Hopes & Fears

Sunday is Coming!

“A small town girl finds love in an unlikely place, and reminds those around her to hold on to hope, because sometimes things are not as they seem…”

Is that the plot of a Halmark movie, perhaps??

No, this is a summary of the Book of Ruth, which takes place in the little town of Bethlehem, hundreds of years before the first Christmas.

This weekend on the first Sunday of Advent, we will consider the story of Ruth, an outsider brought in to the Jewish faith, who is held up as a hero because of her loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and because of the way she reflects the loyal character of God.

Ruth remains loyal to the God of Israel, trusting in God’s unchanging Goodness. Perhaps the most famous part of this story is Ruth’s statement in 1:16:

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

Ruth’s attitude has been a model of loyalty throughout the ages. Ruth herself can be seen as a testimony from scripture about how God is faithful, and He does not weigh people’s value in the same way that the world does.

In the story of Ruth, God redefines loyalty and human worth, putting Himself in the center where He belongs. For us, we must remember that our loyalties should not be limited to bloodlines or hometowns.

We also learn that when we are obedient to God and imitate his love and loyalty, it is a testimony to the world around us. In Ruth 4:14-15, we see the praise given to God because of what He did through Ruth:

The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

Throughout the course of this story, the whole community around Ruth affirms her value and gives God the glory for it. At the conclusion of the story, Ruth marries Boaz and bears a son, assuring her place (and Naomi’s) in the lineage of King David and King Jesus (as seen in Matthew 1).

But Ruth’s story also reveals how God provides for the overlooked and powerless, which widows had come to represent in the Old Testament. In Ruth’s story, she is the unlikely hero that God uses to provide for Naomi, even when Naomi had given in to bitterness and fear.

This is an example of how God delights to use the Weak to teach the Strong! That brings us back to what will be a theme this Advent season— God has always displayed His own Greatness by including the weak and the small things of this world—like little people from little towns—in His plans to fulfill His Great purposes!

This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

1 Corinthians 1:25 (NLT)

This Christmas season, may we welcome others, learn from others, and remind each other of the Hope found in Jesus as we display God’s Love and Loyalty to the world around us.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

This Saturday is our Christmas Market from 4:00-9:00 in connection with the Shippensburg Christmas Parade. The Christmas Market will happen at the Annex before and after the Shippensburg Christmas Parade. Stop by for cookies, craft vendors, food trucks, and fellowship with our church family and community neighbors!

We are collecting cookies to share with our neighbors at the Christmas Market. Cookies can be brought to the Church Kitchen prior to Saturday, or directly to the Annex on Saturday morning.

GriefShare’s “Surviving the Holidays” will be held in the Annex on Monday, December 4 at 6:00-8:00
On Wednesday December 6th we will have our annual “Service from the Heart” during Community Night. This is a fun night of testimonies & talents. Our children and youth will share some things that they have learned, and we would like to invite people of all ages to consider participating on this evening as well.

Prayer Updates

Please Remember Bob Peck in your prayers. He slipped on the stairs at his home on Thanksgiving Day and is still in a good bit of pain.
Denny Fleagle had surgery on Wednesday but is now at home. Pray for comfort and a speedy recovery.
Pastor Gary had some procedures this week to drain some more infection and accumulated fluid. His family and his doctors are encouraged to see progress, but it remains a slow and lengthy process.

A Scripture Reading for the First Sunday of Advent

“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Matthew 12:18-21

Holding on to hope,

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org