Big Idea: Our God can do amazing extraordinary things with ordinary people who trust in Him.

Bible Passage: Ruth 1-4

Parent Prep: This week is our final week in our Family series, and we finish off by celebrating Foster Care Sunday together as a big church family. This week's lesson is about using the ordinary, every day things we can do to serve and love others. The story of Ruth teaches us that God will bless and use all those who place their trust in Him.

Read: Ruth 1-2:4; 4:13-22, or watch this hilarious version of the story here. 

Talk

The story of Ruth teaches us about God's faithfulness to those who put their trust in Him, even when things look hard and scary. Ruth had many reasons not to trust in the God of Israel, but she chooses to trust Him anyway, and He blesses and uses her in His story. 

  1.  Ruth was a Moabite, a land of enemies of God.
  2. Ruth was a widow. She had no safety or security without a husband to protect and provide for her. If she followed Naomi and trusted in God, she would have to beg for food, or find work wherever she could.
  3. Lots of sad and bad things happened to Ruth. How could she trust God to take care of her? 

But Boaz says to her, "May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you take refuge." 

Read Psalm 91:1-4 together. God is faithful to protect and provide for and bless those who trust in Him. Just like Ruth, we can trust God. 

Even though Ruth was far from God, with lots of hard and scary things to face, she chose to trust God, and he blessed her and gave her a family. He used Ruth as part of His great big story and she became part of the family of Jesus!

Listen

Sometimes we feel like we aren't good enough for Jesus to love, or to care for, or to use in His story. But the story of Ruth tells us that God uses even people who are His enemies, or people who feel far away from Him all the time. All that we need to do to be a part of God's big story is to love and trust in Him. 

What are some things that hold you back or stop you from feeling like God loves you? 

What are some things that make you feel like God wouldn't use you for great things in His story?

What do you think makes someone 'great' to God? 

Do

The story of Ruth teaches us that God will welcome anyone who trusts in Him into His family, and that He can use them for great things in His big story. When Ruth gets to Judah, her new home, she offers to God the only thing she can: her willing hands to serve. She gets to work doing very ordinary work picking up grain in the fields. It is while she is working with her hands that she meets Boaz, who becomes her husband. 

Ask children What are some ordinary things that you can do with your hands? How can we use these ordinary things to serve others in Jesus' name? On a piece of paper, write or draw a list of ordinary things you can do with your hands. (Dance, wash dishes, wave, serve dinner, make art etc). Then, on the other side of the paper, write or draw ways you can use these things to serve God, and other people. 

On top of your paper, write "Our God can do amazing extraordinary things with ordinary people who trust in Him."

Have a great week, see you Sunday!