Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.” (Ruth 1:16)

Dear Beloved Church Family,

Years ago, I knew an elderly couple who walked to church every single Sunday—rain, snow, or blazing heat. Their neighbors teased them: “Why bother? You can watch something on TV. God will understand!” But for them, worship wasn’t just a habit—it was a promise to God and to one another. They said, “If we can still walk, we’ll walk to the house of the Lord.” People laughed at their stubborn devotion, but I always thought it was one of the most beautiful testimonies of faithfulness I’d ever seen.

The world often calls loyalty and devotion “old-fashioned” or “naïve.” But Scripture shows us again and again that God treasures faithfulness.

This Sunday, we’ll hear the story of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi was broken by loss, calling herself “bitter.” Yet Ruth, instead of turning back to an easier life, clung to her with one of the most moving promises in the Bible:

“Where you go, I will go.
Your people shall be my people.
Your God shall be my God.”

Ruth’s vow wasn’t just about loyalty to Naomi—it was a reflection of God’s own loyalty to us. Even when life feels bitter, even when we feel abandoned, God never lets go.

Friends, faithfulness may not always look “practical.” It may even draw laughter from the world. But Ruth’s story reminds us that God’s blessings flow through those who choose to stay, to love, and to keep walking in loyalty.

I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday as we reflect on what it means to live with faithfulness in a faithless world. Until then, may you feel God walking with you—wherever you go, whatever you face.

With hope and joy,