Montreat Sunday… FPC First Students

Sunday Worship - FPC LaGrange - June 14th, 2026

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Biblical Odyssey. The events and adventures of folks in the Bible. The story of their faith and the story of their strength. This morning we're looking at the book of Ruth, but I once had someone ask me, why is Ruth a part of the Bible? How many of you have read the book of Ruth? Okay, you've all read it. Did you ever wonder why this book was part of the Bible? Now, this was an honest question from this person. It was a curious question, one that sparked an interesting discussion. It's a relatively short book. It has a simple plot. And literarily, there are no major twists or turns or acts of great heroism that grab or hold our attention. And then there's within the story, there's no direct divine action. In other words, nowhere does it say that God spoke, intervenes, or even acts. In the book of Ruth, God is in the background, so to speak. Now, characters in the story like Naomi refer to God, unlike perhaps the book of Esther. Like in verses 13, when she says, For it is exceedingly bitter for me for to me for your sake, that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. So God is in the background of this book. So why then is it this this why is it a part of the epic story of God and of God's people? Now a deeper look into a deeper study into the book of Ruth reveals that redemption. Redemption is a key theme. The Hebrew word for redemption and its variants occurs 23 times as the narrative moves. And it moves from emptiness to fullness, from destitution to security and hope. We even see this in our reading today in Ruth's response to Naomi to fullness. Though not explicitly stated in the narrative, the characters within the story represent God's care and God's loving kindness or faithfulness to God's people. So as we read the book of Ruth, we should look as look at the characters like Ruth as showing an example of God's love and God's mercy. All of this in the story reflect God's relationship with us. Now another important aspect of Ruth to note is that scholars think that the story of Ruth was first orally passed down and eventually written as the story we have it today during the Second Temple Period, or perhaps the Persian period, meaning it would have happened after the Babylonian exile when the Babylon came and captured and removed Israelites from their homeland and put them into foreign lands. And also of importance, they destroyed the temple. This is important because the book stands as a competing voice. A competing voice in the historical question of how Israelites returning to their home should interact with Gentiles, how they should interact with the Gentile world upon the return to their homeland. This had previously been extremely volatile in a few centuries prior. If you read the book of Ezra or Nehemiah, they have opposing views of foreign women in the city of Jerusalem, for example. So Ruth has a competing voice compared to these other books. So the inclusion of a foreign woman into Jewish society and her commitment to speak, commitment to God, speak to a different treatment of the Gentiles. Ruth is a competing voice to these other books. So this week, this past week, our high schoolers were able to pause and reflect at this place called Montreat. Why is it included in the life of this church? Why is it that I every time I tell someone I've never been to Montreat, they gasp and tell me, oh, you've got to go. Well, I can no longer say that I have not or never been to Montreat. Now I can see why they immediately say, you gotta go. This week, young and old, we were reminded that our identity is not found in these things, but found in Christ. We were reminded this in our keynote. In our worship together, in our small groups, and in new and old friends. And it's through these relationships that our students were asked to pay attention, to pay attention while walking through the mountains, to pay attention while they were discussing the day's theme in their small groups. They were asked to pay attention during worship. To pay attention during their play or their socializing with friends. They were even asked to pay attention in their back home time. So that they might see. So that they might see how the story of God's redemption is woven and connected in their own story and at a time when it might not always seem apparent.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

I'm sure I can speak for all of us when I say that this week is one of, if not the best week of the year, as we get to spend the entire time learning more about our faith and meeting and connecting with new people and friends in the process. This week the theme was wonder and wonder, and we explored stories of people who wandered, physically or spiritually, and discovered that even when they lost their way, God never lost sight of them. In the scripture read today, we see one of the most powerful examples of faithfulness throughout the Bible. Naomi, broken by loss and grief, decides to return to Bethlehem and urges her daughters-in-law to stay behind with what they are familiar and comfortable with. Orpa obeys, but Ruth says, Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Ruth had no idea or guarantee of what was ahead. All she knew was that her God was calling her forward, and so she followed. This week, one message kept resurfacing that God initiates and we respond. Ruth's story shows this truth entirely, as God called her to do something before she even understood what she was being called to do. Her obedience led to more than a location change, but a change in herself to step into God's purpose for her. We heard this week that running and hiding from God can be more than disobedience, but it is, in a way, identity rejection. Our preacher said that when we run from God's call, we run from the truest versions of ourselves, that our preference shouldn't outweigh God's purpose, and that we should choose obedience over comfort. Ruth easily could have stayed in Moab, but she responded to God's call. This idea really dug deep with me, this Montreat, with it being my last. Montreat has always spoken to me through the nature, keynote, worship, new friendships, small groups, and time with our youth group back home. It's a place where the separation between earth and God becomes very thin, and his voice becomes extremely clear. Leaving Montreat yesterday morning for the last time was very bittersweet. Most of me wants to stay in what is familiar and comfortable, hold on to the memories and the friendships that I've made over the last five years. But after this week, I know that dwelling on what was can keep me from moving into what's next. Trusting and having faith in God means to follow and obey without knowing why or without having a concrete reason to. This week we learned that our why can keep us stuck in yesterday, and that God cannot reveal what's next if we're stuck in what was. That instead of asking when is this going to end or when is this going to start, we should ask what chapter is this? Ruth left Moab focused and trusting in what God had planned for her, but not because she wanted to leave something behind. I like to believe that in the same way, Montreat wasn't meant to be the ending point or the destination, but more of a preparation of what is to come. We also learned that grace doesn't simply come and find us, it redirects us. It meets us where we are, but it refuses to leave us behind. Even when we run, grace will find us, because we can run all we want, but we can't outrun what God has placed in us. Even when we make mistakes, his grace remains. Before we've ever faced a problem, he already had a plan. As Montreat Youth Conference becomes part of my past, I'm reminded that faith isn't staying where God has placed me before, but following and responding to where he is calling me now. Like Ruth, we all face the choice of running or responding, and we should always respond. As this chapter closes and I move on to the next, I am grateful for the wonder that I've experienced at Montreat, and I'm excited for where God leads me next, because whether we wonder or wander, whether we run or respond, God's grace continues to call us forward and it won't leave us behind. We shouldn't question whether or not God is calling because we know He because we know He is, but rather we should ask ourselves how we will respond. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Good morning. When you're a kid, there's a question that we tend to ask that perpetually haunts your parents. Why? Why? Why, why, why, why, why? And if you know me, you probably know that I ask a lot of questions. When I first went to Montreet in 2022, I thought I was just going to a summer camp that Narea convinced me to go to. Looking back now, I realize I was stepping into a journey of faith. Each year, Montreet has taught me something new about God, about myself, and about what it means to live faithfully. Over the past five visits, I've been challenged to think about how faith is not always about having all the answers. Sometimes faith begins with wonder and grows with wandering. At Montreat, I've learned that faith is not weakened by questions. In fact, questions can draw us closer to God and strengthen our relationship. Wonder reminds us that God is bigger than our understanding and that there is always more to discover about God's love. But wonder often leads to wandering. Wandering can feel uncomfortable because it means stepping into the unknown. We may not know where God is leading us or what comes next. And as a high school graduate, heading to college, I'm kind of starting to feel that. I wonder about the future, about college, about my calling, and about who God is shaping me to become. Yet Montreed has taught me that wandering is not the same thing as being lost. Wandering can be an act of faith when we trust that God walks with us every step of the way. I'm reminded of our story today, Ruth 1, verses 6 through 18. After experiencing loss and uncertainty, Ruth faced a choice. She could have stayed behind where life felt familiar, but instead she chose to go with Naomi into an uncertain future. Ruth told Naomi, where you go, I will go. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Like Ruth, we are called to trust God even when the path ahead is unclear, when we can't see around the bend. Like Ruth, we sometimes leave behind what is comfortable in order to follow where God is leading. For a long time I didn't think I had a part in God's story. However, being a part of this church and going to this camp has taught me that God has a part in my story. Just as Ruth stepped forward into faith without knowing what was ahead, I feel like I'm kind of standing in a similar moment. I don't know where exactly where God is leading me, but I know he's leading me somewhere. And that's a comfort I never thought I would know. Just as Ruth carried her faith with her wherever she went, I know I won't leave Montreal behind. The lessons I've learned there, the friendships I've made, the people who have invested in me, and the faith I've grown into will go with me. Where I go, this church will go. Where I go, Montreal will go. And as I look toward the future, I still have questions. I still wonder and I still wander. But now I do so with confidence that God is walking beside me. Because of what I've learned, I know that my story matters, that God has a purpose for my life, and even when that path ahead is uncertain, God remains faithful too. I don't know exactly what the future holds for me, but I know who holds the future. And because of that, I think I'm gonna like it. Thank you.