The Festival of Shavuot

In one paragraph

This message closed out the series on walking in the Spirit by connecting Shavuot, one of God's seven yearly family traditions, to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and to the story of Ruth. Brian Hunter drew a through-line from Deuteronomy 16 to Ruth to the gospels to show what it actually looks like to follow the Holy Spirit's lead rather than your own. The conversation was interactive,...

Read together

1. Deuteronomy 16:9-12 Read aloud to introduce the feast of Shavuot and its call to bring a voluntary offering in proportion to God's blessing
2. Joel 2 Quoted as what Peter cited on the day of Pentecost, connecting the outpouring of the Spirit to prophecy
3. Ruth 1:1-22 Read aloud as the story traditionally read during Shavuot, introducing Ruth's commitment to follow Naomi
4. Ruth 1:16 Ruth's pledge to Naomi, 'Wherever you go I will go,' cited as an example of following
5. Ruth 2:8-9 Boaz telling Ruth to follow his servants harvesting the field
6. Ruth 3:5 Ruth telling Naomi she will do everything Naomi says, following her instructions to the threshing floor
7. Luke 4:1 Jesus full of the Holy Spirit led by the Spirit, used to show Jesus himself followed the Spirit
8. Romans Our conscience bears witness, either condemning or congratulating us
9. Ecclesiastes 3:11 God has set eternity in the human heart, used to describe an inward moral compass pointing toward God
10. Hebrews Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered

Talk about it

1. Brian described God's seven feasts as family traditions rather than Jewish religious observances, saying God invites all his kids into them. How does thinking of them as family traditions rather than feasts change how you relate to them?
2. The free will offering in Deuteronomy 16 is described as voluntary, given in proportion to how God has blessed you. When you actually sit down and think through how God has blessed you, how does that change what you feel like giving back?
3. Naomi wanted to rename herself Mara, meaning bitter, but the author of Ruth keeps calling her Naomi throughout. What is a name or label you have tried to put on yourself that is different from the name God has for you?
4. Brian used Ruth following Naomi and Boaz as a picture of following the Holy Spirit, and pointed out that the Spirit will sometimes take a sharp turn or even a u-turn in a direction you did not expect or want. When has following God taken you somewhere that surprised you or felt contrary to what you thought you were supposed to be doing?
5. Brian said circumstances can be a poor indicator of whether you are walking in the Spirit, and that the Spirit does not bring condemnation but will let you know when you have drifted. What are the ways you actually discern whether you are following the Spirit's leadership versus your own best intentions?