Ruth 3
God is with us
If you are meeting early in the day, ask everyone to look in their bag and find today’s activity.
Ask:
- Do you like blowing bubbles?
- When you blow them do you know where they will go?
Chat about the different things that happen to bubbles.
If you are meeting later in the day, ask:
- How did everyone how they got on thinking about this story?
- Did you manage to creep up on someone under the blanket without them hearing you?
- Did any of your bubbles float very far away?
Explain that while we are all together this week online, we are thinking about the story of Ruth in the Bible. Each day we will hear from Ruth. She will tell us about what she was thinking and feeling as lots of strange and unsettling things happened to her. Today, while we are together, we are going to hear from Ruth once she has been in Bethlehem a bit longer. Naomi is feeling a bit better and is planning Ruth’s future, I wonder how Ruth feels about that?
Each day there will be a very short monologue written from Ruth’s perspective. You can simply have someone perform this as part of your video conference call or someone could film it for each day in advance, using different locations (there are suggested locations with the script. You can then share it as part of the conference call.
The script is available to download in the Downloads box below.
Explain to everyone that you are going to try to count to 20 as a group. It sounds easy but only one person can say a number at a time. If someone says a number at the same time as someone else, then you have to go back to number 1 and start counting again. Choose someone to star, they say “one” and then continue with someone else saying 2, and so on! Will you get to 20 without anyone speaking at the same time? It is a frustrating, but fun, challenge.
Say that Ruth’s life could have seemed a bit like the game! It feels like no one is in control. However, the story of Ruth is how God is with her, (even though he is hardly mentioned when we read the whole story) watching out for her and guiding her, while she lives her life, like we all do.
Ask everyone to draw a winding path on a piece of paper and imagine this path is their life. Put their birthday at the start and today’s date at the end and in between draw some pictures of important moments in their life e.g. started walking, went to nursery, started school, first time riding a bike, new baby in the family, moved to a new house etc.
Give everyone a few minutes to do this and then ask them to write the same verse from yesterday on their picture – “May the Lord, under whose wing you have come to take refuge, reward you.” (Ruth 2:12 NLT). Say that that God was with us in all those moments of our lives, even if we weren’t aware of it at the time.
Pray this prayer together:
Father God
Thank you that
You don’t just look after us
But you guide us
And bring us to the
Right places
At the right time
AMEN
Say goodbye to everyone and look forward to seeing them tomorrow.