Letter to the Congregations: 30th May 2026

Our Dear Brethren,

“But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me’” (Ruth 1:16-17).

In a moment when life seemed at its lowest point Ruth clung to her relationship with her mother-in-law. This moment of deep care for another person stands as a testimony to the kind of love and commitment that is possible for human beings. It’s also a great example of the love our God has for us and wants us to have for Him.

God has invested so much in us. He has given us life, He has called us to know Him, and He has given us freedom from death through the sacrifice of His Son. And He plans to carry on working with us as long as we are willing to work with Him. We should be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in [us] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

With God’s commitment, encouragement, connection, and love, we are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (see Romans 8:37). Paul further elaborated on this fact: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor anger nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor heigh nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Are we ready to cling to the love of God for us? Are we ready make that same commitment to Him as He has to us? Are we ready to continue in our covenant relationship with our God no matter what may come? We can make a similar promise to that of Ruth when it comes to following after our God: “Entreat me not to leave You, or to turn back from following after You; for wherever You go, I will go … Your people shall be my people.”

Our love is with you,

Lewis VanAusdle

Pastor, United Church of God

NYC, NJ, CT, Malawi, Zimbabwe