Children’s Message on Ruth 1 on “Faithful Friendships .”
Main Objective: The story of Ruth is a wonderful and fascinating one that teaches several important lessons. It features loss, love, risk, blessing, and redemption. Ruth also demonstrates loyalty. This message focuses on the faithful friendship that Ruth shared with her mother-in-law Naomi. Friendships can grow in a variety of ways throughout our lives, and are valuable to us. The most important relationship that we have, and the one we see most significantly in the book of Ruth, is the one we have with God. Just as Ruth stayed close to Naomi through hardship, God is always with us and leads us through every season of our lives.
Law/Gospel Theme: Sometimes we treat the book of Ruth as a tale of love and overcoming adversity. It is that, but more so it is a story of redemption. Ruth and Naomi were rescued by Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer. This allowed Ruth to have a baby who would be part of the lineage of Christ, the great redeemer of all. Ruth experienced joy after hardship, and we can experience life after death because of Jesus.
Ruth 1:1-18, Children’s Sermon- Ruth’s Love for her Mother in Law “Naomi“.
Optional Materials: Pictures or representations of friendship (historical, Biblical, or fictional); Bible
Bible Passage: Ruth 1:1-18
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs. Use your judgment and ideas to best serve students.
Greet children, and talk about friendship…
Hello, children of God!
Can you think of any famous friendships? Maybe you’ve read about something in a book, or seen it in a movie…who are some well-known friends? I have some pictures here of some famous duos. Let’s see if you can identify who they are. Show students pictures of some popular figures who represent friendship, and briefly explain who they are if kids do not know. Potential examples include Timon and Pumbaa, Mickey Mouse and Goofy, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Sam and Frodo, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, etc. Choose what will connect with your audience. There are also a lot of wonderful friendships that we see in the Bible. Show a few examples of these, such as David and Jonathan, Elijah and Elisha, Jesus and His disciples, etc. You can probably think of some good friends you have, too. But what makes a good friend? What brings people together in friendship? Sometimes we have friends based on similar interests or activities we participate in, or maybe peers, like your friends at school. There are other times that you might have a friend who is much different from you, or who is older or younger than you are. Hopefully, though, good friends are kind and caring, treat you well, and demonstrate loyalty and faithfulness. That means being there for someone and sticking with them no matter what. Even when things are hard, loyal friends stay around.
This reminds me of a wonderful account from the Bible. There was a woman named Naomi, who decided to move with her husband and sons to another country because there wasn’t enough food for them where they lived. They found wives for the sons in the new country. Unfortunately, though, after a little while, Naomi’s husband and sons all died. She decided to return to her country. She told her daughters-in-law to leave her and go back to their families. One of them decided to head back. But the other, Ruth, wouldn’t leave Naomi’s side. She told Naomi, “where you go, I will go, where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.” She was loyal to her mother-in-law. And after many challenges, positive things happened. Ruth was able to find a way to get food and provide for her and Naomi, and eventually found a man who married her. She had a son, Obed, who was the grandfather of King David, ancestor of Jesus. But all of this wasn’t just because Ruth was a good friend. This story is a reminder of God’s faithfulness. He takes care of us and keeps all of His promises.
You see, in our lives there are a lot of friends who will come and go. Some people we might only know for a brief season. But we have a friend who will always be with us and help us, through any circumstance, no matter what. Do you know who that might be? God, of course! God promises to be faithful forever. He is with us, even when we don’t understand why hard things are happening and even when we don’t feel His presence. God cares for us and wants to help us. He brings blessings, and He brings peace and comfort when we face trials.
It’s important to be a good friend, and it’s wonderful to have good friends. But no matter how many friends we have on Earth, we have the hope of our relationship with God. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is loyal and has great things planned for us. He rescues and saves us through His Son, Jesus. We can trust in Him always!
Let’s say a prayer and thank God for His faithful friendship.
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for being our faithful friend.
Help us to remember that you are always with us.
Help us to be loyal to you.
Thank you for your love.
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Ruth 1:1-18 Meaning for Kids
In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. -Ruth 1:1-18