The story of God often advances through the overlooked. Or those that overlook themselves While there are dozens of powerful  stories of defiant heroism, Scripture has equal—if not more—accounts of God’s providence moving through the everyday averageness of His faithful people. If you don’t consider yourself more than amateur in your faithfulness, there is an overwhelming conviction that you must hold — God cares more about your consistent faith than your occasional heroism. It’s easy to find inspiration in young people evangelizing with hundreds in a day, and overlook you mowing your neighbors yard, or having a couple that’s going through a bump over for dinner and a place to talk it out. It’s easy to glorify someone who has the ability speak in front of hundreds and forget about the ones that have a heart for teaching the gospel in children’s ministry or at a nursing home. All of your “unexceptional” acts of daily devotion are the prime soil for God to remain the hero in His story.

The entire book of Ruth — and the line of David — happens because the Israelites obeyed God’s law and left grain for foreigners. It’s because of their reputation of kindness and faithfulness that Ruth and Naomi even journey back to Bethlehem form Moab.

Ruth takes place in the midst of Judges.

One is a cycle of sin and a few occasional heroes.

The other is a small-town story of faithful people advancing the kingdom.

This sermon is about the beauty of unceremonious discipleship and the ways God has always built His Kingdom through little things — like barley, board meetings, and a little black dress.