RoboPreacher

all the work of my hands Three basic story shapes: Vertical Axis, Good/Bad (G/B). And horizontal Axis, Start/End (S/E) 1) Rags to riches (Princess and the pea) Climbs G/B Axis 2) Just Desserts (Icarus) Descends G/B Axis 3) Most Common ( action , romcoms , sports , hero ) First descends G/B Axis, then climbs back up The problem with these shapes, though, is assumes we know more than we really do… Because often what looks Good, turns out to be BAD; and what looks Bad, turns out to be GOOD! Doesn’t it? Real life confirms this. Something of a comfort to see this played out throughout the Bible! We’re in the third chapter of Ruth today, but this whole book is great . And , at a nice, tidy four chapters, it’s manageable. So, let’s take a look at its shape : First ; Ruth begins noting this story takes place in the time of the Judges .   In fact, Ruth comes after the book of Judges! (Nice, huh?) And Judges...

let it all pass through A sermon on the conclusion to Ruth : The ballad of Ruth the Moabite builds to it’s seemingly inevitable crescendo. Only, before the string chorus can swell and Ruth and Boaz can sail off into happily ever after; there’s one last thing…   It turns out there's someone a little higher up the ladder than Boaz, someone with a prior claim, someone with dibs … Back in the day, official business was done at the city gate where there would be witnesses aplenty. And Boaz means to make this official .   Boaz calls over the next-of-kin, and let’s him know he’s entitled to first look at Elimelch’s estate. Including a good, safe investment if ever there was one; a plum piece of property. The next-of-kin asks to see the deed… And as he goes over the paperwork, he notices a rider ! The property doesn’t come free and clear! To claim the property, you also have to claim Ruth !   And Ruth, like the rest of us, comes with a his...

i might give satan a swirly A sermon from the Third Chapter of Ruth : We all want to be people of character , don’t we? And while we all define that a little differently; it’s fair to say that the kind of life we’re looking to lead looks remarkably similar from person to person… What matters to you ? What do you want your life to look like? What do you want it to be marked by, to include???   * Go ahead ; call out some qualities: (Happiness, love, gratitude, joy, family, peace, generosity, security) Anything else??? But that’s pretty much what really matters, isn’t it?   If we could all just stay focused on those few things, we’d all probably be a lot happier. Wouldn’t we? But that’s the rub, isn’t it? Because it’s not that easy. There’s so much else that fights for our attention and energy… …Which is why Ruth is such a compelling person of faith. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be a little sad next week, when we ...

the saint of no return A sermon on the Second Chapter of Ruth One cold, winter evening a group of us decided to go out to a new trendy restaurant… Getting ready, we made sure to dress up in our best duds. You know; play the part.   Of all my friends, though, I was the most prepared…   That Christmas, in an inspired moment, I asked my folks for a double-breasted, black wool coat—which I still have. And let me tell you, with that jacket, my one pair of nice slacks and dress shoes, I was the “ real - deal .” While the rest of my friends were out there aping at sophistication; I was really pulling it off.   Walking in, I knew anyone would be able to see who really belonged there. Until … Until I stepped on a patch of ice .   For which my traction-less dress shoes were no help. And those pockets of my refined wool coat were just deep enough to keep my hands pinned to my sides, instead of helping me keep my balance—or catch my f...