Good morning. That was pretty good, actually.
Great to be here together with everybody, and a privilege for me to be delivering God's Word to you today.
So as Kevin did mention, this is my first time preaching,
and as I was talking to the elders about potentially preaching today,
to be honest, I was a little bit hesitant, kind of like a little bit anxious, a little bit apprehensive,
but actually the elders were very encouraging.
They said, you know what, Oscar? It's not your work. It's not your Word. It's not your voice.
It's the Spirit of God that speaks to us and leads us. Isn't that so true?
And then one of the other elders, who I won't name, was also very gracious,
and was also being very encouraging, and then he said to me,
Oscar, you know what? Tim Keller said that his first 200 sermons were rubbish.
So I thought about that, and I realized what that means is that if I preach once every six months at Watermark,
which don't get any ideas, Kevin and Chris, okay?
But if I preach once every six months at Watermark, in 100 years, I'll have a decent sermon.
So come back in 2118. Mark your calendars for that.
And with that, let me pray for myself and for us.
Father God, you know me.
You know that with my own strength, using my own ability, I cannot deliver your Word this morning.
So Father, I beg you, I desperately need you to speak through me, Lord.
I desperately need for your Spirit to inspire me.
I pray that your Word, your Word would be front and center of my mind, God,
and that your voice would be heard today, God,
and my voice would actually just fade into the background.
I pray that our hearts, our minds will be open to hearing your Word today, Lord.
I pray that we'll see, Father, how much we need you,
and how beautiful and majestic our Lord Jesus Christ is.
Amen.
So, we've been doing a sermon series on the book of Ruth.
And last week, last Sunday, we studied Ruth chapter 1.
And in chapter 1, we learned that Ruth was set in the time of the judges,
where Israel had no king, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
And it was with that mindset that Naomi, her husband Elimelech,
and their two sons left Bethlehem, the promised land of God,
to try to find food in the land of Moab.
But Moab was an enemy of Israel.
Its people were founded upon incest.
Its woman in days past had seduced the men of Israel
and caused them to worship pagan gods.
And in Moab, tragedy struck.
Naomi's two sons married Moabite woman.
But ten years later, her sons die.
Naomi was left with her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.
And when Naomi hears that God brought food back to Bethlehem,
she decides to return, but tells Orpah and Ruth to stay in Moab.
She says to them,
in Moab, at least you'll have a chance of finding a future.
At least you'll have a chance that someone would marry you,
someone will continue on your family line.
Orpah says, great, I'll stay in Moab.
But Ruth, she clings to Naomi.
And in Ruth chapter 1, verse 16,
we read that wonderful, timeless statement of commitment,
faithfulness, and loyalty.
As Ruth says to Naomi,
don't urge me to leave you.
Where you go, I will go.
And where you stay, I will stay.
Your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
Where you die, I will die.
And there, I will be buried.
And so Naomi, along with her daughter-in-law, Ruth,
the most unlikely couple,
journeyed to Bethlehem,
the house of bread,
in search of food.
And they returned just at the right time,
just as the barley harvest was beginning
in early spring in Bethlehem.
And that is where we find ourselves,
in Ruth chapter 2.
Where Ruth 1 was chaotic and tragic,
in chapter 2, the narrative begins to shift.
Light begins to shine on a dark situation.
Harvest time means food for the people.
And of course, Boaz shows up.
Oh, Boaz,
the man every father wants his daughter to marry.
I think about that stuff just a little bit
now that I have a daughter of my own, Kiva.
Is the book of Ruth a love story
between Boaz and Ruth?
Yes, it is.
Sure it is.
It's a wonderful love story
of how Boaz showers unprecedented favor on Ruth.
But if we think of Ruth
as just a traditional love story,
we will miss the deeper meaning.
The book of Ruth tells a much bigger story.
It's about how in the midst of despair,
in the midst of hopelessness,
in the midst of tragedy,
God wants to redeem us.
In the midst of pain and brokenness,
he wants to draw us close to himself.
He wants to shower us
with his loving kindness.
It's a story of the whole Bible, isn't it?
And for today's passage in Ruth chapter 2,
what I hope we'll see
is that God is constantly working behind the scenes,
showering kindness upon Ruth.
And this man, Boaz,
this guardian or kinsman redeemer,
he's there to show us
a glimpse or a shadow
of the ultimate redeemer to come,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's dive into it.
Let's go to Ruth chapter 2,
verse 2 and part of verse 3.
And Ruth, the Moabitess, said to Naomi,
let me go into the fields
and pick up the leftover grain
behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.
Naomi said to her,
go ahead, my daughter.
So she went out
and began to glean in the fields
behind the harvesters.
So, we start chapter 2
with Naomi returning to Bethlehem
and Ruth by her side.
And one day,
Ruth decides to glean in the fields
behind the harvesters.
God gave Israel the law of gleaning
as a way of providing for those in society
that were financially broken,
specifically orphans,
widows, and foreigners.
And it meant that landowners,
instead of maximizing profits
by picking every last bit of grain,
would leave some for the poor
to pick up or to glean.
And this was intended
to reflect God's mercy on people
that did not have the economic means
to support themselves.
But for Ruth,
gleaning in the fields
was dangerous.
And that is why,
in verse 8,
Boaz tells Ruth to,
stay in my fields.
And he also says to her,
in verse 9,
I have told the men
not to touch you.
He said this
because at that time
in Israel's history,
at the time of the judges,
lawlessness abounded.
And so,
though there was a law
to allow for gleaning,
women who gleaned in the fields
were oftentimes abused,
physically, emotionally.
But in spite of these obvious risks,
Ruth had the courage
to step out
into the barley fields
to glean.
Why?
Well, first,
she was hungry.
She had a real need.
She was a normal person
who had a normal,
everyday need.
And second,
Ruth had made a promise
to be faithful to Naomi,
and her gleaning
and gathering barley for food
was a way for her
to show love
and kindness
to Naomi.
She was looking after her.
She was keeping her promise.
But the amazing thing here
is that Ruth
wasn't doing this alone.
God was right there.
Ruth did not choose this field.
God chose this field.
Let's look at the end
of verse 3.
It says,
As it turned out,
she found herself
working in the field
belonging to Boaz,
who was from the clan
of Elimelech.
I love that phrase,
as it turned out.
The literal translation
is chance chance,
which is an exaggerated
expression
to convey
just how unlikely
it was
for Ruth to stumble
upon Boaz's field.
As Ruth took that step
of faith
to go out
and glean in the fields,
it was clear
that God
had paved the way
for her
and allowed her
to meet Boaz
and to find favor
with him.
Of all the fields
she could have stumbled upon
in that dark land,
she finds herself
in the one field
owned
by a godly man.
This wasn't just chance.
This was God's intervention.
Ruth was just going
about her day,
trying to put food
on the table,
being faithful
to Naomi.
Naomi,
and God
met her need.
And where did he lead her?
Right to Boaz's field.
Now let's rewind
for a second
and go back
to verse one.
Let's look at Boaz.
Now Naomi
had a relative
on her husband's side
from the clan
of Elimelech,
a man of standing
whose name
was Boaz.
Three things here
to mention
about Boaz.
Number one,
in terms of family relations,
Boaz was a relative
of Elimelech
from the same clan.
Now in Israel,
there were the twelve
tribes of Israel,
the sons of Jacob.
Below that
were the clans
of Israel,
and below that
were the families.
Boaz was from
the same clan
as Elimelech.
Second thing is,
the text says
that he was
a man of standing.
So Boaz
was a landowner.
So he was wealthy.
We know that.
But he wasn't
just some rich guy.
The Hebrew
for man of standing
can be roughly
translated as
a man of wealth,
but also
a man of character
and of integrity.
Third,
what does he say?
What are his first
words?
You can tell
a lot about a man
by what he says.
Look at verse 4.
I love
his first words.
He arrives
back from Bethlehem,
and I can imagine
Boaz standing
at the edge
of his fields,
looking out
at his harvesters
and saying,
the Lord be with you.
He blesses them.
How many bosses
in Hong Kong
do you know
that bless their colleagues?
I hear Pat laughing
over there.
Most bosses
in Hong Kong
lord over
or domineer
over their
subordinates
and colleagues,
but not Boaz.
Boaz is kind
to them.
And the best
example
of Boaz's kindness
is how
he treats
Ruth.
In verse 5,
Boaz notices
Ruth in his
body field,
and when he
realizes who
she is,
the Moabite
widow and
daughter-in-law
of Naomi,
he immediately
showers her
with kindness.
What does he do?
First,
Boaz
protects Ruth.
Verse 8
and 9,
Boaz says to
Ruth,
don't go
and glean
in another field
and don't go
away from here.
Stay here
with my servant
girls.
Watch the fields
where the men
are harvesting
and follow
along after
the girls.
I have told
the men
not to touch
you.
Now we know
Ruth needed
to gather
food for her
and Naomi,
but the only
way she could
do so safely
was if someone
protected her.
And Boaz
offered that
protection.
But you know
what's so powerful
is that in
coming under
Boaz's protection,
Ruth was actually
coming under
the protection
of God
himself.
Look at
verse 12.
Boaz,
in acknowledging
Ruth's loyalty
to Naomi,
he says to her,
may you be
richly rewarded
by the Lord,
the God
of Israel,
under whose
wings you
have come
to take
refuge.
Under whose
wings you
have come
to take
refuge.
As Ruth
gleaned
in Boaz's
field,
she thought
she was
coming under
Boaz's
protection,
but in
actual fact,
Ruth was
coming under
the protection
of God,
under his
wings.
God was
right there.
And the
second way
that Boaz
shows kindness
to Ruth
is that
he accepts
Ruth.
Boaz
didn't tell
Ruth,
hey,
stay in my
fields,
you can glean
as you
like,
my guys
will take
care of
you,
but I
got to
go take
off and
do the
financial
audit because
it's the
year end.
No,
Boaz
takes another
step and
invites
Ruth to
dine with
him at
his midday
meal.
Verse 14,
at mealtime,
Boaz said to
her,
come over
here,
have some
bread and
dip it in
the wine
vinegar.
When she
sat down,
he offered
her some
roasted
grain.
In any
culture,
when you
invite someone
to dine at
your table,
you project
a sense of
inclusion,
belonging,
acceptance.
You eat
with who
you want
to be
associated
with.
I can
imagine
guys like
Boaz,
landowners,
they would
dine with
other landowners
or perhaps
with customers
to whom
they want
to do
business.
Actually,
it's not
that different
from modern
day Hong
Kong,
is it?
And third,
Boaz
abundantly
sustains
Ruth.
As we
just saw,
at the
midday
meal,
Ruth eats
right at
Boaz's
table.
Verse 14
says,
she ate
all she
wanted
and had
some
left over.
Ruth
wasn't just
full after
eating with
Boaz.
She was
given so
much food,
she had
leftovers.
And then,
after the
meal,
verse 15
16,
Boaz
instructs
his men
to pull
some stalks
of barley
from the
bundles
and to
leave them
out in
the field
for Ruth
to pick
up.
He made
her job
so much
easier for
her.
He doesn't
just allow
Ruth to
glean in
the traditional
way according
to the
letter of
the law.
He works
behind the
scenes to
give Ruth
abundantly
more.
And at
the end
of that
day,
in verse
17,
Ruth
gleaned
about an
ephah
of barley.
An
ephah
of barley
is roughly
10 to
15 liters,
which is
10 to
15 times
more than
one person's
daily ration
in those
days.
And if that
wasn't enough,
Boaz goes
further.
Because of
his protection
and favor
upon Ruth,
Ruth was
able to
safely glean
through both
the barley
and the
wheat harvest,
which was
about seven
weeks.
And therefore,
at the end
of seven
weeks,
she would
have gleaned
about eight
months worth
of food.
What favor?
What blessing?
At the
beginning of
Ruth chapter
two,
Ruth went
out to
glean because
she was
hungry.
She had
no food.
But by
the end
of the
two months
of gleaning,
she had
more than
she needed
because Boaz
had abundantly
sustained her.
Look at
Ruth's
response.
She says
to Boaz
in verse
10,
Why have
I found
such favor
in your
eyes that
you notice
me, a
foreigner?
She is
genuinely
surprised at
Boaz's
kindness,
confirming
that Boaz
has indeed
given her
so much
more than
she expected.
And then
later on
in verse
13,
she says,
You have
given me
comfort,
have spoken
kindly to
your servant,
though I
do not
have the
standing
of one
of your
servant
girls.
Ruth
comes to
Boaz
with such
humility
and no
sense of
entitlement.
She never
thinks she
deserves
favor.
She never
thinks she
can earn
favor.
She
recognized
who she
was,
foreign
widow,
someone
unworthy
of even
being called
a servant
girl,
someone
broken,
someone in
need of
grace.
And in
verse 18,
Ruth returns
to Naomi.
Naomi.
You can
imagine Naomi
sitting there
waiting for
Ruth to
return,
unsure if
Ruth would
be successful
that day
in gleaning,
unsure if
God would
provide,
bitter,
resentful
against God
for the
predicament
that she's
in.
But all
of a sudden,
Ruth returns
home with
this massive,
huge bounty
of barley,
and she
tells Naomi
she has
gleaned in
Boaz's
field.
Naomi can't
believe it.
She tells
Ruth,
this man is
our close
relative.
He is our
kinsman
redeemer.
There is hope
after all.
Now,
we'll be
unpacking this
very important
concept of a
kinsman
redeemer or
guardian
redeemer in
detail in the
next two
weeks, so
you'll have to
wait for that.
But just to
give you a
quick preview,
the concept
of a kinsman
redeemer was
based upon
the Jewish
law.
Under the
law, male
clan members
had certain
responsibilities
towards their
relatives.
They had the
responsibility
to help out
a fellow
clan member
who faced
certain adverse
circumstances.
Two in
particular.
One, if a
relative fell
into extreme
poverty such
that he was
forced to sell
himself or
his land to
repay a debt,
a kinsman
redeemer, a
relative, was
expected to buy
back the
family member or
buy back that
land, whatever
the case may
be.
And second, if
a male relative
died, the
kinsman
redeemer was
expected to
marry the
widow to
carry on the
family name of
the male
relative.
But as you
can imagine,
both of these
things were
costly.
And Naomi
recognized that
Boaz was a
relative of her
dead husband,
Elimelech, and
therefore was one
of her family's
kinsman
redeemers.
You can sense
the excitement
and anticipation
from Naomi.
Could it be,
could God be
calling the
kind and good
man Boaz,
our close
relative, our
kinsman
redeemer, to
redeem our land,
to buy back
our dignity, to
carry on our
family line, to
save us?
Maybe God is
at work in our
lives after all.
Maybe Ruth
happening to
stumble upon
Boaz's field
wasn't random.
Did you
notice that
in the entire
chapter 2,
there isn't
even one
instance of
God intervening
in an obvious
supernatural
way?
God didn't
speak audibly
to Ruth
or to Boaz
like he did
to Abraham.
He didn't
appear to them
like he did
to Moses
in a burning
bush.
And yet,
God was
very much
still at work.
Of all the
barley fields
outside Bethlehem,
God led
Ruth to
Boaz's field
at the exact
time Boaz
showed up.
Even though
we don't
audibly hear
God's voice
or we don't
visibly see
him in action,
God's fingerprints
are all over
the narrative
of Ruth.
Proverbs
16.9
says,
I love this
passage,
a man's
heart
plans his
ways,
but the
Lord directs
his steps.
I don't
know about
you this
morning,
but that
verse is
very comforting
to me.
I feel
like
recently I've
had to
make so
many big
and small
decisions
about my
family,
my job,
a lot of
things going
on in my
life.
Recently we
decided to
move,
we decided
to send
Kiva to a
certain school,
so many
things going
on.
My day
job,
it's just
taken up
so much
of my
mental
capacity.
And on
top of
that,
my wife
and I
are expecting
twin boys.
Thank you.
Praise God.
We're very
excited about
this and feel
very,
very blessed.
But you
know,
with the
twin boys
coming,
to be honest,
I have more
questions than
answers.
I was talking
to my wife
the other day
and we're just
saying to each
other,
how are we
going to get
to church
on time
on Sunday?
How are we
going to get
anywhere on
time?
But you
know,
when I look
at Ruth,
I realize
God cares
about every
decision we
make.
He cares
about every
aspect of
our lives,
even the
mundane,
everyday
details.
I think
oftentimes we
think God
only cares
about the
really big
things in
our lives,
so therefore
we only
pray when
we're really
in trouble.
But when
we fail
to believe
God is
working in
the everyday
aspect,
everyday
aspects of
our lives,
we end up
complaining.
When we
fail to believe
God is
working,
we oftentimes
put more
undue
pressure on
ourselves to
do things
with our
own strength.
faith.
Or maybe
some of us
feel God
is so far
away,
he's up
in the
clouds,
and so
therefore we
lose hope
and we
drift away
from him,
from the
church,
from our
community
groups,
from reading
his word,
from pursuing
him.
But if we
look at
Ruth,
that morning
she seemed
to make a
mundane
decision to
go glean
for barley.
But God
honored that.
And God
was right
there,
directing her,
guiding her,
even in this
small decision.
And he led
her right
to Boaz,
where God
blessed Ruth
through Boaz.
When we
believe that
the sovereign
God of the
universe is in
control,
we don't worry
about our
decisions.
We don't worry
about the
outcomes.
We go through
our day
knowing that
he cares
about every
mundane
event and
our hearts
are at
peace because
he cares.
He cares
about that
conversation
you're having
tomorrow with
your boss.
He cares
about where
you're going
to send
your kids
to school.
He cares
about the
dinner you're
going to
have with
your in-laws.
I know
life in
Hong Kong
is often
a grind.
But be
encouraged that
God is not
just there in
the big
things.
He's there
in the
thousand
small moments
of every
single day
working in
our lives.
So as we've
seen in
Ruth chapter
two,
Boaz
was a
faithful man
of God,
a good
man,
a kind
man.
Remember,
Boaz was
merely a
man.
Boaz just
gives us a
glimpse of the
redeemer who
was to come
over a thousand
years later who
would redeem
not just one
family but the
world.
Boaz was just
a type and
shadow of the
greatest
redeemer,
Jesus Christ,
God himself,
who would
redeem mankind
from our
greatest tragedy,
our own
hearts,
our own
brokenness,
our own
fractured
nature.
You see,
in many ways,
you and I
were like
Ruth.
Ruth was not
a Jew.
She was a
Gentile.
When she first
came to Israel,
she was a
foreigner,
without rights,
without hope.
She was an
outcast,
looked down
upon by
society.
The
apostle Paul,
he writes in
Ephesians 2
that we too
are Gentiles
by birth
and that
before we
knew Christ,
we too
were excluded
from citizenship
in Israel,
foreigners to
the covenants
of promise,
without hope
and without
God in the
world.
Like Ruth,
without Christ,
you and I,
we too,
are broken.
We too are
in desperate
need of a
savior.
But unlike
Ruth,
we weren't
just struggling
with hunger.
We weren't
just victims
of our
relatives'
misfortune.
Before we
knew Christ,
you and I
were enemies
of God.
Every time
we said in
our hearts,
I want to
do this my
way,
I want to
be in
charge,
we are
guilty of
mocking
Christ,
of beating
him,
of setting
that crown
of thorns
upon his
head.
But we
have hope.
In that
same passage
from Ephesians,
Paul goes
on to say,
Paul goes
on to say,
but now
in Christ
Jesus,
you who
were once
far away
have been
brought near
through the
blood of
Christ.
Without
doing anything
on our own
accord,
without
justifying
ourselves,
we who
were once
far away
have been
brought near
to God
through the
blood of
Jesus Christ.
Ruth's
redeemer
was
Boaz,
but our
redeemer
is one
who is
far
greater.
Our
redeemer
is Christ
himself,
who is
seated at
the right
hand of
God
in heaven.
Boaz
protected
Ruth and
said to
her,
stay in
my fields.
And
remember,
in verse
12,
he acknowledged
that Ruth
came to
Bethlehem
to seek
refuge under
the wings
of the
God
of
Israel.
What did
Christ say
about this?
In the
Gospels,
as Jesus
lamented how
his Jewish
brothers rejected
him as
their Messiah
and Savior,
Christ,
he cries
out in
Matthew 23,
he says,
how often
I long
to gather
your children
together as
a hen
gathers her
chicks under
her wings,
for you
were not
willing.
The
theologian
N.T.
Wright
said this,
he said,
this image
is of a
barnyard
fire.
When the
fire breaks
out,
the mother
hen would
gather her
chicks under
her wings
to protect
them.
But when
the fire
had run
its course,
there will
be found
a dead
hen,
scorched
and blackened.
but the
chicks will
be alive
and well
under her
wings.
It's a
picture of
Christ,
God in
flesh who
would protect
us under
his wings,
taking the
punishment
of death
for us,
even when
we had
rejected
him.
Now,
Boaz,
he accepted
Ruth at
his dining
table.
He welcomed
her,
he included
her.
But Christ
says,
my father
has prepared
a banquet
for you
in heaven
where we
will dine
together for
eternity.
Christ
says,
my father's
house has
many rooms
and I
am going
there to
prepare a
place for
you.
Christ
says,
you are
welcome,
you belong,
and he
says,
because of
me,
my father
sees you
as my
brother
and my
sister.
You are
my family.
Now,
Boaz
sustained
Ruth with
a huge
bounty of
barley.
He fed
her for
weeks and
months at
a big
cost to
himself.
Boaz
could have
sold that
barley for
money.
But Christ
sustains us
with his
very body.
Christ
says,
I am the
bread of
life,
and I
give you
my body
on the
cross.
I've
paid the
ultimate
price.
Boaz
was a
good
man.
You
could even
say he
was a
great
man.
But
Jesus
Christ
is a
hero of
this
story.
He
embodies
loving
kindness.
Jesus
Christ
is
loving
kindness.
So as
we close
Ruth
chapter 2,
let's
ask
ourselves
a
question.
How has
God called
us to
share his
loving
kindness to
those around
us?
As we've
seen this
morning,
God displayed
his kindness
to Ruth
through Boaz.
Ruth,
the Moabitess
widow,
Gentile,
an outsider
in Israel.
She saw
the kindness
of God
through this
God-fearing
man,
Boaz.
So,
who are
the Ruths
around us?
Who are
the outsiders?
And how
will they
experience
the kindness
of God?
There are
people around
us every
single day,
even right
here at
church on
Sunday,
that the
world would
judge as
outsiders.
others.
But let's
ask ourselves,
can Watermark
Community Church
be a place
that welcomes
all peoples,
all nations,
all demographics?
Can our
Sunday service,
our CGs,
be a place
where every
man and
every woman
is equally
shown the
kindness of
God?
Jeremy and
Soda talked
about social
justice earlier.
out there
in the city,
there are
so many
people crying
out for
the kindness
of God.
There are
so many
pockets of
society here
in Hong Kong
that struggle
economically or
socially.
Think about
the women
that work in
the red light
districts,
minorities that
have few
rights,
the elderly,
the widows,
the orphans,
single mothers.
As Christ
followers,
God has
called us to
care for
and to
show kindness
to these
people.
Otherwise,
how are they
going to
receive kindness?
You see,
when we
truly understand
the kindness
of Christ,
when the
truth of
Christ's
sacrifice,
pain,
what he
went through
for us on
the cross,
when that is
so deeply
rooted in
our hearts,
then we can
show kindness
to the people
around us,
just like
Ruth showed
kindness to
Naomi,
and Boaz
showed kindness
to Ruth.
Ordinary people
living faithful,
extraordinary lives.
God using
faithful people
to show his
kindness to
the world.
So this week,
as you go about
your daily lives,
at home with
your families,
at work,
when you meet
strangers on
the street or
in the MTR,
can you allow
God to
display his
kindness
through you?
Let's pray.
Father, we do
thank you for
your word,
which is living,
which is active,
and powerful.
Father, I pray
that as we
receive your
message,
as we receive
your word,
and as we
digest it
this week,
Lord,
I pray,
Father,
that at first,
Lord,
we would see
our own
brokenness,
Father,
our own need
of you.
You would see
how we're like
Ruth.
Before we knew
you,
we were a
foreigner,
to your
kingdom.
But,
Father,
through the
blood of
Christ,
through his
sacrifice,
through the
cross,
we have been
brought near
to God.
And I pray,
Lord,
that as we
think about
and meditate
upon the
kindness
that we see
in this
passage
that Boaz
has shown
to Ruth,
I pray,
Father,
that we'll just
see the
kindness of
God through
that.
infinitely
greater
than the
kindness
that Boaz,
that good
man,
showed to
Ruth.
And I
pray,
Lord,
that we'll
just see
the beauty
of Christ,
that we'll
be more
in awe
of him.
God,
that we'll
do it.
And I
pray,
Father,
that as we
go out
into Hong
Kong during
this week,
wherever we
are,
Lord,
Monday to
Friday to
Saturday,
I pray,
Father,
that you
would use
us to
show your
kindness to
those around
us,
Lord,
in every
situation,
Father.
And,
Lord,
for some
of us,
that's
difficult.
that's a
challenge.
Sometimes,
Lord,
I admit,
it's hard
to be kind
to those
that are
not kind
to me.
But then
I look at
Christ,
and I
see,
on the
cross,
on the
cross,
that you
were beaten,
Lord Jesus.
You were
mocked,
you were
whipped,
you bled
for me,
God.
You showed
me,
you showed
all of us
ultimate
loving kindness
through what
you did.
And I pray,
God,
that we would
receive that
message today,
Lord,
and we would
go out into
Hong Kong
and to show
your loving
kindness
to those
around us,
to those
you have
placed in
our lives.
In your
name we pray.
Amen.