Gateway Mackenzie Campus 5PM

Where this story begins in tragedy and death, it ends with joy and life. God’s plan for Ruth is one of redemption, hope and joy. At a cost both financially and personally, Boaz chooses to redeem Ruth and her life is changed forever. This climax to this story points to God’s redemptive story for humanity. Just as Boaz is the guardian-redeemer for Ruth, there is another Redeemer who would ultimately come in the line of Boaz and Ruth that would save the world. In the following generations that boy, Jesus would also be born in Bethlehem and redeem all of humanity.

Ruth shows incredible faithfulness to Naomi, trusting her wisdom and guidance in her relationship with Boaz. As a Moabite woman, it takes great courage and confidence to pursue Boaz. But her action is noted as godly kindness (hesed) – and Boaz celebrates her as a woman of noble character. Boaz too is faithful to Ruth in choosing to receive Ruth in his life and take up her desperate cause.

As Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem, their circumstances begin to change. Firstly, God provides through a provision that had been made in the Law. They were entitled to collect the off cuts of crops left behind during the harvest. But more than this, Ruth also encountered significant generosity and provision from Boaz – a man of character who exhibits godly kindness (hesed). Whilst others would possibly ignore or even attack, Boaz sees and offers kindness. Boaz is the answer to the prayer that Ruth prays.

The story of Ruth begins in an act of desperation. Elimilek has taken his wife and family away from Israel to the foreign land of Moab, where they inevitably fall into the worship and practices of that nation. Sadly, their act of unfaithfulness ends in pain and death. Naomi and Ruth are left with no husbands, no family, and no hope. Yet despite this, Naomi returns to the land of her family and her God – believing for better days. And Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law profoundly chooses to be faithful, not only to her mother-in-law but also to her God.

Lauren Lucas explores marriage in a Christian context, and how we can prepare for a good marriage by practising Faithfulness.

In Ephesians 5, Paul outlines God’s plan for a Christian marriage in a culture that was living according to a different blueprint. In ancient Greco-Roman culture, wives were the property of husbands. Love was considered irrelevant as marriage was to produce children, not friendship. Wives were practical, not precious and in a sex-saturated society, fidelity from husbands was rare. Paul gives followers of Jesus a different plan to follow for a loving and lasting marriage and blueprint for all people to live by: “be devoted to one another out of reverence for Christ”.

Guest speaker Stacey Tarrant explores singleness in the Christian context.

Singleness is a natural part of life. While we often think of ‘singles’ as those who are younger and not yet married, we forget that singleness exists in many forms; widows, single dad’s, people who have been divorced. Singleness is not something that just exists until you get a partner. So often the unfortunate narrative is that singleness is a season to get out of quickly so that we can be fulfilled in a relationship and marriage...as if singleness is a lesser state of being.

Rather, singleness is a gift from God in the same way that marriage is a gift from God. Paul was able to articulate that singleness has both blessings and complexities and that being single can help us to see what God is doing in us and what God can do through us.

Ben Dainton explores dating in a Christian context.

Dating isn’t something that the Bible has a clear framework for. You can’t find a chapter in the Bible with Jesus’ teaching on it, but you can find guiding principles about our relationships, how we are to navigate them, and also who to choose to do life with. Dating is a period of time where two people are committed to discerning whether a lifelong commitment is something they can make to each other.

Therefore dating needs to have a purpose. Dating needs to be done with a focus on imitation of Christ not just attraction another. Attraction happens naturally but a lasting relationship is built on the character of the couple.

On Young Communicators Sunday, Rachel Rasi explores what it means for Jesus to welcome us home when we are isolated and alone.

Join us for this message from our Mackenzie 5pm service on 7th December 2025.

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If you would like prayer at any time, we would love to pray with you. Let us know at www.gatewaybaptist.com.au/prayer

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Gateway Baptist Church meets across five locations in South-East Queensland and also online. For more than 90 years we’ve been a community dedicated to leading people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus.

To learn more about us, visit ⁠https://gatewaybaptist.com.au⁠ or join us on Sundays at ⁠https://gatewaybaptist.online.church⁠

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