George, a therapist working in a rough part of town, kept burying the very people he was trying to help, until something in him broke, he concluded that evil always wins anyway. From that question, does goodness make sense if it cannot change the world, begins a journey through the Book of Ruth: a story of famine, grief, and quiet kindness through which God himself is at work. Ruth gleaning in the fields and Boaz taking God’s law seriously show that goodness brings relief to the needy, is a confession of faith, and points to a good God. Listen and discover that your small acts of kindness can become part of a much bigger story.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The book of Ruth is set in the time of the judges, when Israel had no king and everyone did as they pleased. What in Ruth 2 shows how differently Boaz lived from those around him?
- Boaz lets Ruth glean, protects her from harassment and tells his workers to leave extra for her. Why does the sermon call this an act of obedience to God's law rather than just a kind gesture from a rich man?
- Like George in the sermon, what makes you sometimes feel that your kindness is just a drop in an ocean of need and changes nothing?
- The people of North Platte gave the soldiers just one meal, yet years later the men remembered it with tears. What small act of kindness toward you do you still remember, and why?
- Naomi sees the sack of grain as a sign that God has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead. Where in your life do you see God's goodness shown through people, even when it first looked like coincidence?
- Who is a stranger to you or does not share your faith, to whom you can show concrete kindness this week, the way Oswald did for the Jewish refugees?
