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November 18, 2018 God Is Redeemer

Ruth 1—4 (Ruth and Naomi)

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

Luke 1:68

DATE PONDER POINT

THE BIG GOD STORY REMEMBER VERSE

Welcome and Worship (15 minutes)

Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and engage kids in worship through singing and communion.

The Big God Story (18 minutes)

Creates space for children to hear God’s word and prepare respond to the Holy Spirit in small groups

Small Groups (20 minutes)

Kids will build relationships with each other and their leaders, and respond to what they learned in the Big God Story as well as how to apply it to their lives

Bless & Dismiss (4 minutes)

Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others.

• The large group room will be divided into three sections. Please help kids find which section they should sit in according to their grade: 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th & 5th-6th.

• Toward the end of small group time, A/V Tech will play the 2 minute warning sound followed by a song. During or immediately following the song please regroup in the large group meeting space (not before).

• 5th & 6th graders can go directly to Snack Shack after small group time, rather than regrouping in the large group space.

Host Administrative To Do’s: • Make sure no group is too large • Make sure each group has enough supplies • Close curtains and divider wall for small groups

at 9:00 and 10:15 (and re-open after 9:00) • Cue the tech when to play the 2 minute warning

with song. • Call names for dismissal after blessing

SCHEDULE Large Group

Small Group

2 Min Warn.

Regroup/Dismiss 5th-6th

1st Service (9:00) 9:00 9:33 9:53 10:00

2nd Service (10:15) 10:15 10:48 11:08 11:15

3rd Service (11:30) 11:30 12:03 12:23 12:30

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GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting

them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear.

WELCOME (Host):

Stage Lights On VIDEO LOOPS: Welcome Loop, 5 Min Countdown, Welcome Image

We are so glad you are here today. Welcome the kids in your own words then say the following

to the kids: Let’s all stand and hear God’s word and sing our praise to Him…

OPENING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader):

Turn out main overhead lights REMEMBER VERSE VIDEO

WORSHIP VIDEO 1: Glory To God

WORSHIP VIDEO 2: Million Reasons

(Direct kids to get with their groups and circle up with their small group leader before sitting down)

SMALL GROUP CONNECT IMAGE

CONNECT QUESTIONS (Host): 4 MINUTE COUNTDOWN VIDEO

• If you could change one rule that your family has what would you change?

• Are you a good friend? Why do you think so?

• Where is your favorite place in the world?

TIMELINE VIDEO

(Storyteller)

The Big God Story: Point out that what kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bi-

ble. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Sto-

ry. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what the

Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day’s portion of The Big God Story.

The Prayer of Release: This allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet

their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms

up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy

Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and

pray with you.

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The Big God Story:

Big God Story Images

Storyteller Script

Today we’re going to look at the time of the judges and hear how God redeemed Ruth to play an important part in The Big God Story. Before we go any further, let’s ask God to teach us. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds.

Tech: Cue Moab image. Ruth lived with her Mother-in-law Naomi, and her sister–in-law, Orpah in the land of Moab. Naomi was an Israelite, who moved to the land of Moab with her husband and two sons when Israel was going through a famine, a time when there was not enough food for everyone. When her sons grew up they married Moabite women and they all lived together in Moab. Remember King Eglon? Tech: Cue King Eglon image. Yeah, he was a Moabite.

After a while, Naomi’s husband died; then Ruth’s husband died; then the sister-in-law’s hus-band died; Not a good situation for these women; Women back then couldn’t provide for them-selves without husbands.

So when Naomi heard there was food again in her homeland of Judah, she wanted to go back. She told Ruth and her other daughter-in-law to go live with their families in Moab. Ruth’s sister-in-law left. But Ruth stayed. “Go home,” Naomi said to Ruth, “and find another husband.” Invite the kids to open their Bibles to Ruth 1:16 and read along. “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay,” Ruth said. “Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

Tech: Cue Naomi’s house image. After some time, the two women arrived in Judah.

Because Naomi and Ruth had no money, Ruth said, “‘Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain.’” (Ruth 2:2) Tech: Cue Field image. So Ruth went to a field and started gleaning, or picking up leftover grain. Little did Ruth know the field belonged to a man named Boaz, and it was part of God’s plan for her to be there because God had chosen Boaz as her kinsman-redeemer. What’s a kinsman-redeemer? Don’t worry, you’ll hear about that soon.

“Who’s that girl?” Boaz askes his man who is in charge of the fields. “She’s a foreigner who came back with her mother-in-law Naomi. She’s a pretty cool lady,” said the servant. “She works hard and has a good reputation.” So Boaz goes to Ruth and tells her, “Keep collecting from my field, You work hard and have a good reputation.” After a couple of days of watching Ruth, Bo-az asks Ruth, to share a meal with him. After the meal, Boaz goes to his servant and tells him to take good care of Ruth. To leave extra grain for her, and give her whatever she needs.

Tech: Cue Naomi’s house image. “I gathered a sack of barley!” Ruth said to Naomi. Invite the kids to open their Bibles to Ruth 2:19 and read along. “Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Naomi said. “His name is Boaz.” “That man is our close relative; he’s one of our kinsman-redeemers.”

A kinsman-redeemer was someone in ancient Israel who “redeemed” or “bought back” the property of a family member who lost their money. They also sometimes married the daughter, sister, or widow of the man who died to carry on the family line.

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Tech: Cue Field image, then Naomi’s house image. For a while, Ruth gleaned from Boaz’s field and gathered lots of sacks of grain, but Naomi wanted Ruth to have a husband more than she wanted grain. “Wash yourself, put on some perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes,” Na-omi said. “Then go down to the threshing floor where Boaz will be—but make sure no one sees you.” Tech: Cue Threshing floor image.

A threshing floor is a big rock slab where all of the bundles of grain go after they’re collected. Tech: Cue Grain and then Sheaves images. There, big oxen Tech: Cue Oxen image stepped on them to break the grain free from the straw. When there was wind, the farmer would throw the straw and grain into the air. The heavier grain fell to the ground, and the straw, or “chaff,” blew away.

So Boaz goes to the threshing floor and falls sound asleep. Ruth goes and lies down at the feet of Boaz.

Tech: Cue Crickets sound effect. Boaz wakes up and asks; “Who are you?” Ruth tells him, “I am your servant, Ruth,” and she boldly asks; “Boaz, will you be my kinsman-redeemer?” Boaz is happy at her request and tells her; “Sounds great!” Boaz said. “The only problem is, another guy is first in line,” he said. “So I have to talk to him before I can become your kinsman-redeemer.” Tech: Cue Naomi’s house image.

So Boaz goes to the other man who was first in line and asks if he is interested in buying back Naomi’s land. Tech: Cue Gates image And the man was very interested in doing that. Then Boaz asked if he would be interested in marring one of the women in the family. The man did not want to do that….and Boaz left that conversation very happy….Because He did want to buy Naomi’s land, and Marry Ruth. Boaz takes off one shoe and gives it to the other man. The other man takes off one of his shoes, gives it to Boaz, and leaves. People did this with their shoes when they were finalizing an agreement.

“I am going to redeem Naomi by marrying Ruth!” Boaz said. Tech: Cue Naomi’s house image. Boaz was so happy and thankful to have Ruth as his wife. And Ruth was so thankful to Boaz for buying the land that they could not pay for and keeping the family line alive.

In the end, the prayers of the townspeople were answered, and Ruth and Boaz had a baby they named Obed. He was the grandfather of King David, from whose line the promised Redeemer—Jesus—would eventually be born.

Through this part of The Big God Story, God showed that, even when things were hard for Ruth and Naomi, He was weaving everything together to not only redeem them—buy them back from their helpless situation—but use them in His big story. Ruth was blessed with the privilege of having a child who would continue the family line of Jesus Christ.

God made Jesus our Kinsman-Redeemer when He died for us and rose again. He redeemed us back from a life of sin and gave us new life … forever with Him. Because of His great love for us, He chooses to use us, just like He used Ruth, to be a part of His big story. Today let’s spend some time praising God, the Redeemer, who is the only One with the power to save us from our sin. Consider sharing a personal story of a time when God was Redeemer in your life.

Tell the kids we are going to close the Big God Story by worshipping him. Ask the kids to wait until they are asked to come forward to take communion.

WORSHIP VIDEO 3: Do it Again

After a time of worshipping have kids come and take communion if they have been baptized, and bring their offering.

Fade out song slowly at Worship Leader’s prompting.

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(As the song comes to a close Worship Leader tells groups to head to their small group space. Say something like, “Let’s continue responding to what God is teaching us as we dismiss to our small groups. Please follow your small group leader at this time.”)

IMAGE: It’s time for small groups

Turn main overhead lights on

Dismiss for small groups—refer to map for small group locations

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of small groups...

Tech cue: 2 minute warning with exit song, using ceiling speakers, at the host’s prompting

Turn speakers back to wall speakers for blessing, closing song and dismissal.

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GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard

in the Big God Story.

What God Provides

SUPPLIES What God provides leaflet (one per child) Pens and pencils Bibles RELATE The word redeem means “to buy back.” In The Big God Story, Ruth and Naomi were left with-out husbands to take care of them, which, in biblical times, was a very scary situation. They barely had any money and gleaned in the fields for food. They needed someone to take care of them—to buy them back from their debt and redeem their situation. God led them to Boaz, who became their kinsman-redeemer and took care of them. God is Redeemer and He sent Jesus, who died and rose again, to pay the debt of our sin. SAY: God provided for Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz in some wonderful ways. ASK: Does God provide for you? How? Accept responses. Have students turn in their leaflets to the activity “What God Provides”. Tell kids they can pair up and do this activity together or work on the page alone or work on it all together as a group. Kids will be looking up scriptures to see what God provides and can use the symbols next to each scripture to help them figure it out. (See answers below). SAY: The symbols represent some things that God provides for us. Look up the Scripture and using the symbols as a clue, write what that verse says God will provide for you. If time is short you may want to start with the Scriptures that have the cross and the heart symbol. When kids are done, let them share what they came up with. Answers: 1=Bible/ Scriptures; 2=joy and peace; 3=food; 4=prayer; 5=Christ died for our sins; 6=God’s love, eternal life No one but God could provide all of this for us! ASK: What are some other things God provides for you? (family, friends, water, money, church, home, people to love us, sunshine, rain) What's your favorite way that God provides for you? SAY: God may not always provide for us in the ways we think He should. But we should nev-er doubt that God provides or that God redeems. Allow kids to work on the rest of the leaflet as time allows.

BLESSINGS Close your small group time reading a final scripture and blessing your kids using the Blessing Card from your supply bin in your cart.

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GOAL: Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others.

CLOSING REMARKS/ANNOUNCEMENTS (Host):

Wall Speakers On

TRANSITION ACTIVITIES (HOST):

The videos listed below are 12-13 minutes long. Please play as listed below and feel free to stop the video whenever it’s time to start the next service.

After 9:00 service play - Transition Compilation 12

After 10:15 service play - Transition Compilation 11

DISMISSAL (STORYTELLER):

Call names of kids as parent come to pick up and welcome kids who are being dropped off. En-

courage parents to enter the room and encourage kids and parents to exit out the middle door

(103)

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Fatigue followed fever as my entire family succumbed to a terrible bout of the flu. One of us would muster up enough

energy to boil some tea and then shuffle back to bed. The other one would give our prickly hot baby a bath and then fall

asleep, holding her wrapped in a towel. Emotionally drained from the fever and lack of appetite, we started to feel quar-

antined from the world around us. This flu came at a time when we were already stretching to pay our monthly bills,

even though my husband held three hourly wage jobs. Without a paycheck, we wondered how we would meet all of our

financial obligations.

Humbly, I picked up the phone to call our landlord and let her know our rent would be late. I will never forget her re-

ply: “Your rent has already been paid.”

“Paid? Our rent?” I was shocked. It wasn’t a small amount of money, and I couldn’t get my head around the idea

that someone had paid our rent. I asked the landlord some probing questions, and she told me the person didn’t want

to be known. To this day I don’t know the identity of the person who rescued us from trouble.

I choose to see this act of grace as one of the many ways God has been my Redeemer. God uses people and cir-

cumstances to reach into our desperate places and pull us back to safety. This is proof of the continuing work of our

redemptive God.

God is our Redeemer. He’s demonstrated this through the biblical role of the kinsman-redeemer. In the book of Ruth,

Boaz showed himself as Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer and gave Ruth favor and abundant blessing. He met all her needs,

and she flourished in his care. As best illustrated in Ruth, a male relative had the privilege and responsibility to act sac-

rificially for any relative who was in trouble, danger, or in need of vindication.

Although the term “kinsman-redeemer” is used only eight times in the 1984 New International Version of the Bible—

solely in the book of Ruth—the Hebrew word ga’al (from which both of these terms are translated) is used over

100 times and is interchangeable with both “redeemer” or “near relative.” In Ruth 2:19–20, “Ruth told her mother-in-law

about the one at whose place she had been working. ‘The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,’ she said.

‘The Lord bless him!’ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. ‘He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and

the dead.’ She added, ‘That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.’”

As a kinsman-redeemer, Boaz offered Ruth protection and gave her an abundance of exactly what she needed.

Eventually, Ruth, the Moabite, and Boaz, the Jew, formerly sworn enemies by birth, became one in marriage and had a

son they named Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, from whose family line came

the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

God continues to exhibit His character as our own Redeemer. He chose to restore us to Himself, showing unfailing

love and kindness, while we were still foreigners. As He sanctifies and redeems us, we grow closer to our heavenly

Father and reap the rewards of His holy kinship.

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Hebrews 2:11 says, “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Je-

sus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” As this verse points out, Jesus both redeems us and calls us His

“kinsmen.” And He understands our struggles. That makes Him uniquely able to help us in our times of need.

Take a moment to reflect on the ways God has drawn you to Himself and redeemed your personal story. For exam-

ple, has God taken an area of brokenness and pain and given you relief and blessing that could only come from Him?

Using the Scripture below, set aside some time to meditate and give thanks for how He has graciously intervened and

met even your unspoken needs. Before you pray, may the prayers of Naomi’s friends be your prayer too: “Praise be to

the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer” (Ruth 4:14).