As a boy, ‘going viral’ meant chicken broth, thermometers under the tongue, cold rags, and isolation.  And if things really ‘went viral,’ a trip to Dr. Remy’s office was in order along with the certainty of shot.  Back in the day, no one wanted to go viral.  The phrase ‘going viral’ carried only bad connotations and unpleasant consequences. And even early in my IT career, the digital version of ‘going viral’ meant network outages, security breaches, and hours of tedious data recovery.  But in the age of social media, ‘going viral’ has shed its negative image and is now the goal of influencers, extroverts, and narcissists of all stripes.

What my generation strove to avoid has become the Millennial’s path to monetization, impact and glory.  Going viral means to make a rapid, broad-reaching impact and influence the attitudes and actions of a vast audience.  The site CreatorEssentials defines it this way.

For content to go viral, it means it has achieved widespread popularity very quickly across the internet, particularly on social media platforms.  Viral content typically experiences a rapid and exponential increase in views, shares, and engagement, surpassing ordinary content by a significant margin. This high level of engagement prompts social media algorithms to further promote the content, making it visible to an even broader audience.

In other words, like a real biological virus, viral content makes a big impact by spreading rapidly through replication.  The connectedness of the modern world has made this phenomenon possible. 

But there is something even more ‘viral’ that has been around for ages.  And that is the grace of God, expressed in his covenant love for his people.  Nothing has a greater impact, spreads faster, or replicates more powerfully God’s grace applied to his people.  It produces gracious people with an infectious impact on their spheres of influence.  The gospel is transformative.  It is attractional.  And it goes viral.

The Book of Ruth reveals this vividly.  Throughout this short book several words are repeated over and over.  Like beating drums, we read the words ‘return,’ ‘redeemer’ and ‘kindness.’  The ancient word translated ‘kindness’ is hesed.  A word used throughout the Old Testament for the special love God has for his people.  Covenant love, steadfast love, loving-kindness, grace. 

In the midst of great tragedy and suffering, God exercises remarkable loving-kindness toward his people.   Naomi hears of Yahweh’s grace in the fields of pagan Moab.  So she returns to Israel in her sorrow, grief and bitterness along with her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth.  During their return, Ruth expresses her faith in Naomi’s God as her own.  And as God applies his grace to Ruth, it works its way out graciously through her loving-kindness toward Naomi.  Grace that leaves the whole town of Bethlehem ‘buzzing’ as Naomi and Ruth arrive.  Then in the field of godly Boaz, the attention of this grace-filled man is attracted by the God’s grace evident in Ruth and he responds in loving-kindness toward Ruth and his kinswoman, Naomi. 

Upon their return Naomi had declared that God was “heaping up ruin” in her life.  But the rest of the story reveals that he was “heaping up grace” instead.  God’s grace applied begets grace, loving-kindness, expressed in Ruth and then in Boaz and finally in Naomi. That is how God’s covenant love is.  It goes viral.  It impacts.  It replicates.  As the Spirit gives us this grace, we too become grateful and gracious people.  Its impact is irresistible and sweeping.  As Sandra Macracken sings.

Grace upon grace, every sin repaired
Every void restored, you will find Him there
In every turning He will prepare you
With grace upon grace.

Naomi lamented that God returned her to Bethlehem empty yet in the end God’s grace repaired every sin and restored every void.  What about with you?  Are you still empty?  Or have you experienced God’s grace upon grace that repairs every sin and restores every void?  Has God’s grace gone viral in and through your life?

Join us as we examine Ruth 2:1-17 and see how God’s grace unfolds into “grace upon grace” in the lives of those it changes.  We meet on the square in Pottsville, right next to historic Potts’ Inn at 10:30 am for worship.  Get directions here or contact us for more info.  Or join our livestream on YouTube.