I love being connected to a network of family and friends. I wonder whether you’ve done your family history, rooting and connecting you back in time. I have a Scottish heritage. My father’s family, the ‘Mackies’, were dairy farmers from Aberdeenshire, and it brings a smile as I place a tub of Mackie’s ice cream in my shopping trolley!

Our story returns to Naomi, as she rejoices at the blessing of being placed in a new family for her older years. We can see God’s sovereignty in how life has unfolded through tragedy, bereavement and loss. Throughout, Naomi has placed her hope in a faithful God and, centuries later, Paul, writing to the church in Rome, pays tribute to this same God when he says, ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love him’ (Romans 8:28).

Our connectedness also looks ahead, whether through children and grandchildren, or perhaps a sense of our care for God’s world for future generations. In Ruth, we have seen signs of God’s redemptive purpose and as the story closes we understand that, looking ahead, through the gift of her child, comes the lineage connecting directly to Jesus, both our kinsman and our redeemer for all of humanity (vs 17,22).