This past Sunday, AA&S resumed teaching and discussion through the Book of Ruth with Jon Courtney. Jon will continue guiding us through the Book of Ruth for the next three weeks.

Among other things, I appreciated the challenge Jon gave us to ‘hesed’ love one another as Ruth loved Naomi. Years ago I heard David Hansen, a small-town pastor from Montana, teach on ‘hesed’ love at Regent College in Vancouver BC. ‘Hesed’ is a Hebrew word defined as ‘covenant love’ or the ‘ability to bond’. In his book “The Power of Loving Your Church”, David Hansen writes: “Mercy, kindness, and lovingkindness communicate the upshot of hesed, but they don’t really pin down its meaning. … the wonderful phrase steadfast love expresses hesed as ‘promise-keeping love’. …God loves bonding himself to a people, and he loves knowing that his steadfast love makes his people feel secure in their relationship with him. … Hesed is love that will not separate. It is the love Ruth showed Naomi.”

Let us bond together in committed love for one another,

Kathy

Regarding the fall focus on The Lord's Prayer...

I was blessed with the wonderful concept of coming to the Father in the Name of Jesus.

I now think of coming in the Name of Jesus as coming in His authority. He gives me authority to come before the throne of the eternal Father in confidence to represent Jesus in order to fulfull His purpose in my daily walk. As God is Jesus‘ Father, Jesus has made God my Father. Jesus and I are praying together to our Father.

I may not know Christ’s will as I ought, but the Spirit (the Spirit of Jesus) intercedes according to the will of God.

Gladys