Have you ever been in a situation where you desperately needed someone to step up for you—but no one did? How did it feel to be left standing alone, knowing that there is no one willing to come to your defense? Maybe you let people down so often they’ve stopped believing in you, or the cost of standing w/you is just too high. Maybe you looked around so ordinary and felt so unseen that no one noticed you were in trouble; you didn’t matter. What about a time when someone noticed, took the risk, stood up for you & paid the price no one else would? And it reminds you that you’re seen, valued, and loved. Today’s passage is a story where redemption hung in the balance. A moment that reflects the greater story of the Redeemer who stepped forward for us, when no one else could. If you’ve ever doubted your worth or wondered if anyone truly sees you, this sermon is exactly what you need today.

What is loyalty? Why is it a virtue? Is loyalty always a good thing? What if you’re loyal to the wrong person or thing? If someone asked you, “How loyal are you to Jesus, His Kingdom, and His people, what would you answer?” What does real loyalty to God and His people look like? How can we know it when we see it? Does it come with a cost? These are all questions that pierce deep if we’re willing to ask it. Assessing your Kingdom loyalty is important though. What happens when it demands courage in a moment of fear, or grace in a moment of pain? I’m not talking about convenient loyalty when it's easy, fashionable, or socially acceptable. Kingdom loyalty isn't cheap. It’s bold, risky, and costly, & anything less than complete loyalty to Jesus & His people is really just different levels of compromise.

One day, as Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind beggar on the roadside, heard Jesus was passing close by. Immediately, he began crying out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! His boldness offended everyone around him. They rebuked him. You’re rude! Leave Jesus alone! Be quiet, shut up! His bold desperation was seen by others as inappropriate, but he wouldn’t be silenced. He cried out even louder! Jesus stopped, called him forward, & asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, let me recover my sight.” Jesus was impressed by his desperate, bold faith! He loved It! He commended his faith & healed him on the spot! Have you ever been so spiritually desperate for Jesus that you became so bold you didn’t care what others might think? I’m not talking about selfish desperation or arrogant boldness driven by a desire for something in this world. I’m talking about a bold, spiritual desperation for something this world could never provide even in its best moments. Would you be humble & bold enough to risk earthly misunderstanding in pursuit of grace, mercy, and redemption? What brings a soul to a place where they take such audacious steps that others might see as ridiculous, or even rude? Imagine a moment of desperation for redemption that leads to a humble boldness that risks others misjudging you. Could it be that the redemption you’re desperate for will require humble boldness? Would you take that step?

How often do we overlook God’s ordinary blessings right in front of us? Have they become boring, familiar, unnoticed? In a world obsessed with spectacle, have Christians also become so fixated on miracles, breakthroughs, and grand gestures that we forget how to recognize God’s quiet, powerful presence in the fabric of everyday ordinary life? What if our thirst for the spectacular has dulled our senses to everyday quiet evidence of His love and presence? Could it be that God, who can speak through fire and thunder, prefers to speak to us through those ordinary, familiar, everyday provisions; blessings so common we often overlook attributing them to God’s mercy and grace? Our quest for spiritual fireworks makes us numb to a daily meal, a roof over our heads, or community w/His people. Should we stop looking for God’s presence in miracles and look more in the ordinary things He places right in our hands?

Do you ever drift, feel disconnected from your church family or isolated by something you can’t quite identify? What’s the root cause of division between people in the church? How do we nurture unity and keep it thriving? We claim to value in unity, but do our lives and our relationships with each other in this room reflect that? Are we protecting unity, or is it being compromised by entitlement & selfishness with what God gives us for His purpose? Do we want a community where no one is more deserving than another—or just say we do? Well here are more tough questions that expose what we really want: Is church just a Sunday obligation, or a true family? Are we welcoming to everyone, or only those who fit in our culture? Do some feel more valued here than others? Are you here because you need or want something, or are you here because you desire to give something? Are we hoarding God’s blessings, or using them to serve others with generosity? These are tough questions and the fact is, unity is an easy word to pronounce even venerate but it’s not so easy to achieve. It's under constant attack. I think today’s story in our series on Ruth reveals a critical secret to transformational unity among God’s people.

"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.' With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." - Acts 2:37-41

Peter, a complete stranger, filled with the Holy Spirit, convinces foreign Jews to abandon their earthly rabbis right there on the southern steps, & be baptized, in public, in front of everyone, including their earthly rabbi, in the name of Jesus! That day, 3,000 people publicly identified themselves as disciples of Rabbi Jesus! But the number isn’t the big miracle! Remember the requirement? To be baptized in the name of your rabbi, he had to be alive and with you in Jerusalem. Their decision to be baptized in the name of Jesus was a bold public statement that they believed in the resurrection! They haven’t seen the resurrected Jesus! But they believed because of the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit! They traveled all that way to worship at the Temple, in the name of their rabbi, but were baptized in the name of Jesus. This was a risky, profound public declaration, that they believed the Gospel & identified with followers of Jesus! They are declaring they believe their new rabbi Jesus is alive with them right now, through the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s what today is. We have people who have come to us from different places, to declare that Jesus is their rabbi. Today, they are choosing to be baptized in the name of their rabbi Jesus, the same way the travelers in Acts 2 did.

Have you ever hated your job, felt it wasn’t appreciated like you deserved a better job than the one you have? Maybe your work makes you feel unappreciated, underpaid, or that somehow the job you have is beneath you. I think that comes from how the world has determined there are “important” jobs, and then “ordinary” jobs. We fail to see the importance of our work in the “everyday grind”, feeling like it's meaningless in the big picture. What if your ordinary, even annoying work is making important contributions to the Kingdom of God you cannot see? Today, we’ll discover how every day, ordinary work holds more power in God’s Kingdom than you’ve ever imagined.

Have you ever felt the need to go back somewhere, but dreaded what you might face when you arrive? Maybe you wonder how much you've changed, or if anyone will even notice. It’s been a long time, and coming home isn’t easy, especially when the choice to leave was your own. Will people see your return as a sign of failure? Will you feel like a stranger in the place you once belonged? The fear of being seen as we really are, broken, bitter, far from perfect—can keep us from taking those first steps back. But what if the very place we’re avoiding is where God’s healing begins? What if the awkwardness, vulnerability & discomfort, is the 1st step to restoration & grace? My experience? God’s power meets ordinary people when they take that journey back to community with His people. So, what’s keeping you from coming home? Regret? Fear? Bitterness? Whatever it is, know that God is already at work—even if it feels uncomfortable. But to experience His healing, you’ve got to be willing to come home!

Do you ever wonder if your life carries any real weight? If you died tomorrow, what would your legacy be? Do you wrestle with guilt, feeling like you’re falling short? Or like you’re ordinary and insignificant? Maybe you doubt your impact in God’s Kingdom or feel like you’ve disappointed Him, or your life is too small to matter. These feelings can make us resent the mundane, feeling stuck in the routine and even resenting the simplicity of our days. But, what if those monotonous moments are divinely designed, and intended to be pivotal to God’s sovereign plan? What if you learned that your everyday faithfulness & obedience have a ripple effect beyond your imagination, impacting lives you’ll never see, and shaping eternal destinies? Even when you can’t see it, could God be weaving something extraordinary through your very ordinary life! We’re going to learn today that our Sovereign God delights in using simple, faithful obedience to accomplish His plan to rescue & redeem His people—just like He did with Ruth.

Do you ever wonder if your life carries any real weight? If you died tomorrow, what would your legacy be? Do you wrestle with guilt, feeling like you’re falling short? Or like you’re ordinary and insignificant? Maybe you doubt your impact in God’s Kingdom or feel like you’ve disappointed Him, or your life is too small to matter. These feelings can make us resent the mundane, feeling stuck in the routine and even resenting the simplicity of our days. But, what if those monotonous moments are divinely designed, and intended to be pivotal to God’s sovereign plan? What if you learned that your everyday faithfulness & obedience have a ripple effect beyond your imagination, impacting lives you’ll never see, and shaping eternal destinies? Even when you can’t see it, could God be weaving something extraordinary through your very ordinary life! We’re going to learn today that our Sovereign God delights in using simple, faithful obedience to accomplish His plan to rescue & redeem His people—just like He did with Ruth.