Wake Message - Ruth - Love for Others

Me

Good evening, My name is Dominick Alipoon and I am the pastor of the Woodward Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is an honor to be here with you to celebrate the life of Dianna Cassio.

We

If you knew Dianna, you knew just how much love was in her heart. She never knew a stranger, because everyone was a friend. The more I have gotten to know Dianna through her friends and family, the more I saw the influence of one of her favorite Bible characters: Ruth.

Ruth was heavily influenced and driven by love and so was Dianna.

God

Ruth lived during a very dark time, people had lost hope in a lot of things. But Ruth served as a wonderful example of God’s providential love and care for his people, all people.

When we lose someone who meant so much to us, we tend to spend a lot of time of time thinking and talking about legacy. What have they left for us? What impressions and lessons have our loved ones given us?

I believe one of the legacies Dianna left us with is how important it is to care for others. We are all here because Dianna cared for us in one way or another.

Ruth lived during a very dark time, when people had lost hope in a lot of things. But Ruth served as a wonderful example of God’s providential love and care for his people, all people.

The book of Ruth focuses on three people. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz.

Naomi’s family had made their way to Moab looking for food in the midst of a famine. While they were in Moab, Naomi’s sons married Moabite women. One of whom was Ruth.

The story begins terribly with Naomi’s family all dying. She lost her husband and her two sons.

Naomi decided that she would go back to Judah as she had nothing in Moab. She would make the journey alone and do her best to survive alone.

Ruth refused to leave her mother in law, Naomi.

Ruth 1:14 ESV

14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

Ruth 1:

Ruth clung, held on tight to Naomi. She held on tight because she cared deeply for Naomi.

How many times did Dianna make sacrifices so that she could cling onto you?

Ruth gave up everything so that she could love and care for the one person who needed her most.

The description of Ruth could also be used to describe Dianna.

Dianna loved the story of Ruth and Boaz. I don’t blame her, its a touching story.

Naomi and Ruth were hungry, so Ruth goes to search for food. She just so happens to glean in Boaz’s grain field. When Boaz meets Ruth, he asks her to stay in his field only and to not go to anyone else’s field. He tells her, that as long as she is in his field, she will be taken care of.

Her response is so interesting. She asks Boaz why he would show so much kindness to a stranger.

Boaz answer?

Ruth 2:11 ESV

11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.

Ruth 2:

Ruth receives kindness because of the care and love she showed Naomi.

Ruth gave up all to care for and support Naomi.

Ruth reminds me so much of Dianna, selflessly giving of herself to love and support others.

Because of Ruth’s selfless love, she too was blessed. It was very difficult for women during that time to be prosperous. A woman could only own land through the men in their family.

Because of this Ruth and Naomi by themselves had little hope. But God blessed both them immensely by bringing Boaz into their world.

Ruth and Boaz eventually are married. God works through Ruth’s life because of her great love for others.

At first glance it seems that the events of the book of Ruth are the events of a small and insignificant family. But the author lets us know that the hand of God was at work and the events in the book of Ruth are very important.

Turns out Ruth was the great-great-great grandmother of King David, who would be an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

We all have been blessed by Dianna and each one of us are a testimony to the kind of woman Dianna was.

What is so remarkable to me is that at the beginning of the story Ruth is an outsider, but because of Ruth’s great love she is accepted among a different people group and she is described as an honorable woman.

The same description found in .

Dianna was also an honorable woman who cared for all.

You

We

As we remember who Dianna was. Let her memory be inspire us to be just like her. Let us show our love and care towards others in such a way that God can call us honorable men and women as Dianna and Ruth were incredible women of God.

Lets all be like Dianna, so that her story doesn’t stop. It continues to live through each of us. When people ask us why do you care so much for others? We can answer them and tell them all about this wonderful woman named Dianna.