THIS WEEK’S PASSAGE
Ruth : 1:5b-18
BACKGROUND PREPARATION Familiarise yourself with the tense relationship between the Moabites and the Israelites (Deuteronomy 23:3-6). To run this session you’ll need a selection of newspapers and a way to show some video clips.
Would you rather?
10 mins
Begin with a warm-up game of ‘Would you rather?’ asking the young people to decide between various dilemmas. Use a mixture of silly, obscure and profound options such as: ‘Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or ten duck-sized horses?’ or, ‘Would you rather have a hand made of ham or an armpit that dispensed sun cream?’
Say: Naomi had left Israel in poverty and moved to Moab where her sons married Ruth and Orpah. The tragic death of her husband and sons left the three widows struggling to provide for themselves in a male-dominated society. Naomi resolved to move back to Israel hoping that some relatives may take pity on her. What a dilemma for Ruth and Orpah! Should they look after Naomi or prioritise their own needs and go home?
The story
10 mins
Read the passage together and then say: Ruth and Orpah had to make some ‘would you rather’ decisions of their own - friends and family vs. mother-in-law? Homeland vs. being a despised foreigner? High chance of re-marriage vs. high chance of staying as a widow? Security vs. danger? Provision vs. poverty? Orpah put herself first, going home to her family and a life of opportunities. Ruth vowed to care for Naomi, putting her life in God’s hands, fully aware that her forecast looked bleak. She began a life with God (v16) and it was a faith that defined her actions and decisions. God honoured Ruth’s sacrifice and not only provided her with food, a home and a husband but also adopted her into the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) - the Great Grandmother of King David!
Play another game of ‘would you rather’ using some of the dilemmas in a Christian’s life as options: selfish vs. selfless? Sunday job vs. Church? Shopping spree vs. giving generously? Drunkenness vs. being the odd one out? Sex vs. patience? Discuss a few of these decisions as a group.
Are you for real?
5 mins
Say: Eric Liddell is the main character in the film Chariots of Fire based on the 1924 Olympics. Eric was an outstanding athlete and despite national pressure he stuck to his faith and refused to run on a Sunday. His speciality was the 100m but the race landed on a Sunday and so he ended up running the 400m. He still won the gold! The next year, Eric left fame and glory behind to serve as a missionary in China, where no one would know his name, or care about his gold medal.
Tell the young people about some of the sacrifices you have made to be faithful to God, for example giving up easier or more lucrative opportunities.
Never heard of you
15 mins
Hand out some newspapers and set the challenge of finding the most insignificant, unknown person in the newspaper. Have a vote to see who has found the most obscure person.
Say: put yourself in Ruth’s shoes – did she feel significant? We can look back on Ruth’s story and see that she is in the genealogy of Jesus and that her Great-Grandson is King David. However, at that time nobody knew Ruth; she was a young widow, living with an older widow and they were beggars. You could have walked past Ruth in the street and would have known nothing about her, apart from that you could tell she was a foreigner, and the worse kind of foreigner - a Moabite! Ruth probably felt insignificant but the truth is she was very important to God.
Ask the young people if they feel significant? Where does their self-worth come from? True self-worth is found in understanding how much God values you, shown by the sacrifice Jesus made to rescue you. By faith, you can have identity in Christ and be adopted into God’s family (John 1:12).
Harder, better, faster, stronger
20 mins
Watch one or both of these videos based on Daft Punk’s hit song on the links section of the Youthwork website.
Get the group to be creative and re-write some of the words of this song either in groups or together. Try keeping: HARDER - BETTER - FASTER - STRONGER and see what you come up with. Here’s my bash at it: ‘Faith is harder, makes life better, alone we’re faster, united we’re stronger.’ Why not film your own version and post it on Youthwork’s Facebook page?
Close
5 mins
Reflect on Ruth’s new faith in God (v16) that defined her actions and decisions. Do you have faith? Does your faith produce action? Is it shown in your decision making? Pray that as a youth group you would trust in God’s faithfulness.
For notes for adapting see the links sections of the Youthwork website.
KEY POINT #1
Trusting in God often means making decisions that seem the opposite of self-preservation and success. Life with God is harder but he makes it better!
KEY POINT #2
We’re easily inspired by big stories and famous people, and so we chase after making our stamp on history. However, Ruth was willing to be a nobody - sacrificing her opportunities to support Naomi. There are faster ways than faith to find fame and significance but they’re weak and only last for a moment (Psalm 62:9 says that worldly reputation is worthless). Identity in Christ is stronger, in fact it’s Christ who gives us purpose.
