About This Series

Redeeming Love: The Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth is too often overlooked in the Old Testament. Within these pages

of Scripture we uncover the grace-filled lives of two unexpected protagonists: an el-

derly, desolate widow named Naomi and her childless, foreign daughter-in-law, Ruth.

Full of romance and intrigue, loss and renewal, Ruth and Naomi's journey from

heartbreak to hope offers a glimpse into the Lord's redemptive power as He transforms

a bitter widow and a former idolater into a family legacy that would eventually lead to

the birth of Christ, Himself.

Despite the tragedies which marked their lives, through the story of Ruth and Naomi

we learn about the faithful, abundant, unexpected and personal God who works all

things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Ultimately, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we, too, experi-

ence the presence and love of God, even in times of crisis and despair. He journeys

with us in all of life’s circumstances.

So join us in this four-week series as we delve into the Book of Ruth, and as we see

the faithful, abundant, unexpected and personal God in Christ at work through His

Redeeming Love for us.

We invite you to join us each week, too!

Daily devotional books like this one will be provided each week in an effort to con-

nect the Sunday messages with your daily life. The devotions have all been written by

either lay members or Ministry Staff of Holy Trinity.

The Sunday devotion reviews the sermon from that day. The rest of the week offers

daily Scripture passages based on the Lectionary with a few thoughts to consider.

And, if you miss a Sunday, you can always find our services and sermons online at

holytrinityedmond.org/sermons.

Here are the weekly themes for the series:

July 11: God is Faithful in His Redeeming Love | Ruth 1

July 18: God is Abundant with His Redeeming Love | Ruth 2

July 25: God is Unexpected with His Redeeming Love | Ruth 3

August 1: God is Personal in His Redeeming Love | Ruth 4

God is Abundant with His Redeeming Love Sunday Sermon Review – Based on Ruth 2

July 18, 2021

Without a husband, without any children, and now living in a foreign land, Ruth

is impoverished and easily forgotten by society. In order to survive, and to care for

her aging mother-in-law, Ruth does what any woman in her shoes would have

done in that land at that time: she gleaned.

In Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy we find instructions from the Lord about

harvesting and gleaning. As farmers harvested their grains, anything that fell to

the ground was to remain on the ground, left behind to allow widows, orphans, and

resident aliens (foreign immigrants) to pick it up and take for themselves.

Such practice might alarm us as if it was wasteful or bad stewardship of what

should be rightfully “ours.” Allowing such freeloading, bottom-feeders to live off of

our hard work and efforts seems like we’re only enabling their laziness. ”Get a job!”

we may think.

But this is what the reign of God looks like; this is what the redeeming love of

God looks like! The Lord alone is the one who provides for us. He calls us to not

focus on how much we can get for ourselves. In God’s economy, good stewardship

is sometimes reckless as we care for others out of His abundance.

Ruth, the poor, childless, foreign widow went away with an abundance of grain,

an abundance of protection, and an abundance of honor. God provided for her.

Through Jesus, we sinful bottom-feeders are given an abundance of grace in

the Sacraments, an abundance of protection in the arms of our Savior, and an

abundance of honor at being declared righteous and redeemed children of God.

Reflecting on Today’s Sermon:

1. At what point was I confronted with the Law?

2. What comfort did the Gospel bring?

3. What story/phrase/teaching stuck out to me?

4. What did I learn about God from this sermon?

5. In response to the Word of God, I will…

Prayer for the Eighth Sunday After Pentecost:

Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

Feeding Everything By Gregory McCain

Monday, June 19, 2021

Psalms 147:7-9: Sing to the Lord with grateful praise; make music to our God on

the harp. He covers the sky with clouds, he supplies the earth with rain and makes

grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens

when they call. (NIV)

During the pandemic, there was a shortage of meat. I remember going to the

grocery store and they were completely out of chicken. The cooler was entirely

bare for the first time I could remember. The meat packing plants were closed

because of the spread of the virus within them. However, the store still had beef

and pork available. It was just another effect that the virus had on our lives.

Another effect of the virus was that we realized how important front-line workers

were to us. The meat packing people, the truckers that haul food for us, and the

grocery store workers themselves suddenly became the heroes that kept life go-

ing, that made it possible. At least for a short time we no longer took these workers

for granted.

We often take for granted the role God takes in our food, our daily bread. We

neglect to thank Him for the jobs we have. We forget to thank Him for our abilities.

We forget to thank Him that we are able work, not crippled or handicapped. There

are many things we take for granted. The psalmist is reminding us to thank God

for even the little things we have in life.

Stories of the Oklahoma dust bowl days should remind us of what the earth is

like without rain. My mother-in-law told us about having to set the table with the

plates upside down, so the dust wouldn’t settle in them before they ate. However,

they were able to survive. She spent the rest of her life thankful that she didn’t

have to live through times like that again.

Thank God for the things on this earth. But especially thank Him for eternal life

thanks to Jesus. We have a lot to thank God for, both on the earth and in the life

to come. Thank the Lord!

Pray: Thank You, Lord for the gifts You give me here. Thanks for the life You will

give me to come. Please help me to be thankful and grateful for all Your gilts. We

also thank You for being such a giving God. We praise You for the hope You give

us through Your Son. In His name we pray. Amen.

Unwavering Strength By Ava Schwneninger

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Psalm 147:10-11: He is not impressed by the strength of a horse; he does not

value the power of a warrior. The Lord values those who fear him, those who put their hope in his faithful love.

As a Texan, whenever I meet people, they often assume I’m a great horse rider.

Unfortunately, this assumption carried around the world with me to a mission trip

in Mongolia. My team spent a day riding native horses in a rural area; when the

guides discovered I was from Texas, they said to me, “You must be comfortable

on a horse; take this one, she’s very strong-willed - you’ll know what to do.” In all fairness, I was trying to prove my strength and willingness, so I didn’t say

anything. I just hopped on and figured I’d get the hang of it. My team commented

on ‘how natural I looked’ and ‘I must be fueled by my inner cowgirl.’ Little did they

know, I’d only ridden a horse once in my life and disaster was about to strike. Ok, disaster may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not long after we took off, my

horse decided to tighten under the saddle, his strength evident beneath me. His

nostrils flared, and the next thing I knew we were racing through the Mongolian

plains. I kept trying to use everything in me to slow him down - digging my knees

into his side, pulling on the reins, but nothing seemed to make a difference - I was

powerless. Eventually, one of the guides came to my rescue, and once again my

horse and I were making our way slowly back to the team. While I may have been completely fine after the unexpected turn my ride took, I

had a newfound respect for horses and anyone who works with them. Their

strength and power is unmatched by many other animals, yet they are often willing

to aid humans in the work we do on farms across the globe. While they are pow-

erful, they are humble and obedient creatures. When the psalmist praises the Lord, I am reminded of what it feels like to be

powerless to the strength of a mighty horse. But I am overcome with the idea that

our Master is not focused on our strength, like one may be with their horse. In-

stead, our Lord seeks our humility, our reverence for Him. We know His strength

is unmatched by ours, that when we are unable to face what’s before us, God’s strength is more powerful than anything we could imagine of ourselves.

As we read through the book of Ruth, we’re reminded that as a widow without

children in a foreign land, she has nothing; she is seen as nothing. But her strength

is of no importance. Instead, she humbles herself before the Lord, before His

power and greatness, to carry her when the future is uncertain. When you feel

weak or broken, hold fast to the strength of the Lord, that He may give you power and perseverance; His unwavering vigor is met in His love for you. Pray: Lord, thank You for meeting us in our weakness and providing us with Your

strength. Keep us in Your power and love forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Good News By Betsy Allie

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Jeremiah 23:5: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for

David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right

in the land.” (NIV)

When I was young, I thought the book of Jeremiah was only full of bad news. In

fact, in literature, anyone who brought only bad news was called “a Jeremiah.”

And, yes, God did give this young man a lot of hard things to say. But look! Right

here, smack in the middle of the book, is this fabulous, good news – the promise

of the Messiah!

In my experience, this is one of the most enduring attributes of our God. In the

midst of all the bad news the world heaps upon us, His word brings us not only

good news, but joy! Because we live in a broken, sinful world, everyone experi-

ences challenges, difficulties, hardships, troubles and tragedies. Some of the hap-

piest-appearing people have been through terrible trials. But those of us who are

children of God, know the joy of our salvation.

We know that this is not our “forever” home; we know that, no matter what trou-

ble comes to us, God will guide and see us through to the other side; and we know

that we will live forever with our Savior and all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

This is joy! “Happiness” depends a lot on the circumstances of our life, but, to me,

“joy” is the deep, abiding certainty that God loves me and walks with me – and

often carries me when I’m too weak and frightened to walk.

Reading in the book of Ruth, I like to think that even in the midst of her sorrow

and trouble Naomi expressed a certain confidence in her God. I think Ruth saw

this and wanted it for herself. And I think they loved one another. This is what I

want to show to the world around me. I don’t need for people to say “Boy, does

she know who she is.” But I really want people to say “Boy, does she know whose

she is.” And I want to share this joy with everyone I encounter, in the most loving

way possible.

Pray: Thank You, Father, for the extravagant love You have shown to Your chil-

dren. Thank You for loving me and saving me. Help me express my confidence in

You and Your promises, so that others will see and ask about You. Help me always

be ready to share those promises with others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Inner Circle By Kyle and Nikki Young

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Ephesians 2:13: But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been

brought near by the blood of Christ.

Today’s excerpt from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus obviously reminds

me of the cinematic masterpiece A Christmas Story. There were many subplots of

the movie aside from Ralphie’s scheme to get a “Red Rider B.B. Gun” for Christ-

mas: the theme assignment for school, avoiding a daily beating by Scut Farkus,

the Bumpas hounds. These were mostly distractions to the B.B. gun focus. How-

ever, one key underlying subplot was Ralphie impatiently waiting for his “Little Or-

phan Annie Secret Society” secret message decoder pin.

It is explained at the end of the Little Orphan Annie broadcast that only those in

the “inner circle” can decode the cypher given. How does one get into the inner

circle? By drinking gallons of Ovaltine and sending off the labels. Who can get into

the inner circle? Basically anyone that wants to drink gallons of Ovaltine and take

the time to send off the labels. Once a person received their decoder pin they could

decode the secret message sent by Little Orphan Annie herself! As we find out in

the movie, it’s all an advertising and money-making ploy. The message encour-

ages the “inner circle” to keep drinking Ovaltine. All the build-up and anticipation

results in a painful letdown.

Paul’s excerpt tells us of another inner circle. In fact, it sounds similar to a part

of Pastor Brakhage’s Sunday Bible study of the Gospel of Mark: there are those

in Jesus’ inner circle and those on the outside. In a way, we are like Ralphie. Just

as he desired to be in Annie’s inner circle, we desire, hopefully more so, to be in

Jesus’. God (Himself!) sent, and sends, us a message in His word. But even as

the apostles found out, it needed decoding. Not through a pin or a ring but through

the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, discernment, and faith to under-

stand and believe His message: He loves us, He redeems us through His Son’s

death on the cross, and there’s not a thing we can do nor have to do. The work

has been done for us.

No letdown here! Jesus exceeds the expectations as Messiah. His is not an

earthly kingdom, but a Heavenly, everlasting one that He shares with us. We were

all lost but now are found. We were out and now we’re in!

Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your gift of grace and mercy when You

sent Your Son, Jesus, to die for us that we would be brought into the inner circle

of Your arms. In Jesus name. Amen.

Come With Me By John Grunow

Friday, July 23, 2021

Mark 6:30-32: The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they

had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that

they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by your-

selves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a

boat to a solitary place. (NIV)

It goes without saying that we are prone toward maintaining a frenetic pace of

activity, and the instantaneous nature of our digitized world feeds into that. This

abundance of opportunity and activity leads to an abundance of physical, emo-

tional and mental exhaustion, and it can become a heavy burden.

The disciples experienced a similar pace of activity when Jesus sent them out

to teach and heal. The number of people and their needs became overwhelming

and taxed the disciples’ capacity to manage. Jesus, in the abundance of His re-

deeming grace, recognized they were wearing thin. He offered them, and us, a

practical solution.

Come with me – The solution to effectively manage our busyness is to go with

Jesus. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…for my yoke is easy

and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28,30) We experience an abundance of redeem-

ing grace when we are with Jesus and allow Him to control our agenda.

by yourselves – Jesus implies that at times we need to get away from the

crowds. We experience crowds at work, at play, in social media and even in the

demands of family and church activities. As we go away with Jesus, by ourselves,

leaving the crowds behind, we are able to experience closeness and intimacy with

our Savior.

to a quiet place – The world is a place of relentless motion, activity and sound,

all of which try to attract our attention. We are easily distracted from seeing, hear-

ing and doing what the Spirit desires. Retreating to a place with Jesus, without

digital distraction, provides a close and focused connection with the Savior.

and get some rest – Resting in Jesus is revitalizing. “They who hope in the

Lord will renew their strength.” (Is 40:31)

Go with Jesus, by yourself, to a quiet place, and get some rest!

Pray: Jesus, thank You for the invitation to come with You. Grant us the desire

and opportunity to follow You, by ourselves, to a quiet place where we will be re-

vitalized as we rest with You. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Abundant Provision By Angie Niemeyer

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Mark 6: 41-42: [Jesus] took the five loaves and the two fish, and upon looking up

to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giving them to his disciples

to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. Everyone

ate and was satisfied.

Don’t you just love this story?! It’s such an incredible story of how Jesus provides

abundantly for His people. From just five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus per-

formed a miracle that fed and nourished over five thousand people. And He did

this without planning and after a long, exhaustive day of teaching His people.

Jesus has a unique way and interaction with the disciples in this section of Mark.

They are tired and done for the day. He has compassion on them and tells them

to take a rest. But the crowds just kept coming. They were running to the shore.

Out of compassion, Jesus goes ashore and continues teaching. His disciples must

be really growing weary as they continue to urge Jesus to call it a day.

But rather than following their lead, Jesus, encourages the disciples to feed

them. In verse 37, you see the disciples scoff at this suggestion, not seeing the

feasibility of such a request. “They said to him, ‘Should we go and buy two hundred

denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?’”

Jesus then engages the disciples and includes them in this miracle to continue

to teach. He had them bring the five loaves of bread and the two fish. Of course,

Jesus, could have taken care of this without their assistance, but I find it awesome

He included them in this way. He then had the disciples pass out the food. “Eve-

ryone ate and was satisfied.” But there’s more…there were 12 baskets of food left

over. Not only did Jesus provide for all 5000+ people, but there were leftovers!

We see God’s grace, mercy and provision all throughout Scripture. We see that

abundant provision in our daily lives as well. God is always there for us, always

giving us what we need and then some. We are not much different than the 12

disciples. We scoff at some of the crazy directions we may hear, we question what

is being asked of us. Yet, God still shows up and provides for us.

Discuss: How has God provided for you? How has he provided more than what

you needed or asked for? How do you thank Him for these provisions?

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for always providing for us. Thank You for con-

tinuing to show us Your grace and mercy abundantly. Keep our hearts and our

minds focused on You, Lord. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

About This Devotion Booklet Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is a congregation of Christians committed to Jesus’

Great Commission from Matthew 28: “Go, and make disciples of all nations, bap-tizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all I have commanded you…”

With these words, Christ is informing us how discipleship takes place: through Baptism and through ongoing instruction in what He has commanded us. And what has He commanded us to do?

In John 13, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, telling them to love one another (as in, love other disciples). In Matthew 22, Jesus teaches His disciples that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor. So, again: what has He commanded us to do?

Love God. Love One Another. Love Your Neighbor.

We love our neighbor through mission efforts, outreach, and evangelism. We show love for one another as we come together as fellow Christians—serving each other, growing in faith through the study of God’s Word, and joining in fellowship with one another. We love God in our worship and in our personal devotional life.

Since January of 2018, the Ministry Staff along with a handful of lay volunteers have been offering weekly devotion booklets like this one in an effort to better support people like you in your love for God, further connecting your daily life with the overarching sermon series, while going more in depth with weekly sermons.

The Sunday devotional offers a review of the Scriptures and message from that day’s worship service, allowing opportunity to further reflect on the sermon. The rest of the week offers a daily Scripture passage with a few thoughts to consider. On the back of the booklet is our weekly prayer list to assist in your prayers.

We pray you are blessed through the pages of these devotions, as the Holy Spirit works through Scripture and the insights offered. May your love for God in-crease and abound, leading and equipping you to more fully love your fellow dis-ciples in Christ’s Church and to love your neighbor in the world around you.

If you’ve missed any Sunday, you can always find our services and ser-mons online at www.holytrinityedmond.org/sermons. And, if you’d like to join the “army of authors” in writing devotions, please reach out to Pastor Meyer at jmeyer@holytrinityedmond.org. God bless your devotion reading!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Cop-yright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL & GOVERNMENT WORKERSChristian Cantu, Gwyneth Cantu, Alex Eck, Mark Erwin, Daniel Herm, Jennifer Howell, Madison Neumann, Matt Niendorf, Anthony Payne, Cameron Satterlee, Larry Sull, Ryan Toombs, Mathew Young, & Eric Young.

HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOLPrayers for our students, teachers and staff for a safe & relaxing summer break.

Keith Miller and family as they mourn the passing of his father, Robert.Kerstin Pfaff - daughter of Jim and Connie Lowry. She has had 2 eye surgeries and will require another in a few months. Pray for successful treatment and 3 rd surgery.Ken and Kathy Loeber rejoice at the arrival of a new granddaughter, Elin Maxine.Robert Ross - prayers for corretion of heart issues that have delayed knee surgery.Michael Sloup - recovering from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.Ken Loeber - recovering from a recent knee replacement.Geri Shrum - recoving from heart attack and stint replacement surgery.Mathew & Rachel Young & family - prayers as they continue to experience family difficulties.

Family of Russell Stevens- friend of Nancy West, who passed away after battling cancer. Prayers for peace and comfort for his wife, Beverly, and daughters, Rebecca and Hannah during this difficult time. Rosemary McAllister - mother of Debbie Gerling, recovering from a stroke and moved to hospice care.Sammy Harris – 4 year old grandson of David & Sue Dodson, praise and thanksgiving he is healing well from open heart surgery and gets to go home!Anna Moll - sister of Ginger Scheer-White. Prayers for her and her family going through difficult circumstances.Annette Burnat – sister in law of Loretta Gonzalez recently diagnosed with breast cancer.Col. Matthew Frankie – friend of Don & Paulette Owens. LCMS Pastor with the Air Force who is up for promotion to General at the Pentagon. Prayers for peace and wisdom as he trusts God with this decision.Cindy Keeter – sister of Connie Williams, prayers for complete healing and strength while undergoing cancer treatments.Josh Pershica- OKC Police Officer and former student of Carol Gardner, diagnosed with a tumor wrapping around the pituitary gland. Prayers for proper testing to get him the healing he needs very soon.Addie Swim – HTLS student battling continuing health complications. Tests have revealed damage to her right kidney. Additional test to determine the cause and treatment.Delores Williams – 92 year old mother of Randy battling some ongoing health issues. Prayers that her doctors can make an accurate diagnosis and provide a successfulplan of treatment.Steve Wolf – brother of Loretta Gonzalez recently diagnosedwith bone & lung cancer.